Nutcrackers
★★★
In the era of streaming, where holiday movies arrive by the sleigh-load—many with snowy titles and sugary plotlines—it can be hard to spot the standouts from the stocking stuffers. So when Nutcrackers popped up, a holiday comedy starring Ben Stiller, it felt like a hidden gem worth unwrapping.
The setup? Classic. Stiller plays a wealthy, emotionally distant businessman who gets dropped into a lower-income family’s chaotic Christmas, and wouldn’t you know it—he starts catching feelings.
There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but Nutcrackers leans into its well-worn tropes with enough heart and humor to make for a cozy family movie night. Stiller is reliably entertaining, and the group of dysfunctional kids he’s thrown in with actually steal the show. The young cast is sharp, funny and surprisingly memorable.
We had a fun time with it. It’s a solid, feel-good holiday flick with a few genuine laughs and warm moments. But it also feels like the kind of movie that will quietly fade into the background—pleasant in the moment, but unlikely to earn a spot in anyone’s annual Christmas rotation.
As for Stiller, you can’t help but notice he’s stepping back from leading roles, and maybe that’s intentional. He’s been in the game long enough to know when a formula feels tired—and Nutcrackers doesn’t exactly reinvent anything. Still, if you’re flipping through your queue with the family and need something light and cheerful, this one’s worth a watch… just maybe not a rewatch.
