The Holdovers (2023)

The-Holdovers-(2023)
The Holdovers (2023)

The Holdovers

Payne’s films like “Election”, “Citizen Ruth” and “Nebraska” have often been accused of having a condescending view towards characters. I’ve always thought that this criticism is a little too simple but also easy to see how people could arrive at that conclusion, given the number of oddballs populating his movies and the fine line between finding people entertaining and mocking them. I mention this because in “The Holdovers,” no such element of his career exists. On the contrary, he adores these people. You can tell it from every frame, every line reading, every plot choice. And in an era where cynicism only grows higher, I think many will love them too.

He bounces back from the disastrous “Downsizing” by reuniting with the star of perhaps his most beloved film, “Sideways.” Paul Giamatti gets his best part in years as Paul Hunham, a sadistic professor at the prestigious Barton Academy during the early ‘70s. (As Payne joked in his intro, he’s basically been making ‘70s comedies this whole time anyway so why not set one then.) Generally disliked by students and staff alike though one colleague named Lydia (Carrie Preston) does make him grumpy old man Christmas cookies when he’s not handing out failing grades for infractions committed over Christmas break while yelling at students for breaking rules he made up just now on the spot to justify yelling at kids as if they’ve wronged him personally for having some fun without him on it – look all i’m saying is the guy has some issues.

Every holiday break a few kids have to stay over instead of going home which means someone like Paul has to keep an eye on them which means even assigning schoolwork because that’s really all he knows how to do through events this year those holdovers end up being pretty much just Paul himself and a student named Angus (Dominic Sessa in a breakout role) and the head cook Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), three people at very distinct chapter breaks in their lives who will touch each other in ways both heartwarming and genuine. David Hemingson’s script is about those great turns in our lives where a stranger can kick us onto new paths we didn’t even know existed let alone considered, and how they can come long after we think we’re done making adjustments it certainly has some clichés but Payne & Co. find ways to make them organic life lessons, refusing to build their dramedy around predictable plot twists because this one is all about the unpredictability of life.

If Hunham is the reluctant father figure of this trio, Mary is the mother, a grief-stricken woman who has just lost her son in the Vietnam War. Randolph is understated and moving, finding the weight of grief. It just seems harder for her to move through the world. I can’t imagine the pain of losing a kid, but I believe it would make a lot of days like quicksand. On the other side of the table, Angus is a 15 year old with razor wit but the kind of aggression that comes with uncertainty. His parents don’t want him over the holidays. He’s not sure where he goes after Barton. It could even be to Vietnam. To say that he reaches out to Hunham for guidance would be an exaggeration, but these two initial enemies start to understand one another. Hunham is a man who starts to examine how he got here through the friendship of a young man examining where he’s going.

This isn’t all “The Holdovers” does consistently well from beginning to end though, it also happens to be hilarious without fail throughout its entire run time too! Payne takes full advantage of Giamatti’s grumpiness during some early scenes by putting him in ridiculously funny situations before bringing down those walls later on in more emotional ways which hits home harder because we can see ourselves reflected back at us through these characters who are so vulnerable yet strong at once such beautiful writing! And while there might not have been many laugh out loud moments given specifically for Randolph (who always knows how exactly when) should deliver punchlines whenever they come up, however among them all Sessa really shines bright here even if at first we think otherwise about his role within this film itself this being said though his performance does gradually grow alongside everything else within ‘The Holdovers’ thus making it seem as if indeed somewhere along line something changed dramatically inside out almost like watching someone becoming future star right before our very eyes! He carries around both lead male and oddball personality energies with such ease that one can’t help but wonder whether or not they could’ve gone further back in time during 1970s when comedies relied heavily upon charm rather than abnormality being considered crime against humanity? If so then Sessa definitely would have become big name actor even back then, however given current climate within Hollywood it’s safe say won’t be too long now till he becomes household name all across America this much certain!

The Holdovers” might be just another story about makeshift families discovering something new together, but why does it feel different? Maybe because it has been ages since stories similar to these have felt authentic anymore. Payne and his crew may know every single truism associated with life lessons like these ones still they’re able to package them into clichés which will forever stand test of time. Each person on Earth has experienced an unexpected relationship where their partner changed everything for better or worse sometimes often both simultaneously; likewise, every human being alive today can recall at least one occasion when some youth shattered illusions about ourselves through either showing what we’ve turned into or else failing show non-acted upon potentials altogether. Essentially speaking then ‘The Holdover’ is smart witty flick populated by people who we cannot help get behind because they remind us so much our own friends yet closer than themselves really are but none its achievements should ever make it easy identify oneself exclusively with Paul, Angus, Mary alone rather all three characters offer different mirrors reflecting various aspects contained deep down inside each one us.

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