The Buzz Lady

Soft-spoken Kevin Durant is Thunderstruck; Jim Belushi & son offer comic reliefin new movie

Thunderstruck is a family friendly flick staring three-time NBA scoring champ and recent Olympic gold medalist Kevin Durant. In the movie, the 23-year-old plays himself, and mystically switches skills with a nerdy teenager.

I thought for sure this was going to be like Freaky Friday but for boys — Not really!

It certainly has star power with Durant, along with the other cast members, including Jim Belushi and his son, Robert. But the basketball star is a pretty soft-spoken, quiet guy and not nearly as charismatic on the screen as he is on the court.

Dressed in camouflage pants, a black long sleeve jersey shirt, his signature shoes and black and white checked socks, Durant told me he likes fashion and tries to set his own since of style.

The movie just feels like it wasn’t developed enough. I’m sure a lot of it is on the cutting room floor. We really wanted to see Durant not just miss shots on the basketball court but become more of the awkward 14-year-old freshman role. Maybe it’s because we’ve already seen too many other movies with similar story lines and we are just conditioned to expect that?

Thunderstruck brought me back to Dallas to the Ritz-Carlton for these interviews. Got to love Southwest and the every hour flights to Big D.

Durant was my first interview of the day; dressed in camouflage pants, a black long sleeve jersey shirt, his signature shoes and black and white checked socks, he told me he likes fashion and tries to set his own sense of style. He really is excited about this movie and is probably still tweeting about it as you read this.

Nickelodeon star Taylor Gray, who plays the teenager who gains Durant’s pro basketball skills, is actually a very good basketball player and is believable. In person, he was paired with comedian and actor Brandon T. Jackson, who portrays Durant’s agent. Both talked about the perks of being on movie sets, especially when it involves an NBA superstar, like Durant. They said they got several FREE pairs of Durant’s basketball shoes and you bet they’ll be calling him for Oklahoma City Thunder tickets.

Belushi and his son play high school basketball coaches and offer comic relief in the movie. They have been working together for years, from According to Jim and The Defenders to even comedy gigs on the road, so it's no wonder they have great chemistry. They’re friendly, loud and constantly poking fun of each other.

They're big sports fans too, so this movie was a no-brainer for them. Jim Belushi said he has never coached one of his kid’s teams before because he is just way too intense and he probably couldn’t control himself around the other parents, who also take sports too seriously.

Belushi and his son have been working together for years, so it's no wonder they have great chemistry.

Belushi senior is now 58 and looks good; he was super tan and had just come off a trip in Europe. He was observant too: He couldn’t get over that I had light blue nail polish on my toes. In fact, it seemed like we both got the memo to wear blue button-down shirts for the interview, too!

And, ladies, I think you'll notice Robert is pretty easy on the eyes.

Also, making cameos in the movie are former Houston Rocket players Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. The two joined Shaquille O’Neal on the sports set throughout the movie, adding commentary, slamming Durant on his slump and lack of performance on the court. These guys are truly funny! Something tells me they weren't scripted either, all of their comments seemed very off the cuff.

I do get the chance to go on a lot of movie junkets, and I can honestly say this was a really good one. The cast made it fun for all of us. The interviews were light-hearted and everyone was super laid back. Overall, Thunderstruck is a fun is short movie (98 minutes to be exact).

Will I take my 7-year old? The answer is, yes. And, I think after you see this clip featuring the cast, I’ll see you in the popcorn line.

Holidays Are Here

Ben Stiller delivers lighthearted fun in new Hulu movie Nutcrackers

Ben Stiller, Atlas Janson, Homer Janson, and Ulysses Janson in Nutcrackers

Photo courtesy of Nutcracker Productions LLC/Hulu

Ben Stiller, Atlas Janson, Homer Janson, and Ulysses Janson in Nutcrackers.

A holiday-themed comedy seems like just what the doctor ordered right now, and the new Hulu film Nutcrackers steps up with a little mayhem, heartfelt sentiment, and a nod to traditions. But it doesn't add up to a memorable experience.

The film stars Ben Stiller as Mike, a high-powered Chicago architect with little time for anybody but himself whose sister and brother-in-law are recently deceased. He is supposedly there to place his four nephews — Justice (Homer Janson), Simon (Arlo Janson), Steve (Ulysses Janson), and Samuel (Atlas Janson) — into foster care. But social worker Gretchen (Linda Cardellini) informs Mike that the foster family has fallen through, and he needs to act as guardian until she can find someone else.

Whether they’re still reeling from their parents’ deaths or are just wild in general, the kids prove to be more than a handful for Mike, who always has one eye on the door, hoping to get back to his own life as soon as possible. But the longer he’s forced to stay, the more the kids grow on him, especially when he learns that at least two of them were students at their mom’s dance studio, giving him an idea to stage a version of a certain holiday classic.

Directed by David Gordon Green and written by Leland Douglas, the film would seem to have all the elements that make a holiday film memorable, but the vibe is off right from the start. First of all, the audience is thrown right into the mix along with Mike, with barely any introduction to the main characters. As their backstories are mostly missing, it’s difficult to feel anything — good or bad — about Mike or the kids, and so they just kind of co-exist for the first act of the film.

Green and Douglas can also never decide what kind of people they want the kids to be. The film starts with a scene of them sneaking into an amusement park and causing havoc, and subsequent scenes make it seem like they’re supposed to be hellions. But when the filmmakers start going back-and-forth between them wrecking things and being responsible, down-to-earth kids, the plot thread gets confusing and less interesting.

It’s also perplexing why they would cast Stiller, who’s been known to play straight-laced characters who go off the rails on many occasions, and then not let him do what he does best. Even when confronted with some of the kids’ worst behavior, Mike keeps his reactions in check, which may be good for a real-life uncle, but makes for a less-than-entertaining holiday family film.

Stiller still lives up to his star-billing at times, but the arc of his character is not that inspiring, even when a slight romance starts to bloom between Mike and Gretchen. The Janson brothers, who are making their collective film debut, are fun at times, but their lack of experience shows in their unpolished performances. Cardellini is a nice presence, but she’s not given enough to do to make a big impact.

Nutcrackers is an inoffensive movie in that it’s not so terrible that there’s no way to actually finish it. But there’s little in its story, characters, or attempt to be a holiday movie that can be recommended as a fun family watch, so it’s likely to fade away into streamer oblivion.

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Nutcrackers is now streaming on Hulu.

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