Film
Nuts!
Other titles called Nuts!: the 1987 film.
Nuts! is a 79-minute animated documentary about Dr. John Romulus Brinkley, a con artist who made millions transplanting goat testicles into desperate men and became a radio magnate in 1920s Kansas. It's genuinely hilarious—ridiculous but true, told with wit and visual flair. For anyone who loves American history's weirder corners and doesn't need restraint in their storytelling.
If you liked this
The Toys That Made Us2017
Netflix's affectionate deep-dive into cultural obsessions mirrors Nuts!'s enthusiasm for forgotten American characters and their bizarre empires. Same curiosity about how desire and marketing collide.
But It's earnest where Nuts! is cheeky, and focused on nostalgia rather than historical absurdity. Slower rhythm entirely.
The Wolf of Wall Street2013
Both are fever dreams about American con men who built empires on selling lies to desperate people. Same anarchic energy, same sense that the system rewards audacity. Scorsese's maximalism matches the film's visual chaos.
But Three hours and considerably grimmer in tone. Less about laughing at history, more about getting drunk on excess.
Fyre2019
Documentary about a disaster born from pure bullshit and charisma. Like Brinkley, Fyre's creator conned everyone with confidence and marketing innovation. Same mix of comedy and fury at how easily people believe.
But It's closer to true crime drama than humor. Takes its moral judgment seriously in ways Nuts! doesn't.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Nuts!
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Man with the Golden Gun1974
Both celebrate the charisma and audacity of larger-than-life American characters who bend reality through sheer force of personality and money.
James Bond film where the villain is a riff on a real eccentric American millionaire—absurd, over-the-top, cartoonish. Same energy as Brinkley: impossible personality, enormous wealth, weird sexual obsession.
But It's a spy thriller, not a documentary. Much less grounded in actual history, purely fictional escapism.
More like this (5)
The Profit2013
Each episode investigates how ordinary people get rich through dubious schemes and inflated promises. Captures the same fascination with American entrepreneurship unmoored from ethics.
But It's straightforward business analysis without the historical color or animation style that makes Nuts! visually distinctive.
American Hustle2013
Fictional con-artist comedy with the same period charm and gleeful amorality. If you loved Brinkley's sheer audacity, this scratches that itch for stylish criminals who actually succeed.
But It's slicker and less weird, trading historical truth for movie-star charm. Loses the specificity that makes Nuts! strange.
Catch Me If You Can2002
Spielberg's film about Frank Abagnale Jr., another American con man with charisma and nerve. Same pleasure in watching someone outwit institutions through sheer audacity.
But It's a straightforward thriller, not a comedy. The tone is much more serious about consequences.
Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street2023
Documentary series about another American grifter who built an empire on false promises and got away with it for decades. Same anatomy of a con, same questions about how systems fail.
But Heavier subject matter—real financial ruin and suicide. Less absurdist humor, more genuine tragedy.
The Invention of Lying2009
Both are fundamentally about how persuasion and bullshit create reality—how one person's confidence and words can reshape what thousands of people believe about themselves and their bodies.
Ricky Gervais comedy about what happens when one person discovers they can lie and everyone else believes them. Brinkley's entire life story in microcosm: the perfect illustration of how deception becomes power when no one questions authority.
But It's slight and the premise wears thin. Doesn't have Nuts!'s historical weight or wildness.
People
Cast
- Gene TognacciThe Narrator
- Andy BoswellVarious Voices
- John CausbyVarious Voices
- Kelly MizellVarious Voices
- Jeff PillarsVarious Voices
- Thom StylinskiVarious Voices
- Fran TaylorVarious Voices
- Pope BrokHimself
- Gene FowlerHimself
- Dr. James ReardonHimself
- Megan SeaholmHerself
- John R. BrinkleyHimself (archival footage)
Directing
- Penny LaneDirector
Writing
- Thom StylinskiScreenplay
Production
- Dan CoganExecutive Producer
- Elias SavadaExecutive Producer
- Caitlin Mae BurkeProducer
- Daniel ShepardProducer
- James BelferProducer
- Penny LaneProducer