TL;DR – A wild story of a family that will probably be recognisable to you even in this crazy situation.  

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Stan service that viewed this film.

Nugget is Dead Review –

Many things foreshadow that the end of the year is near, the temperatures rise, the rains come in, people care about turkey for some reason, there is tinsel everywhere, and Stan will release their Christmas film. Back in 2023, we got the fascinating Jones Family Christmas. In 2022, we got a Christmas Ransom. And all the way back in the past of 2021, we got the film that started it all: A Sunburnt Christmas. They have all been fun, charming events, and the question is: can that follow that trend in 2024?

So, to set the scene, back in Christmas 2010, the Stools family introduced a new member of the family, the puppy Nugget. Many years later, as the family has grown up and moved out of home, it is once again three days before Christmas. However, as their eldest, Steph (Vic Zerbst), has made the decision not to come home for Christmas, one problem is that she didn’t tell her family. They don’t seem like the listening type anyway, and also Nugget (Reuben) is sick. So, now Steph is going down to visit her family, who does not know she is not staying, and they are A LOT. She just needs to deal with them for 24 hours and escape … if everything goes to plan.

I am not sure I can honestly explain just how this film hits close to home when it comes to the family dynamics. While nothing in this film is the same as my family, I also feel like the writers have sat there watching one of my large family get-togethers and took notes. It is freakishly uncanny at times. There were moments that could not be more surreal if they tried. Add to this the chaos that is Christmas time, which, of course, means randoms from everywhere are showing up, and you have the perfect setting for complete anarchy.  

This is a film that only works because every single actor perfectly understands their character and embodies it with the gusto that it needs. I don’t think I have laughed as much as hearing “it was a chickpea” screamed at volume in the middle of a fight. The totally useless Seb (Alec Snow) with a slightly weird relationship with his mother (Tara Morice) and, who only speaks in therapy lingo. John (Damien Garvey) who believes that the only temperature meat should be cooked to is charged. Cousin Shayla (Jenna Owen) and her partner Hassan (Claude Jabbour) who are very much a lot but also wholly dependable when you need them to be. Also, Steph who is trying to find her place in a world after being torn in two between different paths.

Throughout the film, these twin tensions are running through everything that gives the narrative the structure it needs to bounce off the walls. First is the multiple layers of family drama and tension as all those fractious relationships come to a head in the Christmas period. It is here where most of the comedy in the film can be found, and most of it lands, especially if you have family that lives outside of the big city. The second tension is Nugget’s health, which I feel would have been emotionally exploitive had they not titled the film as they did. There were absolutely some tears during this. All of this is captured in a backyard that could not have been more stereotypical of suburbia if it tried.

In the end, do we recommend Nugget is Dead? I am not sure it ever reached the heights that it was aiming for, but it was a solid ride throughout. It had strong comedy and drama moments, and I think more than a few people will see parts of their family in this film. If you liked Nugget is Dead, we would recommend to you Runt.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Nugget is Dead?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Nugget is Dead
Directed by – Imogen McCluskey
Written by – Jenna Owen & Vic Zerbst
Music by – Justin Stanley
Cinematography by – Kate Cornish
Edited by – Katrina Barker
Production/Distribution Companies – Screen NSW, CBS Studios, Easy Tiger Production & Stan
Starring – Vic Zerbst, Jenna Owen, Gia Carides, Damien Garvey, Mandy McElhinney, Steve Rodgers, Priscilla Doueihy, Claude Jabbour, Ed Oxenbould, Diana McLean, Alec Snow, Tara Morice, Lelong Hu, Tiriel Mora, Kerry Armstrong & Reuben
Rating  – Australia: M;