Nutcrackers (Hulu)- Ben Stiller Inherits Four Kids In Time For Christmas
Quick Take: I know we are past Christmas, but this wouldn’t be me missing out on a beautiful gift for the holidays. No, Ben Stiller’s new film, relegated to Hulu after a pickup at the Toronto Film Festival, is a miserable excuse for holiday joy. David Gordon Green is returning to his roots after demolishing the Halloween and exorcist franchises, and he’s lost his touch. Stiller, playing a generic “all business” type is inconvenienced by the death of his sister, and the fact that his sister had a bunch of kids that now need a home. They technically have one, as she lived on a farm outside of an already small town in the middle of nowhere. The movie is all about how out of touch Stiller is, and takes the opportunity to show how quirky the kids are because they like to stand on the roof of the barn, or whatever shenanigans. They are not independently well developed kids, and neither is Stiller. Yet, somehow, they work a plot in here that goes exactly where you think it will. The audio description didn’t help too much with the kids, as they all seem to have some generic look to them. I had a difficult time trying to remember all of them, or who was oldest. To be fair, that is also the fault of the script. there are Hallmark movies with far more charm than this. I’m sure Stiller thought he was making the next great indie comedy, like Brad’s Status, but this is very much not it. For more, check out my video.
