Mixed Nuts

Mixed Nuts is a 1994 American comedy set in Venice, California, on Christmas Eve. Philip runs a telephone helpline for people in distress, staffed by volunteers including the sensitive Catherine and the outspoken Blanche. The callers are lonely, desperate and talkative, and the holiday brings out their worst moments. At the same time, the service faces closure, and Philip learns he may lose the business unless he can raise a large sum of money quickly. Around the office, the night grows increasingly chaotic as the staff deal with one another, their visitors and the pressures of the season.

Nora Ephron directed the film and wrote the screenplay with her sister Delia Ephron. It followed her Sleepless in Seattle and came before Michael, You've Got Mail, Lucky Numbers, Bewitched and Julie & Julia in her filmography. Steve Martin plays Philip, with Madeline Kahn as Blanche Munchnik, Rita Wilson as Catherine, Juliette Lewis as Gracie Barzini, Anthony LaPaglia as Felix and Adam Sandler as Louie among the thirty-two credited cast members.

The production had a budget of 15 million dollars and returned 7 million dollars at the worldwide box office. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.4 from 15,000 votes, and on TMDB a rating of 5.4 from 227 votes. A film critics' rating of 3.4 from 32 reviews places it below both audience scores.