Nutcracker (2024)

Nutcracker (2024)

 

3/10

Starring

Ben Stiller

Linda Cardellini

 

Directed by David Gordon Green

 

There must be something I'm missing, why was this movie made so poorly?

There is nothing new in the story, it's highly predictable. In fact, it's so predictable that after just fifteen minutes, you can guess with 99% accuracy every major plot string that will happen. Even if you guess wrong, it won't matter much, and it certainly won't make you go, "Oh, that’s nice."

The writing and directing are what you would expect from a Hallmark Christmas movie, not something starring Ben Stiller.

The plot is simple, Ben Stiller plays a top guy in Chicago who has just lost his sister and brother-in-law. They had four children, and the responsibility of caring for them fell into his lap. He also happens to have a project presentation deadline, which coincides with him needing to go to Ohio to sign documents about the children. The issue is, the family the children were supposed to be sent to didn't work out, so he has to care for them until they can find another family.

With a plot like that, you’d expect touching moments or even some cringe worthy scenes, but there were none. Nothing happening on screen had any emotional impact. It felt more like a fantasy movie, and why? Because the plot is highly unrealistic.

I took my time trying to figure out when this movie was set, maybe in the '80s or '90s (and they forgot to remove the gadgets) because by the way it was done, it looked like it was set in the present day 2020s. And I was right. Based on the MAC laptop, phone, and Microsoft Excel 365 he was using for his project (I had to pause and zoom in to check), this was set in the 2020s. If that’s the case, can someone tell me why he had to drive to a town to sign documents?

What happened to sending them by email?

Why all this talk of no connection, when broadband and cell phone availability in Ohio is not as scarce as the movie makes it seem?

Also, he has a presentation, and he's in another state because of a family emergency, so you're telling me his office couldn't allow him to do it online?

Which office would penalize you because you lost your sister? This is the 2020s, workers have rights!

Finally, nobody can force you to care for children. It’s not done, even in third-world countries like where I’m from. If you don’t want the kids, it's not a problem, the government will handle it.

This movie was a disappointing waste of time.