Payne is really good at "peeling the onion" and pulling apart subjects so we can see what's inside. I absolutely loved The Descendants and how he explored loss in the film. Truly gifted!
I’ve been a big fan of Alexander Payne since Citizen Ruth, a film way ahead of its time. Of all his film, the final 10 minutes of Sideways speaks to me especially as a man about to enter his 50s.
I'm putting Citizen Ruth back on my must-watch list. When I worked in a video store in the Nineties, I always meant to watch it, but it just slipped through the cracks.
Best movie of 2023. Just watched this on a plane. Knew nothing about it. LOVED IT. I miss films like this. Hollywood, please give us more like this, and I might care about you again.
I saw it today and simply loved it! Easily top 5 of the year and it could go up for me! As someone who loves the Christmas season and snowy weather, it's going to be a classic for me. Love how it dealt with loneliness, grief, and sadness
I hadn't even thought of that but this movie is so good that it works for people who love Christmas as well as those who loathe it. Sign of a future classic.
No hyperbole, this movie is an INSTANT CLASSIC! Saw this movie last night with my wife. We are old enough to relate to the time period and from the opening scene and first notes of the soundtrack, we knew were in for a treat. I hope and pray that younger movie goers with find this movie. I believe this will be seen by families, gathering with each other, for generations to come. I love your reference to Hal Ashby, because Being There is my favorite movie of all time.
As a filmmaker I really appreciate what they've done with this. I've seen the movie twice at AMC since it's release. And I'm going back a third time to study it. It was shot on 35 mm and I think more films should be shot this way.
It releases in my area this weekend and I'm hoping to catch it! Really wanted to squeeze in The Killer at some point in theaters after catching Anatomy of a Fall, but will definitely see The Holdovers.
@@geekinwithJamesHancockFor a murder mystery, it went a few places that I didn't expect, but I very much enjoyed this. I was soaked into every single courtroom scene, and both the mother and son had some great performances. Definitely might be one of my favorite films of the year.
Watching this absolute treasure of a movie was a very similar experience to when I saw "Ordinary People." The actors, performances, dialog, visual, & tone were lazer focused on point. For me the late 60's & early 70's New England/Upstate New York were a specific time & place. Experiencing it all over again was a form of chilling time travel. Love how "The Holdovers" is an adult movie that never undermines the intelligence of it's audience. The way race was portrayed is perhaps the most human & natural I've ever seen in film. Each character was a human being first. Definitely this movie will be a holiday favorite & future classic.
This one was on my radar but I wasn’t really considering it much of a priority. Now it’s going to the top of my list for upcoming 2023 releases. Thanks for the review!
Thanks for wearing your heart on your sleeve and not holding back. I agree wholeheartedly with your praise of The Holdovers. I have enjoyed your video reviews for a long time and now finally subscribed.
Please do not tone down your hyperbolic tendencies in your reviews! You are always able to articulate clearly just what is that you like and don’t like in films in such an interesting way so you earn the right to let it fly! Your obvious affection for this movie has bumped it up on my must see list.
I was intrigued by the trailer because it actually looks like it was shot on film and feels like a movie from the 70's. I'll be checking this out next weekend.
I'm a grad of a boarding school not far from WF. Thank you for discussing what that experience is like. When I heard about this movie (and the trailer dropped) I couldn't believe that someone as trustworthy as Alexander Payne was taking on this subject - knowing that only a small portion of the population goes to boarding school - especially not anymore. Paul Giamatti is my age, and I believe he, too, went to prep school. In his case, he's an Ivy Leaguer to boot. I'm really hoping awards seasons brings great recognition to this one-of-a-kind film.
Fingers crossed enough people see this movie where Giamatti can get some momentum going into Awards season. I would have no problem with him going home with the gold.
Hey James, great video (as always). Saw it recently and it was pretty damn special. I think Paul Giamatti should get some Oscar love, don't you think? That lazy eye of his was an amazing effect by the makeup crew. I think this movie gets nominated for Best Script, what do you think?
The bit with the eye was incredible especially the payoff toward the end when he tells Angus which eye to look at. I have no problem at all with a few shiny statues being awarded to Giamatti and the screenwriter.
Good stuff brother! Thanks for this, didn't know he's even done a new one. He's one of those directors you can't believe how many 5 star movies he's done. And Giamatti too! Good review too. Subscribed!
Yes, and there were even little flecks of dust in the black background in the opening. Very authentic - the cinematography reminded me of 70s films. Made me wonder if the movie was shot on film (not digital) and shipped to the theater in a dusty can?
Actually, I do not fully understand the movie. But I love it so much, the way the story was told, the peace of the movie, seems so warm and familiar. I haven't watched such a wonderful movie for a long time.
I am also not a big fan of the holidays. I want to hide in a cave and hibernate like a bear till it's over and come out in the spring. I am looking forward to watching this one.
People who are saying Dune Part Two is the best film of the past ten years obviously don’t watch non-genre films. The Holdovers, like Nebraska before it, is wonderful and utterly life affirming.
I saw it last night and absolutely loved it! Possibly my favorite movie of the year. Giamatti was terrific! He would get my vote for the Lead Actor Oscar. I hope Randolph and Sessa are nominated as well.
Loved this film. I wasn't even thinking about Christmas movies while watching it as the film goes out of its way not to be one, then winds up being one of the best holiday movies ever! What it did remind me of was something far related, 1973's The Last Detail. There are a lot of comparisons beside the 70s where they both take place. But it's the main theme getting to know these characters two adults and a younger person, as they form a short friendship, give hope and strength to each other before going their separate ways. There are a few more overlapping points. Though The Holdovers ends on a more happier if ambiguous note, its none the less has that feel of spending time with real people as in Last Detail.
James were there any gay shenanigans at the school you attended that you witnessed or took part in? Were there any towel snapping incidents, horse play, circle jerks?
This is the type of films that Holywood no longer makes. The Holdover is a master piece of cinema. It's sweet without being zacharine......it's inspiring but NO preachy........it's serious but never solemn.....it's funny (and hiliarious) but not goofy. I love this movie and already seen it twice. Looking forward to taking my niece this week to see it. Hugs from PERU........ (one of the places in Paul "must-visit-list" ).
The trailer's actually misleading--suggesting predictable tropes that the film actually avoids. Great performances from Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph & Dominic Sessa; credible atmosphere; characters natter sarcastically at each other as the makeshift family of three reluctantly emerges. Nice support form Carrie Preston, an unlucky in love moment for Giamatti's character that is deftly, worldlessly communicated. Credible atmosphere. A tiny quibble--there a couple of moments where the characters are sharing in rare lighthearted banter drowned out by a needledrop. But a nice little film. Good work by Payne & Hemingson.
It didn't occur to me until I read some of the comments that this might be one of those rare movies that appeals equally to those who love Christmas as well as those who detest the holidays.
I watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake from 2003 again recently. I had always considered it a pretty decent film (by remake standards) and it has grown to be very well respected by horror fans these days. However, on watching it again, I was thrown off by what you mentioned. They had the movie set in the 1970s (which I respect), but all of the characters acted and talked like teenagers from the early 2000s. It's still a fairly effective horror film-albeit it's no comparison to the '74 original-but the dialogue and attitudes of the characters did bother me this time around while they never had before.
This is going to be an obvious statement, but man this movie absolutely embarrasses garbage Christmas comedies like Deck the Halls and Christmas With the Kranks. I say that because in lesser hands The Holdovers could have been a crappy student vs teacher Comedy where the sentimentality is shoehorned in the end.
