TIFF Review: Nutcrackers

It’s been seven years since we last saw Ben Stiller acting (let’s not get pedantic and say he was in Hubie Halloween and a few others since The Meyerowitz Stories.) Since successfully transitioning to directing TV, acting has taken a backseat.  

So as I sat at a morning press screening of David Gordon Green’s Nutcrackers, I was left wondering “Why did one of the world’s most famous movie stars decide to step back in for this particular movie?”

And for most of the time, there was no answer. It’s mostly par for the course. And once the setup comes — chilly, big city relative of a recently deceased sibling comes to the sticks to help take care of the family — I don’t have to tell you how it ends. You know how this Hallmark Channel movie not only ends but how it will find its inevitable ending. 

But beneath the not-so-veiled insult is the answer to my question.

You know how it ends, yet it doesn’t matter. Penned by Leland Douglas (who has a background in TV movies) Nutrcrackers shows that the cliche behind it has more to give after all. It’s not that it reinvents or finds a new way to paint by numbers; it arrives at the inevitable conclusion with as much grace and emotion as it can squeeze out. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Not to speak for Stiller’s motivations, but this change of life that his character experiences very much mirrors his own career, and I think reflects his decision to jump back in front of the camera instead of behind.

While watching my question turned to: “If Stiller had this role in the ’90s, would he have become a massive star like he was?” Probably not, no. And my reaction to that changed from disappointment to admiration throughout the runtime. Stiller doesn’t need this to be a groundbreaking role, just as much as his character doesn’t need to own an apartment above Chaka Khan (one of the funnier jokes in the script that not enough people laughed at, unfortunately). Simply though, Stiller hasn’t missed a beat. There’s nothing zany or absurdist like his more infamous characters, he plays his part straight, going up against a pack of four wild kids.

Played by four brothers — Homer Jason, Ulysses Janson, Atlas Janson, and Arlo Janson — each has at least one shining moment with Gordon Green and Leland slowly dialing back the madcap to allow Stiller and the audience into their world. It’s the kids that make or break it in the end, so if you don’t get on board with their awkwardness or non-traditional points of view, it will be a tough nut to crack. And it’s certainly purposeful to keep them at arm’s length to feel cold towards their introduction. But in the end, just like any Christmas movie (oh that’s right, if it couldn’t get any more Hallmark-y, it takes place in December) it ends on warm terms.

Is Nutcrackers going to be a Christmas classic? I’d be surprised. But I also wouldn’t turn it off if it was on TV while baking or decorating the tree.