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Ben Stiller’s ‘Nutcrackers’ Charms Toronto Film Festival With Fart Jokes, Ballet Dancing and Surprise Introduction From Justin Trudeau
The Toronto International Film Festival kicked off its 49th edition with "Nutcrackers," a fish-out-of-water comedy starring Ben Stiller.
So, it’s a huge relief to not only TIFF organizers but also Hollywood studios and agencies (who were tasked with drumming up excitement for movies without many boldface names in attendance) that A-listers like Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong’o, Selena Gomez, Elton John, Ana de Armas, Dakota Johnson and Mark Hamill scheduled to touch down in Toronto over the next 11 days. For a better part of the last decade, he’s been focused on directing the 2018 prison-break miniseries “Escape at Dannemora” and 2022’s workplace sci-fi thriller “Severance.” However, after the strikes forced “Severance” to pause production of its second season, Stiller found himself available to shoot “Nutcrackers” (which received a waiver from the unions to film because it was produced and financed outside of the studio system). The story takes a sentimental turn as the boys work to stage a dance production in hopes of courting foster parents — although as Stiller’s character says in the movie, this rendition of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic “isn’t your grandmother’s” “Nutcracker.” Their performance, complete with samurais, swords and kooky mustaches, highlights the young actors’ ballet chops — and the film’s final sequence prompted some misty eyes in the room.
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