Kate's Film Club: Mixed Nuts
by Kate Pop Culture
Our resident film buff đź’ŞKate Corcoran, is diving into a few holiday cinematic classics. Pop on any of these to avoid having to talk to your sister-in-law about her most recent MLM.Â
Still // IMDb
Nora Ephron, 1994
We ALLLL (definitely, absolutely, maybe?) know the classic Vine (R.I.P.), “Happy chrimis! It’s chrismin! Merry crisis! Merry Chrysler.” The third line could have been an alternative title to Mixed Nuts.
This gloriously underrated movie follows a slew of zany characters for ~12 hours on Christmas Eve in Venice, California. Three of them are employees at a suicide hotline, and the day has not started great. Philip (Steve Martin), the owner of the hotline, just got notice that they will be evicted (from evil landlord, Gary Shandling). Mrs. Munchnik (Madeline Kahn) is a widowed, judgemental curmudgeon who has to spend the second half of the holiday with her in-laws. Catherine (Rita Wilson) is reminded that she is spending yet another Christmas single and alone. Considering all this, it’s no shock that they give the incoming callers bad advice and chaos ensues!
By “chaos,” I’m talking verbally violent rollerbladers, broken occupied elevators, a ruthless breakup, a serial killer on the loose, sex on the beach, a drug overdose, a crazy gun-wielding boyfriend, a dead body, a suicide, an almost suicide, heartfelt ukulele serenades, a cash reward, a public birth, and so on. I imagine this movie would be great on stage. The action is nonstop. It’s truly one crazy, unpredictable moment after another.
I watched this with my partner, and about two-thirds in, he said, “How much time is left?” I responded, “I hope 24 hours.” This is where I break the news to you, reader, that Mixed Nuts has an incredibly low rating on every movie rating platform. Like, terrible. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 13% and an audience score of 47%. Its Letterboxd score is 2.6/5. REALLY BAD. However, I truly loved it. I was cackling, screaming with joy, and smiling ear to ear the whole time. In all honesty, I don’t know why it’s so hated. Maybe people think every movie needs a plot. Snobs. You know what? Just to really piss people off…I think Mixed Nuts is a better movie than the beloved Christmas Vacation. There, I said it!
At least watch Mixed Nuts for the 90s California vibes:
-Parker Posey and John Stewart rollerblading with a Christmas tree is iconic.
-Juliette Lewis’s apartment is how I imagined my own future apartment when I was a child.
-The sleeves on Rita Wilson’s Christmas gown are *chef's kiss*!
-Liev Schreiber is so cute in drag dancing with Steve Martin.
Final Rating
I’m rating Mixed Nuts 100/100 regifted fruit cakes. 🎂 (Yes, this is the hill I’m willing to die on!)
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To read all of Kate’s wildly deep and complex reviews, follow @katecorcoran on Letterboxd!Â
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