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The Nutcracker in 3D -- Film Review

6:05 PM PST 12/3/2010 by Frank Scheck

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 Konchalovskyto ruin forever children’s associations with the classic Yuletide ballet. Stripping the story of any dancing and most of Tchaikovsky’smusic and filling the screen with less than jolly Holocaust imagery, this misbegotten effort should be gone from theaters well before Christmas.

Loosely adapted from the E.T.A. Hoffman story, the film is set in early 20th century Vienna, the better to feature both a cameo by Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein as one of the supporting characters. The latter, as played by a hammy Nathan Lane, is here seen as adorable Uncle Albert, who shows up bearing the titular gift for his young niece Mary (Elle Fanning) and nephew Max (Aaron Michael Drozin).

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