Ben Stiller stars as the strait-laced, workaholic uncle and temporary guardian to four rowdy kids in the upcoming Christmas comedy Nutcrackersscheduled for release Nov. 29.
In the David Gordon Green-directed comedy, which will be available to stream on Hulu, Christmas is less than three weeks away and Mike, played by Stiller, attempts to ready the kiddos for a new foster home. In the meantime, the kids wreak havoc: they hot wire a carnival ride, drive a golf cart into a swimming pool, and harvest the family chicken Elisabeth for a farm-fresh meal.
As Green reflects on the holiday flick, he thinks of his two sons and the films he returns to that remind him of his adolescence: “Classics like Stand by Me, Overboard and The Bad News Bears and then lost treasures like Six Pack and Kidco; movies where kids weren't quite so polished.”
“There was a rawness and a realness to them that makes them as charming today as they were upon release,” Green continued in a statement. “The idea was to capture that spirit and make a movie that adults and kids could enjoy equally.”
Real-life brothers Homer Janson, Ulysses Janson, Arlo Janson, and Atlas Janson will play orphaned nephews in the film. Green met the Janson brothers through an old friend while driving in rural Ohio. The siblings' rambunctious nature reminded Green of his childhood, he said. Other cast members include Linda Cardellini, Edi Patterson, Tim Heidecker, and Toby Huss. While filming the comedy in the Buckeye State, he called Stiller an “inspiration” and “role model” to the cast and crew.
“Ben is an actor I've always adored,” Green added. “From the innovation of his early comedy to the depth and emotion of his later work. I love his unexpected performances, epic cameos and blockbuster directing career. So much talent to admire.”
Stiller will also star opposite Jake Johnson and Chloe Fineman in the pickleball comedy The Dinkwhich has yet to get a release date. The Zoolander actor also directs the Apple TV+ workplace drama Severance that will be returning for a second season in January 2025.
