Can This Horror Director Make a Family-Friendly Movie?
By Movieguide® Contributor
For everyone involved in Ben Stiller’s upcoming movie, NUTCRACKERS, the story’s fun, uplifting plot was a major draw and made production a joy.
“I wanted to make a movie without viciousness or cynicism or expectation,” director David Gordon Green told PEOPLE. NUTCRACKERS’ uplifting story is a far cry from Green’s typical horror movie fare.
“It was a production experience that evolved with the sunrise and sunset of the farm and the ideas and attitudes of our kids,” he continued. “The effort was to capture the heart and joy of making a movie among people that we love. It was a film experience that felt like a family as we laughed and cried and faced the unknown adventure together.”
Much of this adventure-y feel came from Stiller’s costars — four young boys whose ages range from 5 to 13 — who never acted before. Additionally, the movie was shot on a farm in rural Ohio, further adding to the anti-Hollywood feel of the production.
“They’re homeschooled. They have an eclectic life full of art, ballet and running a farm. And they have this house, where they leave the doors open and chickens and critters are running inside,” Green told Variety in September. “When I said, ‘We’re going to bring Ben Stiller and make a movie right here,’ the response was ‘Why not? We’ll make dinner.’”
“When I called Ben, I said, ‘I hope you don’t have any allergies, because there’s every imaginable animal running around here,’” Green added. “And bring old shoes, because you’re going to be stepping in [animal poop].”
The movie follows Stiller’s character, Mike, a work-obsessed man who becomes the caregiver to his four rambunctious nephews in rural Ohio after they are orphaned. Because Stiller plays a narcissistic man, he worked extra hard to treat the kids kindly on set.
“I wanted to have a good relationship with them, because sometimes I have to be a jerk in the movie,” Stiller said. “Especially with a kid who hasn’t acted before, you watch them react to something you say and look hurt. First you think, ‘That’s great for the movie!’ And then you’re like, ‘Gee, I hope that’s not damaging.’”
NUTCRACKERS will be available to stream on Hulu starting Nov. 29.
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