The holidays wouldn’t be the same without a feel-good comedy to help warm your chestnuts by the fire. Thankfully, Hulu is here with a heartfelt comedy about family, frustrations in parenting, and feeling like the best gift includes stepping up to the plate for loved ones in need. Directed by David Gordon Green (Halloween Kills, The Exorcist: Believer), Nutcrackers stars Ben Stiller (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, Night at the Museum) and Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks, Scooby-Doo, The Curse of La Llorona). Today, Hulu shared a Nutcrackers trailer to make your heart grow two sizes bigger.
Nutcrackers follows strait-laced and work-obsessed Mike (Stiller) as he is suddenly thrust into being a caregiver for his rambunctious, orphaned nephews. The foursome is more than Mike can handle while finding them a new home, and he’s quickly learning that if you can’t beat them, join them. As the group gets closer, Mike discovers a part of himself he’s never known, brought on by the daily chaos and shared sensation of grief.
Edi Patterson, Tim Heidecker, and Toby Huss star, with Homer Janson, Ulysses Janson, Arlo Janson, and Atlas Janson playing the brotherly unit.
The feature-length project is a hard left turn at Albuquerque for Green, who’s spent most of his recent filmmaking career bringing Halloween’s Michael Myers and William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist back to the horror fold. Is Green leaving horror for good, or is Nutcrackers a breath of fresh air before he returns to the bloody and brutal genre?
Stiller’s involvement with Nutcrackers ends a six-year chill time for the comedic actor. You need to imagine that something special about the script called out to him, compelling him to step back into the spotlight. Rivulet Films’ Rob Paris and Mike Witherill, Red Hour Films’ Ben Stiller and John Lesher, and Rough House Pictures’ Nate Meyer are producing.
Everybody could use a story about kindness and compassion this holiday season, and a feel-good comedy could be precisely what the doctor ordered. Warming up to four kids is no easy feat, and I’m curious to see how they win Mike over. Will the boys find a new home or live with their Uncle Mike until they’re old enough to move out? What do you think about David Gordon Green’s Nutcrackers trailer? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
