Nutcrackers Ending, Explained: Why Doesn’t Mike Leave His Nephews?

Directed by David Gordon Green, Hulu’s comedy-drama film ‘Nutcrackers’ ends with several decisions Michael “Mike” Maxwell makes concerning the future of himself and his four recently orphaned nephews. His effort to find a foster home for them paves the way for a spectacular ballet production that brings the city of Wilmington in Ohio to Murphy Theatre. However, the four Kicklighter siblings change their minds about the endeavor when they learn their uncle’s motivation behind setting it up. Instead, they pay homage to their loved ones with a heartwarming tribute that opens the eyes of the bigshot executive who wants to depart from them! SPOILERS AHEAD.

Nutcrackers Plot Synopsis

‘Nutcrackers’ begins with Michael “Mike” Maxwell arriving in Ohio from Chicago, Illinois, to sign documents ahead of his nephews’ transfer to a foster home. Their parents, Janet and Steve, died in a car crash in the nearby city of Wilmington. After dealing with the technicalities involved with the transfer, he has to rush back to Illinois for a presentation that will change the face of his company: a prominent real estate firm. However, after arriving at the farm of his sister, Janet, Mike learns that he has to take care of his nephews over the weekend since the foster family couldn’t clear the background check.

Mike then gets acquainted with his nephews, Justice, Junior, Samuel, and Simon. Right before he arrives, the four boys break into a theme park and cause much damage, only for their uncle to spend over ten thousand dollars to settle the issue. Believing that he can return at least on Monday, the “bigshot” executive prepares for a short stay of a few days on the farm with the boys, only to be welcomed by a snake in his toilet and random animals everywhere in the house. The uninhibited boys frequently test Mike’s patience by driving his flashy Ferrari without his permission and leading him to the middle of a lake in search of a cell network.

The misadventures convince Mike that he needs to find a foster home for his nephews. As his time on the farm progresses, he comes across Aloysius “Al” Wilmington, a prominent figure in the city who has previously expressed his wish to be a foster parent. The executive takes his nephews to Al’s house for a party, hoping to impress him. His nephews, however, have other plans. They play with the rich man’s golf cart, which drives itself to the swimming pool. Al asks Mike to leave his house with the latter’s troublesome nephews. The executive meets another prospective foster parent but decides against handing his nephews over to her when he learns that she uses the kids to earn money from the local government.

Why Do the Kicklighter Brothers Perform the Ballet on the Road?

When Mike runs out of prospective foster parents to look after Justice, Junior, Samuel, and Simon, he decides to organize a ballet production to display the boys’ talents. Even though the eldest initially rejects the proposal, he decides to play the lead when his crush joins its cast. Mike chooses Junior’s twist on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker,’ called ‘The Nutcracker’s Moustache,’ as the material to work on. However, right before the production starts, the four boys walk out of Murphy Theatre and perform the production on the road, blocking traffic and with the whole city of Wilmington as the audience.

Justice, Junior, Samuel, and Simon perform on the road after learning about Mike’s motivations behind the ballet production. They think that their uncle has been boiling his sweat and blood to set up the performance because he loves and cares for them. They see the whole endeavor as his commitment to them and their newfound relationship. Ever since the deaths of Janet and Steve, the four boys have been spending days without a person raining love on them. The draught ends when Mike chooses Junior’s ballet to set up a production, helping them reconnect with the dance form their mother loved wholeheartedly.

Mike’s efforts have given Justice, Junior, Samuel, and Simon an opportunity to be close to Janet through ballet. However, when they learn that their uncle did all this to give them away, believing that the audience will line up to become their foster parents and take them away from him, the boys lose the motivation to perform. Having said that, they are not ready to cut their ties with the dance form their mother admired. They decide to perform not for Mike but for their parents, which makes them choose the place where their loved ones died in a crash. The four boys wish to make their late mother and father proud with their performance, which metaphysically brings them closer to the deceased.

Nutcrackers Ending: Why Doesn’t Mike Return to Chicago? Does He Quit His Job?

Over the course of his stay in Ohio, Mike grows fond of his nephews. He narrates stories for them to sleep and helps Justice with his relationship issues. However, the bond he nurtures with them does not become his priority easily. He remains committed to his job in Chicago and the ladder he can climb with a presentation he desperately needs to deliver. This overcommitment to his professional, mechanical life back in the Windy City makes him think about hosting a bidding war to give away his nephews. Mike’s mind changes when he watches Justice, Junior, Samuel, and Simon’s ballet production.

As the production ends, Justice stabs Mike with a toy sword for seeing him and his siblings as things one auction off. In the spirit of the moment, he pretends to be dead and lies down on the road. This seconds-long participation in the children’s production helps him realize how freeing his stay with his nephews has been. Mike thinks about himself dancing or walking around the vast farmland, cherishing moments of happiness with his nephews. His thoughts wander to the moments he experienced a sense of liberation on the grounds of his sister’s property, away from the mechanical and restricted city life.

After arriving in Ohio, Mike has become a changed person. He tears down the psychological shackles that limit his mind and body to experience a sense of freedom he cannot experience while he is in Chicago, sacrificing his life for his job. When he is with his nephews, numbers and calculations don’t dictate his moods. Instead, he can let life take its course with his loved ones around them. Mike even has people who care for and love him, which is not the case in the Windy City. In a way, his reinvention as a man who discovers freedom and happiness makes him stay in Ohio.

Even though ‘Nutcrackers’ ends before revealing whether Mike quits his job, there are enough clues to make an inference. By choosing his nephews over his career-altering presentation, he clarifies that he prioritizes the former. Such a man has no reason to cling on to his job. Furthermore, Carol may not be particularly willing to keep an employee who abandoned her and her firm when they needed him the most. When he tells Justice that he will be there with him when he wakes up the next morning, he is not thinking about his presentation or his profession, which must have motivated him to quit his job if he is not already fired.

Will Mike Stay With His Nephews For Good? Will They Get Adopted?

Even when Mike decides to stay with Justice, Junior, Samuel, and Simon, ‘Nutcrackers’ does not particularly reveal how long he will share his life with his nephews. After the ballet production, he decides not to give away the boys in a bidding war, but what will happen if a suitable family comes forward to offer a home to the captivating children who won every heart in Wilmington? Well, the length of Mike’s stay with them may depend on the extent of his transformation. Even though he is a changed man, life on the farm is still challenging for him.

Mike is a person who cannot live without a cell network and internet. He also has no experience encountering wild animals in his bathroom or on his bed. More than everything, he can only be the Kicklighter siblings’ uncle rather than their mother or father. He cannot fill those shoes, especially after living a life without the warmth and comfort of love and family. If a couple comes forward with enough qualifications and qualities to become a great father and mother, Mike may need to part ways with his nephews because it can be the right thing to do.

The difference here is that Mike seemingly will most likely not pursue such a couple from now on. He must have put an end to his search to find foster homes or families to adopt his nephews. As the boys’ uncle, he loves them enough to look after them. Therefore, he does not need to wait for a family to show up out of the blue to take his nephews away. Furthermore, since Gretchen is becoming a constant presence in their lives, he may feel confident to fill the shoes of the children’s parents with her help. Thus, we cannot rule out Mike staying with his nephews for good.

Mike is not living with his nephews for them. He decides to share his life with them because he has much to learn from them. Within the first few days of his stay, he experiences love and happiness, which clarifies that he also chooses them for his sake rather than because of any obligation. Mike has no reason to put an end to this experience and part ways with his nephews.

Do Mike and Gretchen End Up Together?

Mike and Gretchen form an endearing bond as his stay in Ohio progresses. His efforts to set up a ballet production for his nephews bring them closer. During his time on the farm, he opens his heart only to her, which displays how he finds comfort in her. However, their bond becomes fragile when she learns his motivations behind the production. Still, they remain an integral part of each other’s lives. The mid-credits scene of ‘Nutcrackers’ reveals that Gretchen is a regular at the Kicklighter farm, and from what we understand, Mike has been able to get back into her good books by deciding not to return to Chicago.

As two people who deal with immense vulnerabilities, Mike and Gretchen are perfect for each other. They both can understand and accept each other’s shortcomings and limitations, explaining why she continues to spend her time with him, even after listening to his insensitive rant before the ballet performance. She is understanding enough to accept that he still loves his nephews, which must have convinced him that she is an ideal partner. Furthermore, the four children may play a significant role in bringing Mike and Gretchen together. During their conversation at the theater, she lets him know that people who cannot have children of their own can only see the four boys as blessings.

Since Gretchen is highly emotional about it, she can even be one among them. As Mike tries to be a father figure for his nephews, her presence in their lives as a mother figure may bring them closer. The love and happiness they find among the children may motivate them to spend more time together at the farm, possibly paving the way for their union. Gretchen is one of the very few people who finds goodness in Mike. It won’t be surprising if such an intimate discovery lays the foundation for their togetherness.