Ben Stiller Joins the Janson Boys for a Chaos-Filled Meal in ‘Nutcrackers’
Just in time for Thanksgiving weekend, David Gordon Green’s holiday comedy-drama ‘Nutcrackers’ makes its Hulu debut. Ben Stiller plays Mike, a workaholic who is unexpectedly assigned to look after his late sister’s four unruly children over the holidays. Earlier this year, the film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Mike, who serves as their temporary guardian, finds it difficult to discipline the boys, especially when it comes to their unruly behaviour at the dinner table. Collider released an exclusive preview of the film before its release, showing the children’s total disrespect for Mike and his futile attempts to teach them etiquette.
The boys are seated around the table at the start of the play when one of them farts, causing a bad stench to break the silence. As the kids band together against Mike, start throwing things, and spill milk, the mayhem gets worse. Mike yells at them to think about their actions before storming off in frustration. But the children slapped him with a heartbreaking remark about how their mother thought he was incapable of love. Even though Mike dismisses it, the hesitation in his response highlights the emotional toll it takes on him and emphasizes the need for him to develop with the boys.
Image Courtesy: Variety
As Mike’s nephews, the Janson brothers—Ulysses, Homer, Arlo, and Atlas—make their acting debut. The real-life twins steal the show, giving their troublemaking characters more nuance, even though Stiller is the main actor. Because of their innate chemistry, they were also able to improvise a lot, which resulted in memorable situations like an open discussion about “the birds and the bees,” which also served as a teaching moment for the young performers.
Green’s tribute to 1980s comedy, ‘Nutcrackers’, written by Leland Douglas, combines humour and poignant storytelling. Tim Heidecker, Edi Patterson, and Linda Cardellini are also part of the cast. The relationship between Stiller and the Janson brothers has received special recognition from critics. Hulu will debut ‘Nutcrackers’ on 29th November.
–Farheen Ali
