The Nutcracker

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The Nutcracker

PG

2010

1h 48m

Holiday

Musical

Fantasy

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32 Reviews

28%

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500+ Ratings

Christmas in Vienna is a dull affair for 9-year-old Mary (Elle Fanning), until her beloved Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane) arrives and gives her a special gift: an enchanted nutcracker. On Christmas night the nutcracker -- named NC -- comes to life and takes Mary to its magical land of sugarplum fairies and talking toys. Mary discovers that the wondrous kingdom faces a dire threat from the evil Rat King, and when the nutcracker is kidnapped, she must rally her new friends to save NC.

Frank Scheck

The Hollywood Reporter

12/06/2010

Delivering the cinematic equivalent of a lump of coal in a Christmas stocking, The Nutcracker in 3D is an apparent Scrooge-like attempt by Russian filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky to forever ruin children's associations with the classic Yuletide ballet.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

12/03/2010

1/4

One of the most misguided children's films ever made.

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Dana Stevens

Slate

11/29/2010

This non-balletic adaptation by the Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky is something gnarled and stunted and wrong, something that should never have been allowed to see the light of day. How's that for a holiday-ad pullquote?

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/18/2020

.5/4.0

Konchalovsky takes the basic, very basic, storyline and runs amok with it.

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Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

03/27/2019

Do not see this movie. Do not take your children to this movie. Do not be tempted by the title, or dancing visions of sugar-plum fairies. Do not put on the 3-D glasses.

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Rob Vaux

Mania.com

12/24/2012

F-

It's flawless in its flaws, without a single redeeming element to obscure its idealized awfulness.

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Rev G

@RT97788848 Nov 15

Like a really bad fever dream. Undoubtedly the product of a diseased mind. Harkens The Producers, but sadly not for the right reasons. Uneven. Garish and in astonishingly poor taste.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Aug 19

Success in 1 hour and 48 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $190,600.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Dustin B.

@DustinBalascio Aug 11

World War 2 imagery, Adding lyrics to ballets, and a complete misunderstanding of the source material are what makes this film so unbearable.

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Claire G

@RT27011455 06/16/2025

How did this get produced. Offensive parallels with history, terrible songs, questionable characters and story telling, and some nightmare fuel imagery. I can’t believe this exists.

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Nat T

@Nat100 03/30/2025

Like a car crash you desperately want to look away from

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Denise O

@RT84732367 03/28/2025

The Nutcracker mixed with Schindler's List and a particularly nasty acid trip I had in the late 80's.

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Andrey Konchalovskiy

Director

Elle Fanning

Mary

Nathan Lane

Uncle Albert

John Turturro

Rat King

Frances de la Tour

Rat Queen

Charlie Rowe

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Synopsis

Christmas in Vienna is a dull affair for 9-year-old Mary (Elle Fanning), until her beloved Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane) arrives and gives her a special gift: an enchanted nutcracker. On Christmas night the nutcracker -- named NC -- comes to life and takes Mary to its magical land of sugarplum fairies and talking toys. Mary discovers that the wondrous kingdom faces a dire threat from the evil Rat King, and when the nutcracker is kidnapped, she must rally her new friends to save NC.

Director: Andrey Konchalovskiy
Producer: Andrey Konchalovskiy, Paul Lowin
Screenwriter: Andrey Konchalovskiy, Chris Solimine
Distributor: Freestyle Releasing
Production Co: Nutcracker Holdings, HCC Media Group
Rating: PG (Brief Smoking|Action|Scary Images|Thematic Material)
Genre: Holiday, Musical, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 2, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $190.6K
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Dolby