Movie Review: The Holdovers

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A

This comedy-drama is truly a new Christmas classic. 

This film's storyline is very simple. A cynical and pretentious teacher at a boarding school is forced to look after a group of students who have nowhere to go on Christmas vacation. Under most filmmakers this would have been just a decent little feel-good movie. However, director Alexander Payne (who already has a dedicated following among cinephiles) and writer David Hemingson (a television writer for whom this is his first theatrical feature film) both create so much more with this film. This is a comedy-drama that is not only very touching and quite funny but also very intelligent. The filmmakers know exactly when they should do exactly what the audience is expecting and when they should subvert the audience's expectations. Because of this it manages to be a real crowd pleaser that understands just why people enjoy this type of storyline while also throwing a few surprises in there. The filmmakers also make these characters more than the two-dimensional stereotypes they would be in lesser hands. While there are parts of these characters' personalities that are familiar, there is also a real depth to them. Because of this by the end of the movie, these characters feel completely real to us. Of course, truly wonderful performances by Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa don't hurt either. Also because of our connection to these characters, there are moments here that are truly emotional. This film is able to delve into even the most unashamedly sentimental parts of the story without ever feeling forced or anything less than perfectly natural. There are scenes here with such a strong emotional resonance that they will stay with you long after the end credits. As well as being emotional this movie is also truly funny. There are many real laugh out loud moments throughout the movie. The humor also works so well because it always comes directly out of the characters. Many of the funniest moments are not only hilarious but also add to the emotion of the story or our connection to these characters. This allows this comedy-drama to be laugh out loud funny without ever taking away from the drama. 

Though this may be one of Alexander Payne's most conventional movies, it still is full of great treats for cinephiles. This movie takes place in 1970 and truly looks and feels like a film from that era. Most of them I am not a fan of films that try to feel like movies from an early era. This is because often with these films, they simply don't feel like they could have come from the era they try to emulate. This is a rare exception. This movie perfectly captures the look and feel of a film from the early 1970's. This becomes all the more impressive when you think about what a truly unique era in film history the early 1970's were. Alexander Payne even throws in some wonderful little touches that will delight movie buffs who are familiar with 1970's films. The movie even opens with a vintage 1970's "R" rating card and a Focus Features logo that looks like it could have come from 1970. Even the picture is made to look like it was shot on film (even though it was shot on digital), this even included adding what looks like film grain to the picture. It is this kind of attention to detail that shows why Alexander Payne is such a great filmmaker. There also various other treats for cinephiles including a picture of W.C. Feilds in the background of one scene, a Gene Autry song on the soundtrack and a trip to a movie theater that simply looks irresistible to any movie lover.    

This is a sheer delight of a movie and in my opinion has already earned its place as a Christmas classic (despite having just come out). A must see.