Mixed Nuts (1994)

Director:

Nora Ephron

Writers (WGA):

Nora Ephron (screenplay) &
Delia Ephron (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Thriller

Tagline:

A Comedy On The Edge

Plot:

The events focus around a crisis hotline business on one crazy night during the Christmas holidays.

Plot Keywords:

Surreal | Box Office Flop | Pun In Title | Landlord | Holiday

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Philip
Madeline Kahn	...	Blanche Munchnik
Robert Klein	...	Mr. Lobel
Anthony LaPaglia	...	Felix
Juliette Lewis	...	Gracie Barzini
Rob Reiner	...	Dr. Marshall Kinsky
Adam Sandler	...	Louie
Liev Schreiber	...	Chris
Rita Wilson	...	Catherine O'Shaughnessy
Parker Posey	...	Rollerblader
Jon Stewart	...	Rollerblader
Joely Fisher	...	Susan
Steven Randazzo	...	Detective
Christine Cavanaugh	...	Police Officer
Henry Brown	...	Police Officer
Garry Shandling	...	Stanley Tannenbaum
Steven Wright	...	Man at Pay Phone
Brian Markinson	...	Policeman / Voice of Obscene Caller
Caroline Aaron	...	Hotline Caller (voice)
Mary Gross	...	Hotline Caller (voice)
Mary A. Kelly	...	Hotline Caller (voice)
Donald J. Lee Jr.	...	Hotline Caller (voice)
Victor Garber	...	Irate Neighbor (voice)
Sidney Armus	...	Chris' Father
Michele Singer	...	Vanessa
Haley Joel Osment	...	Little Boy
Diane Sokolow	...	Chris' Mother
Michael Badalucco	...	AAA Driver
Joann Lamneck	...	Doctor
France Iann	...	Nurse
Jacqueline Murphy	...	Nurse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daniel Getzoff	...	Gingerbread Man (uncredited)
Kim Giancaterino	...	Venice Beach Shopper (uncredited)
Kurt Lockwood	...	Rollerblading Snowman (uncredited)

Directed by
Nora Ephron

Writing credits (WGA)
Nora Ephron		(screenplay) &
Delia Ephron		(screenplay)

Produced by
Delia Ephron	....	executive producer
Joseph Hartwick	....	producer
Paul Junger Witt	....	producer
James W. Skotchdopole	....	executive producer
John Solomon	....	co-producer
John L. Solomon	....	associate producer
Tony Thomas	....	producer

Original Music by
George Fenton
Mike Spalla

Cinematography by
Sven Nykvist

Film Editing by
Robert M. Reitano

Casting by
Laura Rosenthal
Juliet Taylor

Production Design by
Bill Groom

Art Direction by
Dennis Bradford

Set Decoration by
George DeTitta Jr.

Costume Design by
Jeffrey Kurland

Makeup Department
Colleen Callaghan	....	key hair stylist
Wayne Herndon	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Joseph Hartwick	....	unit production manager
Paul A. Levin	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Donald J. Lee Jr.	....	second assistant director
James W. Skotchdopole	....	first assistant director

Art Department
David H. Allen	....	property master
Elise Bennett	....	assistant art director
Teresa Carriker-Thayer	....	assistant art director
Gary Cergol	....	art department coordinator
Gary Cergol	....	graphic artist
David Cooney	....	construction clerk
Gerald DeTitta	....	leadman: New York
Paul Ford	....	lead man
Robert Guerra	....	assistant art director
Jeff Mazzola	....	assistant property master
Christopher Nelson	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jason Canovas	....	assistant sound editor
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer
Bitty O'Sullivan-Smith	....	sound editor
James Sabat	....	sound mixer
Dan Sable	....	supervising sound editor
Lynn Sable	....	foley editor
Magdaline Volaitis	....	sound editor

Stunts
M. James Arnett	....	stunt coordinator: Los Angeles crew
Peter Bucossi	....	stunt coordinator
Peter Bush	....	stunts
Roy Farfel	....	stunts
Robert Jauregui	....	stunts
Hannah Kozak	....	stunts
Jennifer Lamb	....	stunts
Noon Orsatti	....	stunts
Patricia M. Peters	....	stunts (as Trisha Peters)
Elisabeth Riley	....	stunts
Paul E. Short	....	stunts
Gregg Smrz	....	stunts (as Greg Smrz)
William W. Wilson	....	stunts
Robert Jauregui	....	stunt double: Steve Martin (uncredited)
Hannah Kozak	....	stunt double: Parker Posey (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Bauer	....	best boy grip
Lucas Bielan	....	second assistant camera
Bobby Brown	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Jeff Cronenweth	....	camera operator
Craig DiBona	....	camera operator
Frank R. Jimenez Jr.	....	lamp operator
Randy Nolen	....	steadicam operator
Leigh Rathner	....	camera trainee
Scott Rathner	....	assistant camera
Mike Schmidt	....	video assist operator
Andrew D. Schwartz	....	still photographer: New York

Casting Department
Patricia Kerrigan DiCerto	....	casting assistant
Rich King	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Sara Corrigan	....	second assistant editor
Richard Friedlander	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jeff Atmajian	....	orchestrator
Walter Kent	....	composer: song "I'll Be Home For Christmas"
Annette Kudrak	....	music editor
Nicholas Meyers	....	music editor
Nicholas Meyers	....	music supervisor
Buck Ram	....	composer: song "I'll Be Home For Christmas"

Transportation Department
Howard Bachrach	....	transportation captain
Steve Duncan	....	transportation coordinator
George Grenier	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Alexis Alexanian	....	production coordinator
Gregory Alpert	....	assistant location manager
Kay Chapin	....	script supervisor
Betty Chin	....	assistant production coordinator
Christian Clarke	....	set production assistant
Jeanie Daniels	....	assistant accountant
J. Ellen Evans	....	additional script supervisor
Dori Greenberg	....	set production assistant
Rob Klein	....	production assistant
Shea Rowan	....	production assistant
Jodi Shapera	....	assistant accountant
Carmen B. Weets	....	production secretary: Los Angeles
David Lanphier Jr.	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Bill Timoney	....	adr voice group (uncredited)

Production Companies

• TriStar Pictures

Distributors

• Columbia TriStar Films de España S.A. (Spain)
• TriStar Pictures

Other Companies

• Effects House, The  titles and opticals
• WBMG Inc.  titles

Also Known As:

Lifesavers
Night Before Xmas (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #33405) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Spain:T | UK:12 (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Liev Schreiber's second movie, by one day. Janek: The Silent Betrayal (1994) (TV) premiered on television the day before Mixed Nuts opened in theatres.

Quotes:

Mr. Lobel: [knocks on the Lifesaver's staff's door] Dog-haters! That awful woman is stuck in the elevator!
Catherine O'Shaughnessy: Oh, we're coming, Mrs. Munchnik!
Mr. Lobel: [pointedly] *Stuck*! I hope forever!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Howard Stern on Demand: Best of 02/20-02/24, 2006" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Santa Baby

Worked for Me

This film has met with some very negative reviews but in my view, 'Mixed Nuts' is an entertaining comedy following the "adventures" of a team of "lifesavers" who work at a suicide hotline. This film follows their adventures on Christmas Eve with characters like a homicidal pregnant woman, a transvestite, a murderer and a Santa Clause with a gun. It's much darker than you would expect from a Steve Martin film, especially since it's directed by the same woman who directed 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'You've Got Mail'. The cast has some familiar faces including Adam Sandler and a very young Haley Joel Osment pre-The Sixth Sense. I bought this film at a very cheap price at a clothes store (don't ask me why) that had a few films that featured major stars in unkown and probably bad films. I was in the mood for a comedy and this was the only one on the shelf and it seemed black, strange and comic and I'm a big fan of Steve Martin so I rushed to buy it and didn't get watching it for two days. When I finally took the opportunity to stick it in the player, I found a black yet sweet comedy with some of the biggest laughs that have came from my mouth all year. Of course, this film seems to have a lot of negative reviews but everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I can see why many people might not like this movie. So, if you're interested in seeing it: Rent it then, if you like it, go out and buy it because you'll be watching it a lot more.