#TIFF24: “NUTCRACKERS” REVIEW

By David Baldwin

Michael (Ben Stiller) is a big-time real estate developer in Chicago. He has a huge presentation coming up but needs to sign foster forms in person in rural Ohio for his four nephews first. Their parents were just killed in a car accident and despite having not seen the family in over a year, Michael is the next of kin. To his shock, he quickly learns upon arrival that he must stay with his nephews until a foster family is located and are open to adopting all four siblings.

I am sure you can guess where NUTCRACKERS goes from here. Well, maybe not Michael trying to foist the kids onto other families or their wanting to put on an alternative version of the Nutcracker ballet that one of the kids wrote. You get the gist. For better or worse, Director David Gordon Green’s newest film – this year’s Opening Night selection at the Festival – does not pull any punches when it comes to practically anything. It is designed and engineered to be a crowd-pleaser that has you laughing one minute and then weeping the next. It succeeds in both spheres for the most part, whereas others magnify the film’s many problems (chief amongst them that it is simply too longwinded in its current form and would benefit greatly from being trimmed down).

Stiller is lovely as Michael (or Uncle Mike as the kids call him) and it is a real treat to see him back in front of the camera after so long, in a role that feels very much at home with the rest of his oeuvre. Linda Cardellini appears as the adoption agency case worker helping Michael find a foster family for the kids and does good work with a thankless role. The film could have used much more of her. The real highlight of the NUTCRACKERS cast though is the film debuts of Home, Ulysses, Atlas and Arlo Janson, who play Michael’s nephews. They bring a genuine, lived-in experience to each of their scenes and get many of the Film’s best laughs. The emotional intimacy and vulnerability they bring to each scene is terrific and genuine. Let’s hope this is not the last time we see them on screen.

NUTCRACKERS screens at TIFF ’24:

Thursday, September 5 at 6:00PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Thursday, September 5 at 8:00PM at Roy Thomson Hall

Thursday, September 12 at 1:00PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Saturday, September 14 at 12:45PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

#TIFF: 2024 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT GALAS ANNOUNCED

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival will kick off with David Gordon Green’s Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller on September 5, 2024 and close with Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb on September 15, 2024 both making their World Premiere at Roy Thomson Hall as part of the Gala programme, sponsored by Dyson.

“This year’s Festival is shaping up to be a star-studded event with highly anticipated films that reflect the world around us with humour and empathy, like our Opening and Closing Night selections, Nutcrackers and The Deb,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “TIFF aims to showcase both returning and first-time directors to the Festival on a big stage, and we are excited for fans to experience these two films — and the many diverse works premiering in between.”

David Gordon Green’s Nutcrackers follows strait-laced and work-obsessed Mike (Ben Stiller) as he is suddenly thrust into being a caregiver for his rambunctious, orphaned nephews. Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb, is an original musical comedy about two teenage cousins who dig deep to find self-acceptance and a date to the Debutante Ball in a small country town in Australia.

Film details (in alphabetical order):

The Deb | Rebel Wilson | Australia
World Premiere | Gala
Sales Title – Rights Available (WME)

Nutcrackers | David Gordon Green | USA
World Premiere | Gala
Sales Title – Rights Available (UTA Independent Film Group)

More Festival details will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for TIFF ’24 go on sale to TIFF Members by level beginning on Friday, August 16. For more details, visit tiff.net/join. The full Festival schedule will be released on Tuesday, August 13.