As i watched Giamatti, i had a flashback in terms of style, to Richard Dreyfus' Oscar winning performance in The Goodbye Girl. It's a feeling I got, that isnt exact but close enough to be reminded of it.
I love this movie! The cast were great, I loved the characters and their dynamics. Paul Giamatti should honestly be considered at the Oscars as well as Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Its a heart warming modern day Christmas classic that I intend on watching for many more years to come. Great review! Keep making awesome content 👍
Great review. I was moved by the performances in the movie and touched by a nostalgia for a time I never experienced. I can’t put my finger on what was missing that would have elevated this to an A or A+, but I have many A tier movies which I am in no hurry to rewatch, while I’m already thinking about rewatching The Holdovers at Christmas time.
Completely agree. For me, it’s perhaps that’s it’s throwback and nostalgic that perhaps it can’t transcend into A+ territory, but for being a cynical grumpy guy I was very surprised how touched I was by it’s warmth. Looking forward to another watch around Christmas time.
I just returned from seeing this, Alexander Payne has always been kind of hit or miss with me. “Election” is so darkly funny…WHO CARES! “Nebraska” is great, “Downsizing” is unwatchable. I really enjoyed this one, I am your parents age, so thanks for taking the time to talk about how an older audience might respond to this. The script and acting are so good here. It manages to be deeply sentimental without getting bogged down in sentimentality. Some good needle drops as well, especially Cat Stevens’ “The Wind”, which was also used to great effect in Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore”. Finally, the two main characters take in the movie, “Little Big Man” while visiting Boston. My sister took me to see this when I was 10, Dustin Hoffman has a nude (from behind) scene which blew this little gays mind. Happy Holidays.
Loved this movie so much, will be my favorite to rewatch every year. And love that it was also filmed in a 70s movie style to make it look authentic instead of a 1970s movie filmed in 2023. That took the artistry to another level for me 😊
What really threw me off about this movie is that it felt like they were trying to make a point, just to completely defeat it afterwards. Like they show us Oliver in contrast to all these people that for one reason or another see him as less human (be it the popular kids or the rich family, none of them caring about him), so I thought they were making a point of classism but then they just make him exactly into what the rich fetishist would think of him. Like what if he's crazy, and gay, and poor and overall the most unbelievable character possible just for us to watch an over the top story
