Nutcrackers

Nutcrackers is an American comedy drama film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Leland Douglas. It was released on Hulu on November 29, 2024.
==Synopsis==
A workaholic, Mike has to travel to rural Ohio to look after his recently orphaned nephews.
==Plot==
Michael "Mike" Maxwell is pulled away from his job in Chicago, following the death of his sister and her husband. In rural Ohio, he winds up having to look after his nephews Justice, Junior, Samuel, and Simon Kicklighter, as social worker Gretchen Rice looks for a foster home who will take them. The Kicklighter Kids live on a farm and are unruly children who are homeschooled and partake in dangerous recreational activities. Mike is supposed to close a realtor deal for a train yard, but his advisor Carol threatens to give the project to the untested Devin, whom Mike clearly despises.
The Kicklighter Kids force Mike to think on his feet, while he in turn slowly grows accustomed to their rural living. He bonds with the kids about Janet who ran a dance studio in town where they learned ballet. A couple offers to take the two younger Kicklighters, but Mike refuses the separate them. The kids vie for wealthy socialite Al Wilmington to take them in and Mike secures an invitation to his mansion for a Christmas party. While there, Justice is revealed to be in a relationship a girl named Mia, who also went to the dance studio. While Mike quickly rubs elbows with everyone there, the kids end up destroying a nativity display with a golf cart that sinks in the swimming pool, souring their chances of getting fostered by Al. Mike goes to another prospect he met named Rose, but she turns out to be fostering solely for money and comes onto Mike, forcing him to turn her down.
Carol passes Mike up for Devin, angering him, but continues his search for potential foster homes. Junior, having written a "better" version of The Nutcracker ballet, inspires Mike to produce it for the local theater, not just to get funding, but also to potentially give the kids a bigger chance of getting fostered. Justice initially refuses, until Mike convinces Mia to also be part of the performance. With the performance underway, Gretchen brings up how Mike's search for a foster family has inadvertently made him attached to his nephews, something he refused to acknowledge. When he still insists that what he is doing is a good thing (calling the kids a "pain in the ass"), his words are overheard by the Kicklighters. Just as Carol calls back to inform Mike that he is needed after all, the kids disappear before the performance starts.
Mike informs everyone in attendance that the play has been cancelled, however it is revealed that the kids have decided to move the performance to outside on the street where the memorial of their parents are. Everyone stands in the street to watch the play, much to everyone's delight. During the performance, Justice stabs Mike with his prop sword as he feigns an injury. He finally comes to the realization that he loves his nephews and congratulates them, promising that he will never leave them. Everyone celebrates in the street. During the credits, Mike is revealed to have bought Justice an ATV and the two ride off a ramp (based on an earlier comment about the kids wanting to do so). In post-credits audio, the two are revealed to have failed the jump.
==Cast==
*Ben Stiller as Michael "Mike" Maxwell
*Linda Cardellini as Gretchen
*Homer Janson as Justice
*Ulysses Janson as Junior
*Atlas Janson as Samuel
*Arlo Janson as Simon
*Toby Huss as Aloysius "Al" Wilmington
*Edi Patterson as Rose
*Tim Heidecker as Deputy Cox
*Maren Heisler as Mia
==Production==
On December 20, 2023, Deadline reported that Hulu was developing a comedy drama film starring Ben Stiller and Linda Cardellini, with David Gordon Green directing.Ben Stiller To Star In ‘Nutcrackers’ For David Gordon Green, Will Also Produce Through Red Hour In January 2024, additional cast was revealed.Linda Cardellini, Edi Patterson, Tim Heidecker, Toby Huss Starring With Ben Stiller in David Gordon Green’s ‘Nutcrackers’ (EXCLUSIVE)
On October 17, 2024, Deadline reported that the film was scheduled to be released on November 29, 2024.Hulu Sets Release Date For Ben Stiller Comedy ‘Nutcrackers’ After Toronto Film Festival Pickup
==Video==
Nutcrackers - Official Trailer - Hulu
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Films
Category:Hulu original films
Category:2024 films
Category:PG-13 rated films
Category:Christmas films