Customer Reviews

Mixed Nuts [VHS]

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I was shocked to read the faint praise of the editorial reviewer! Gosh, this is one of my most favorite movies, especially for Christmas!

Yes, they're a bunch of lovable losers, yes, I'm a sentimental slob, and no, I think the movie is an absolute winner.

Be warned: I think movies like "Blazing Saddles", "Dracula: Dead & Loving It" are funny. I like Get Smart, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, etc etc. I guess I'm just not reviewer material!

I think Madeline Kahn is brilliant in this; so is Adam Sandler (which is saying a lot; ... well, he's not actually brilliant, but he does a great ensemble job--I don't know how to describe it. He contributes, okay?) Everyone is at least competent.

The movie is far far greater than the sum of its parts. To the director, I must say: wow. You're good, kid.

Arch

I laughed all the way through this movie. It has a definite WARPED sense of humor, so be prepared. Either you'll love it, or hate it. I chose to love it.

All the characters are great in this film. I always enjoy Steve Martin, and he was quite amusing and clever in this movie. Rita Wilson (Tom Hank's real life wife) is quite delightful as Martin's lovely but underappreciated coworker (and potential love interest). The late Madeline Kahn is my particular favorite--she has the most sharp and clever sense of humor, and her talents are displayed well in this movie.

There are plenty of other future stars in this film (Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, and so on) and they all do well in their parts.

The story goes awry during the last 20 minutes or so, so suspend your disbelief. It isn't supposed to make sense, or be realistic. (Or at least, it ought not be!) It's just a bizarre and funny movie. There's also lot of gallows humor here, so be warned, and just allow yourself to appreciate it!

Christmas on Venice Beach is certainly a unique experience in this movie!

Let's face it, setting a comedy at a suicide prevention hotline center smacks of some truly tastless humor. However, black humor/farce doesn't bow to such societal pressure as "inappropriate subject matter". Clearly anyone who has felt the tragedy of suicide in their lives won't take to this one bit. However, that being said... "Mixed Nuts" is a TRULY hysterical film. Once again, the late MADELINE KAHN steals the show (like she did in "What's Up Doc?"). It stars a name cast including Steve Martin, Juliette Lewis, Anthony Lapaglia, Adam Sandler, Rob Reiner and Garry Shandling. Rita Wilson is an actress I'm not familiar with but who did a great job here and the drag queen played by Liev Schrieber was awesome!

The hijinks revolve around a suicide prevention hotline ("Lifesavers"!) run by a not particularly stable crew. The center is in danger of bankruptcy and all are in fear of the "seaside strangler". Following around the Christmas fruitcake throughout the film is a wonderful plot devise. Seeing Madeline Kahn stuck in the elevator trying to rap on an electronic keyboard is one of the funniest moments I've ever seen on film. It was to the great discredit of the producers of a recent biography on her that this film wan't even mentioned.

There are many, many funny moments here and even the soundtrack is exceptional. The upbeat, funky "White Christmas" at the opening, with views of a sunny beach and a snowman made of sand set the tone for this wacky and delightful film. Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" is great as well. If your looking for an outrageous, truly hysterical comedy and don't have easily offended friends, then this movie will make you a hit this Christmas season!!!

(Mainstream critics hated it... so you know it MUST be good! It must have been "incorrect" to publicly admit to liking it!!!) My congratulations to Nora Ephron for making a comedy classic.

Enjoy... and don't forget to pass the fruitcake along!!!

For me this movie has hit my list of movies I watch at Christmas: also on that list are "Christmas Vacation" and "A Christmas Story." I don't understand what was so horrible about this movie. Yes, it's ourageous and silly, but it's Steve Martin and Adam Sandler and Robert Klein and Madeline Kahn all together in one movie. What do you expect?

I'm not going to blow the storyline, because it's outragous and hilarious. It never looses momentum at all. Pure comic genius. In the end I feel like a light bulb, I'm just glowing. It's hilarous and at the end it touches a note, it hits and key and you go, "Wow...how true." Although it may get corny at times, who cares, it's a wonderful Christmas comedy that showcases some great comedic talent. Besides Sandler, Martin, Kahn and Klein it also has many other great actors, including Liev Schreiber in drag, Rita Wilson (who's a great actress and nobody knows her) as a depressed confused lonely woman, Juliette Lewis stark raving mad, Anthony LaPaglia playing dimwitted hopeless boyfriend of Lewis and supposively father of her baby, Garry Shandling as the landlord, Parker Posey and Jon Stewart as two outraged rollerbladers, Rob Reiner as neurotic but helpful vet, and Haley Joel Osment as a small child who says, "Look mom, Santa!" Yup, what a wonderful world and what a wonderful movie.

It puzzles me. Nora Ephron made "Sleepless in Seattle", "You've Got Mail", and "Michael". They all grossed over $100 million at the American box office. "Mixed Nuts" grossed six million at the American box office, and has been subject to bad reviews. How can anyone be so mean as to say something bad about THE greatest Christmas movie of ALL TIME? Why is "It's a Wonderful Life" so hyped up? I thought that was ok. This on the other hand, is one of the main things I look forward to every holiday season. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Nora Ephron has made a feel good holiday classic which is a present to unwrap every holiday season. I wish everybody would realize that "Its a Wonderful Life" is "Isthar" compared to this wonderful movie. Ephron has directed a brilliant cast. Every single person in this movie is great. Steve Martin, Rob Reiner, Adam Sandler, Liev Schrieber, Rita Wilson, Juliette Lewis, etc. But there is one person who stands out the most and even beats Martin's charming performace-- Madeline Kahn. Just about anything she said had me in hysterics. She makes the role of the unhappy and lonely Mrs. Munchnik so lovable, nobody could have done it better. I thought she definatly deserved an Academy Award for this performance, she put in the funniest performance by an actress in a movie EVER! No other actress made me laugh as much as she did. Kahn is the only reason I watch "Cosby", because normally I never watch TV shows. After seeing her in this, you cannot resist her charm. Madeline also brings some of Mrs. Munchnik with her in her character in "Cosby". She is wonderful.Madeline Kahn, along with director Nora Ephron and a brilliant cast, make this a classic. If you want to escape your holiday woes, this will really lift your spirits with a laugh a minute and a touching ending. Buy this movie and watch it constantly in December like I do. It is a hunderd times more enjoyable than actully opening presents. For Steve Martin fans, this is his best and most charming. Nora Ephron should re unite this cast for another movie like she did with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan after the "Sleepless" success. No Christmas is merry without this movie. Need I say any more

This is my favorite Holiday movie. From the first time I saw this dark comedy six years ago, I have enjoyed it year after year. Nora Ephron did a wonderful job taking something as tragic as a Suicide Hotline on Christmas Eve and turning it into something funny. Of course the subject of suicide itself is far from funny, and if you cant get past that, then you probably wont like this movie (although the movie doesnt dwell on that subject too much).

But this film keeps it light with lots of subplots, an outrageous cast including Steve Martin, Madeline Khan (who is hysterically convincing as the uptight Mrs. Munchnick), Adam Sandler, Rita Wilson (in her best performance to date), Tony LaPaglia, Liev Schreiber (very funny in drag), and others.

The music is very upbeat, the plot is fast-paced and there is a great blend of subtle humor (Khan insisting on increasing the suicide tote board by one number arguing that "even though the person calling did not seem suicidal 'he or she may have become suicidal had they not called the hotline'") and in-your-face humor (Martin dancing (against his will) with Schreiber-in-drag and ensuring that he keeps his body as far away from Schreibers as possible, that is, until he, Martin, realizes that he is actually enjoying himself).

The other great thing about this movie is that it can actually make the normal holiday blues seem not nearly as bad when you compare them to some of the problems that these characters encounter ........ and still they're able to find the true meaning of the holiday and have a happy Christmas.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this film.

Dave

I don't know why does almost everybody hate this movie. I think that's pretty funny.
The cast is excellent and the plot is so morbid that you can just laugh. I did. It was a kind of Married with children (with Al Bundy)-story because the movie wasn't so sweet like a candy...and we have several candy-chistmas films so I think is was time to do another type-movie as well.

So if you like something different and you can accept that chistmas is not the same for everybody, then buy it.

If I could have only one holiday movie to watch for the rest of my life, this would be it. Based on the mixed reviews, I can only conclude that to enjoy this movie, you need...a sense of humor! This movie is set in Venice Beach and includes the staff of a suicide hotline, a transvestite, a serial killer and a young Adam Sandler. It's about relationships, the holiday spirit and a fruitcake. I watch it every year and am never disappointed.

The elavator scene, the love songsby adam Sandler, the vet. I was laughing out loud almost the whole movie it is an underated masterpeice.

I havent seen this movie in like forever. But I have to say it is the best. I love Adam's song to Juliette Lewis on his ukalale( how ever you spell it) this movie gets 2 thumbs up from me!