When The Flash brought back Michael Keaton for another turn as the Dark Knight, it made sure to make some jokes in honor of his tenure as the character. And one of its many was a callback to Bruce Wayne's line in Batman (1989) about getting "nuts." Becoming an iconic phrase, many fans were excited to hear Keaton say it again in The Flash's trailers and in the film itself.
However, it wasn't the first time a DC film paid homage to the joke. Will Arnett's Batman in The LEGO Batman movie repurposes this line using a hilarious playlist. But Keaton mentions it so casually in The Flash that it didn't feel like a proper homage but rather a callback that had to be made. Thankfully, The LEGO Batman Movie took it to a new extreme.
'You Wanna Get Nuts? Come on, Let's Get Nuts!' Worked Better as a Surprise
In the original Batman film, near the end of the second act, Bruce provokes The Joker (Jack Nicholson) by telling him a story about a madman and infamously saying, "You want to get nuts? Come on, let's get nuts!" The Joker shoots him in the chest, which allows Bruce to escape and regroup. At first viewing, it was quite shocking to see Bruce act erratically as this strayed away from his calm persona. But the scene worked because it was funny and was a tactic the audience hadn't seen from Bruce. Another reason why it was successful was the line that followed from The Joker: "You ever dance with the devil in a pale moonlight?" Soon after, it's revealed that The Joker killed Bruce's parents when he was a child while asking the same question. So, there's great meaning and power to Bruce's strange line, as it showed a different side of the hero that wanted to taunt The Joker and propelled the narrative forward.
Years later, the line reappeared in The LEGO Batman Movie. It was used in a surprising and unexpected way, just like the 1989 movie, but it took things in a different direction, with Batman using it as motivation rather than a defense tactic. Batman (Arnett) dresses up as the mayor to face off against The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) and the rest of his rogues' gallery. And when he reveals himself, The Joker is taken aback because they have him completely outnumbered, asking if he's "nuts." Of course, this prompts Batman to reuse the line and start playing a playlist of songs titled "Let's Get Nuts," which lists off all the great things about himself. He uses all the encouragement to fuel his fighting, taking out all sorts of villains. So, in some ways, the "Let's Get Nuts" playlist touches on the heart of the entire film. The song Who's The (Bat)Man pokes fun and uplifts Batman, which allows him to fight through his insecurities and win the day. And with Arnett's impressive vocal performance and the hilarious song lyrics, this song perfectly sets the tone for the end of The LEGO Batman Movie.
The Flash Misses the Mark on the Joke
The Flash had a difficult time finding its footing because of all the drama surrounding it. But one notable positive was Keaton's performance, as he once again brought his Batman to the big screen. There are a plethora of callbacks to his time as Batman throughout The Flash movie, and while it was a thrill to hear "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts." again in theaters, it didn't hit the right notes. It's a nitpick at best, but it's such a popular phrase from the Burton films that it was a missed opportunity to not bring along some of the magic that came from that line.
The line appears again when Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) asks Batman if he wants to join his new version of the Justice League. "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts." is how Keaton eventually answers the question. But it feels a bit forced. A far better solution would have been to have him grin, as Keaton's Batman often does this. Then, the scene would fade to black as it moves on to the next sequence. Perhaps the trailers teased the fans with this quote to get them more excited for Keaton, but it wasn't necessary in the grand scheme of things. In fact, a better place for this line would be the first time he dies facing off against the Kryptonians, symbolizing the end of for an iconic Batman.
Other Easter Eggs Made More of an Impact in The Flash
The Flash film was filled with callbacks to other DC films, even going as far as including Christopher Reeve and Helen Slater as Superman and Supergirl, respectively. And while that may have received some backlash from fans, some other callbacks did help smooth things over. That includes the quick one-liner, "How much do you weigh?" when Batman and Flash break out Supergirl. In the 1989 film, Batman asks Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) how much she weighs, and she lies about the number. A more iconic Easter egg comes from the Dark Knight's most iconic and quotable line: "I'm Batman." However, The Flash features a slightly different version where the hero sounds more nonchalant and relaxed instead of coming off as confident and smug when he finally confirms who he is to the two versions of Barry.
There are more Easter eggs in The Flash that reference the 1989 film, but barely any are from Batman Returns. Perhaps that's because the film is considered less iconic than the original, but that doesn't mean it didn't deserve a callback or two, especially if it meant moving away from the misused "Let's get nuts" line. It's an iconic line, but its use in The Flash left a lot to be desired.