mikalashay Anyone who leaves a bad review for this movie is just... what? It's not the best move ever by any means. You may read that's its silly, ridiculous and stupid or whatever else, but this movie isn't meant to be serious. That's the point, it knows that it's ridiculous. It's far better than people make it out to be. I mean, (spoiler) Steve Martin dancing with a trans woman because he runs a suicide hotline, Adam Sandler just showing up with a ukulele, hiding a dead body in a Christmas tree. It's funnt because it's ridiculous, not everything has to be witty humor.

laraneff Love this movie, it's the only "Christmas" movie I like (other than the original Grinch (not Jim Carey), which is not really a movie). Besides the "father of the bride" movies this is the only Steve Martin movie I can even tolerate. Wish we had more movies like this with a great ensemble cast. Everybody does their character so well and portrays them with such a natural grace it doesn't seem contrived. Yes the plot is unlikely but not so far-fetched that it doesn't make a great holiday story. I wish we had more happy ever after holiday stories that began as something wacky. Madeline Kahn does her character so well. It is so fun to see the young Adam Sandler as a odd character (for him). The cameo by John Stewart, long before he was known as anybody, that is so out of character with his present image, is hysterical. & the cameo by Rob Reiner is just a little icing on the cake.

Robert W. Mixed Nuts reads like it should be a huge home-run. I think most people would agree it is pretty hard to make a bad Christmas movie. As long as you put all the pieces in place and make people feel good and display some sort of "magic of Christmas" concept, you're pretty much golden. Then factor in the Ephron sisters having written this adaptation, Nora Ephron directing and an ensemble casts of various comedians and Hollywood talent all led by the amazing Steve Martin. It reads like a zany madcap holiday adventure not unlike National Lampoon's classic Christmas vacation. The problem is that this is where it all falls apart. It is simply missing something, an x-factor that leaves you feeling unfulfilled and really not having as much fun as you should be having. I think part of the problem is that it simply tries too hard. There is so much going on and it tries to incorporate all of these loud boisterous characters that you get overwhelmed. It perhaps feels more, at times, like a TV pilot to a crazy sitcom than a holiday movie.I love Steve Martin, especially his early work. He is a legendary comedian for a reason. He tries very hard to lead this cast and he does well playing the no-nonsense and almost uppity leader of the hot-line. He even gets a chance, albeit in very small doses, to show off that legendary physical comedy that I love. But he doesn't really get to shine and somehow seems stuck. Madeline Kahn is good but very stereotypical as the shrill and very uppity Mrs. Munchnik. I enjoy her but she doesn't really get a lot of character development to make her character go anywhere. Juliette Lewis and Anthony LaPaglia are lovers stuck in a perpetual battle against each other. Their banter is good and I think I would have preferred to watch more of them than everyone else. Both are very good in their roles. Liev Schreiber probably steals the show as cross-dresser Chris. He is the one character that really stands out and has some great scenes and is such a quirky and fun character that you can't help but like him. Rita Wilson is Catherine, a dreamer who is in love with Steve Martin's character. Wilson is fun and has some great charisma on screen and her and Martin are good together but like Martin, her character is left unexplored and without enough depth. You will spot a lot of very familiar faces in the supporting cast including a young Adam Sandler being the same Adam Sandler he has always been, complete with that stupid voice that has never been funny. Rob Reiner in a small cameo role that doesn't really stand out but he's always fun to see and Robert Klein in an even smaller cameo role.I think Mixed Nuts just simply has way too much going on. I think the Ephron sisters were a little ambitious and tried to cram too many ideas into one small story. They could have focused more closely on the key characters and maybe cut out some of the more chaotic scenes and Mixed Nuts would have felt more balanced. I mean, Nora Ephron knows comedy and romance and even drama and they just felt like a half hearted attempt all around. It wasn't completely un-enjoyable. It did have its moments and has some genuinely fun scenes but I honestly didn't even find myself laughing at much of it and this is the type of movie that should have you in stitches. Its just an okay entry in the holiday movie genre and with such a crowded genre with so many classic favourites...you have to be better than just okay. 6/10

ALB This is possibly Steve Martin's worst film. From the bad dye job (WHY?) to the bad acting to the bad writing to the poor direction to the crappy sets to the cheap costumes to the unfunny gags to the unsuccessful attempts at physical comedy to the sheer waste of great talent to the incredible, unbelievable, mind-blowing amount of sheer BOREDOM contained within, Mixed Nuts has it all. The jokes fall flat, the music is embarrassing and cartoonish, the characters are uninteresting...ugh, I'm bored even writing this review.I am stunned by how bad this was. It's nearly impossible to believe that the brains behind When Harry Met Sally directed this total failure of a movie. That was 90 minutes I will never get back.