By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

Nutcrackers, the opening night film of this year’s TIFF, finds director David Gordon Green sort of returning to his more indie movie roots, following his forays into horror franchise filmmaking with the Halloween trilogy and last year’s cursed legacy sequel Exorcist: Believer. This film is a small dramedy starring Ben Stiller as a childless man learning he might actually be a decent guardian to a pack of kids. And it’s pretty enjoyable, letting Green work on a smaller, more human scale again.

Michael (Stiller) is a successful real estate developer from Chicago. When his sister and her husband die suddenly, he ends up having to travel to a small town in Ohio to care for his four rambunctious nephews. At least until their child services worker (Linda Cardellini) can find them a permanent foster family. But it’s a few weeks before the holidays, and the boys – who are authentically played by the real life Janson brothers Homer, Ulysses, Atlas and Arlo – have been homeschooled on their family farm and are extremely hyperactive, scaring most potential adoptees away.

We sort of know where the story is going. But the film, written by screenwriter Leland Douglas, is still charming enough that it manages to win us over with its obvious John Hughes undertones. Sure, it’s somewhat predictable and uneven in places, but Green’s film builds to something actually kind of lovely at the end, with its very nicely done last act. Overall, Nutcrackers is a charming, feel-good Christmas movie with nice work from Stiller and breakout performances from his four young co-stars, who often steal the show. It will find an audience.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Public Screenings: Thursday, September 5th, 6:00 PM at Princess of Wales; Thursday, September 5th, 8:00 PM at Roy Thomson Hall; Thursday, September 12th, 1:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Saturday, September 14th, 12:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre