Nathan Lane

Not for the resolutely politically correct or the shtick-averse. For everyone else, it's the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

Would be innocuous if it weren't so utterly, utterly misguided.

Vienna. The 1920s. Albert Einstein sings...a world of proto-Nazi space-ranger rats led by a nasty, singing Andy Warhol rodent. But I don’t have to tell you the beloved story of The Nutcracker...

By toning down his excesses for a mass audience of largely children, the self-billed Tarsem hits his sweet spot, serving up lavish sets and costumes to create a fantasy world that doesn't make us want to scratch our eyeballs out.