Plot: What’s it about?
Philip (Steve Martin) runs a suicide hotline and while it does save lives, the bills have started to pile up and the funds have slowed down. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it seems like everyone in the building has been evicted except his team, although that could change at any second, knowing their heartless landlord. After a hostile run-in with a violent man in a Santa suit named Felix (Anthony LaPaglia), his pregnant wife Gracie (Juliette Lewis), and a couple of rollerbladers with the perfect Christmas tree, Philip gets the word from his landlord. It happens to be Christmas Eve and as soon as the next year kicks in, the hotline is kicked out and now Philip has to tell his workers. He doesn’t have the heart to tell the dedicated, but emotional Catherine (Rita Wilson) and stern, somewhat cruel Mrs. Munchnick (Madeline Kahn). Soon after he learns of the eviction, his longtime girlfriend breaks up with him, he slips & gives out the hotline’s address to a caller, Catherine has a near nervous breakdown, and Mrs. Munchnick gets stuck in the elevator. But that’s just the start of what is destined to be the most unusual, memorable Christmas Eve of their lives…
The premise here is an odd one, with a suicide prevention hotline team battling to remain open, while various unusual folks wander into the office. I’ve seen this a few times and while it didn’t mesh with me the first time around, it has started to grow on me, I think. I’ve begun to appreciate how well written Mixed Nuts is, with endless verbal genius and while some of the jabs are subtle, there’s a great number of them to uncover here. The various characters also connect in some humorous ways, with their paths crossing at different times, to very effective ends. The scenes where Steve Martin has to deal with his mystery caller who stops in is are priceless and without a doubt, the highlight of Mixed Nuts, if you ask me. The actors all seem to be comfortable within their roles also, which means the interaction is natural and in a movie like this one, that makes the material work to perfection, especially in the scenes with several players involved. It is on the darker side, but never goes too much into that, so I doubt anyone will be offended by Mixed Nuts. This disc has little in terms of extras, but for fans of the flick, it is well worth the cash.
I don’t have a long list of actors who have rarely let me down, but Steve Martin is one of those names, without a doubt. Although his consistency has dropped off at times, Martin still knows how to deliver the laughs and in a wide array of roles. He doesn’t stick with one kind of character or story, instead taking some risks at times, usually with positive results. Yes, he has some misses and has made some bad choices, but I think Martin has many more hits than misses. I do like his earlier work more and there’s even some comic classics in there, but his more recent work has yielded some great pictures also. Other films with Martin include The Jerk, Little Shop of Horrors, The Spanish Prisoner, Bowfinger, Planes Trains & Automobiles, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The cast also includes Rita Wilson (The Glass House, Volunteers), Madeline Kahn (Young Frankenstein, Judy Berlin), and Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers, Strange Days).
Video: How does it look?
Mixed Nuts is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. I wasn’t bowled over the transfer here, but it is a good one and improves upon previous editions. The print looks clean most of the time, but shows some slight marks and wear, though nothing too serious. The colors look stable and bright, with no issues to report, while flesh tones are normal also. The contrast seems on the mark as well, with sharp black levels and no detail loss I could notice. Not a flashy visual treatment, but for this kind of material, an above average effort in all respects.
Audio: How does it sound?
As this movie is driven by almost constant dialogue, the included Dolby Digital 5.0 option never gets much chance to shine, in terms of power. But it does present the material in excellent form, as the vocals come through in clean, rich form and I heard no problems in terms of volume hiccups, it all sounds terrific here. The surrounds aren’t used too much, but some music can be heard at times, as well as some atmospheric sound effects and such. This disc also includes 2.0 surround tracks in English and French, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, and Thai, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
