Parents warned not to let children watch 'worst Christmas movie ever made'

No matter how old you are, it’s not particularly hard to find a decent festive film to watch.

From Love Actually to Die Hard and from Elf to Jingle All the Way, there’s something for everyone.

But parents have been warned not to let their kids watch a specific Christmas movie.

With an abysmal 0 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, it’s being called the ‘worst’ ever to be made.

First released back in 2010, it stars a young Elle Fanning alongside the likes of The Lion King’s Nathan Lane and Loki's Richard E. Grant.

But despite having an age rating of just PG, there’s critics who say it’s ‘too dark for little kids’.

You can watch the trailer for this ‘stale schnitzel’ of a film here:

Released in 3D over a decade ago, this debated film in question is The Nutcracker.

Directed by Andrey Konchalovskiy, it also featured John Turturro, Frances de la Tour, Charlie Rowe and Hugh Sachs.

The synopsis for The Nutcracker reads: “Christmas in Vienna is a dull affair for 9-year-old Mary (Elle Fanning), until her beloved Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane) arrives and gives her a special gift: an enchanted nutcracker.

“On Christmas night the nutcracker -- named NC -- comes to life and takes Mary to its magical land of sugarplum fairies and talking toys.

“Mary discovers that the wondrous kingdom faces a dire threat from the evil Rat King, and when the nutcracker is kidnapped, she must rally her new friends to save NC.”

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But the family film adaptation of the classic Christmas story was absolutely slated by critics – who don’t hold back in slamming it.

One warns: “Do not see this movie. Do not take your children to this movie. Do not be tempted by the title, or dancing visions of sugar-plum fairies. Do not put on the 3-D glasses.”

Another savagely says: “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 Konchalovsky to forever ruin children's associations with the classic Yuletide ballet.”

“One of the most wretched, misguided extravaganzas ever mounted on the big screen,” another write.

While someone else said: "At worst, it's a joke."

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As another puts: “Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky claims to have dreamed of making this film for 20 years. Well, his dream is a nightmare.”

Ouch.

There are some good reviews from audiences though - with a rating of 27 percent from over 500 reviews.

One says: “I really liked it as a kid now again as an adult i dont know why so many people seem to hate it.”

Another added: “I'm not sure where all the hate comes from. I don't recommend for young children, but aside from the terrible lyrics in the songs, the movie was a lot of fun and should be a holiday cult classic.”

And someone else described it as 'wonderful', adding: "I love this movie so much."

Topics: Parenting, Christmas, TV and Film

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_