Paul Giamatti gives one of his best performances ever. His Oscar nom will likely turn into an Oscar win. He has been cleaning up this awards seasons and no surprise. If Bradly Copper’s Leonard Bernstein performance in Maestro was any other year- Bradley would win Best Actor but with Paul – this is Paul’s year (but with Bradley right there) The Holdovers was my favorite movie this year. Touched me beyond words and I have seen it four times now. With an outstanding screenplay The Holdovers stars Giamatti as a grumpy professor at all boys school. The screenplay is so good you just savor very word written….and you feel it.
Set in 1971, it’s the story of a boys boarding school, and a few that are left behind at Christmas and must be watched by their least favorite teacher. No one wants to be there. The Holdovers are those who just can’t go home for the holidays so they must remain in the school. This is the story of the holidays when all is negative and sad but then the light starts to shine though for each of them. This movie is so good it feels destined to be a movie to watch at Christmas year after year as the writing and performances stand out that when you finish watching it, you just want to talk about it.
Alexander Payne has now created his best film since Sideways. This one really takes you down the road of what it is like at holidays when people are not with loved ones and in this case, do not have loved ones. It is a period piece taking us authentically back to 1971 in the days of being in school.
This is a movie you never want to end. You love following them, sharing with them and watching them quietly. Co-star Domenic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are outstanding. This is a perfectly pitched and written movie. Da’Vine has cleaned up this awards season. She will get the Oscar too. Well deserved. Much more to come from her.
Ann Shatilla is a voting member for Critics’ Choice Awards put on by the Critics Choice Association
