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agentnico · 5 months

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The Holdovers (2023) Review

Gosh, I do miss snow. Not something we get much of here in the dreary old UK. So thank you Alexander Payne for really rubbing it in our face.

Plot: A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school's head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.

Payne’s last movie 2017’s Downsizing was an underwhelming mess, with an interesting concept that is dropped within the first half hour, and instead of the fun science fiction/biting social satire we get a movie dealing with real-world dangers and a random apocalypse for reasons I don’t believe even Alexander Payne knows. It was very much a movie that was not conceived or thought out properly, hence why it was a flop financially and critically. And I didn’t like it myself, which is the worst of it all. So many may be doubting checking out Payne’s new film The Holdovers, however luckily this is a return to form for the talented scriptwriter/director, as pushed aside are any high concepts and instead we get a simple premise, yet it’s one that’s delivered in such an entertaining and heartwarming way.

The Holdovers is very much a vibes movie. It has that old-timey retro feel to it from how it is shot to make it look like it’s from the 70s (reminiscent of John Hughes films and Dead Poets Society). You also have the constant snow falling and the Christmas music just really delivers that cozy winter feel. It’s a wholesome Christmas movie through and through. Which is ironic due to two of the three main characters being absolute asses, but it’s the way the narrative forces these three characters to be stuck together by themselves over the holiday period, and how they develop from this that results in a very delightful little film. Also, having your main characters have flawed personas doesn’t always work with certain films, for as an audience it is easy to disconnect if you don’t at all sympathize with the characters you follow, however here Alexander Payne successfully manages to make you care about them by showcasing that at the end of the day, they are all just human, and through their dickishness they do still have some redeemable qualities too. Boasted by David Hemingson's very well-written script - some good wit and humour throughout, but also it’s the emotional backbone with the film reflectively diving into themes of grief and loneliness. It’s a dialogue-centric feature but one that easily wraps itself around you as you enjoy spending time with these characters.

Paul Giamatti is fantastic here. Giamatti always delivers a great performance, heck, even in the forgettable disaster CGI fest film San Andreas he managed to somehow deliver a solid turn as the climate professor, delivering endless exposition and science mumbo jumbo with such passion and vigor that one wouldn’t have questioned it if he got nominated for a Noble Prize. But with The Holdovers he finally gets to take on a lead role and he’s phenomenal. He’s very reserved as this Scrooge type who’s very bitter at life and life is bitter at him. Like it’s still Giamatti being Giamatti, yet you truly buy into his performance. Dominic Sessa as the troublesome kid too plays his part well, and in fact his performance mirrors a lot of what Giamatti is doing with that feeling that he is willing to help others, but he is also so stuck in his own ways and pissed off at the world that he constantly makes bad decisions. Da’Vine Joy Randolph brings so much to her role as a grieving mother and as such I do wish the movie did more with her character. There is only one real scene where she’s given rein to really portray the grief, anger and distress of her character but otherwise is written a bit one note, so I do wish Payne gave her more to work with as Randolph really brings it, but I also understand the movie’s intentions and focus were more on the professor and the student. That being said for Randolph to go from the crude Christmas comedy Office Christmas Party to another Christmas movie but one where she really brings her dramatic chops is very impressive. Now all she needs is to appear in a holiday-themed horror flick and she’s fully become the holiday movie queen!

In terms of negatives, there aren’t many. As I mentioned, Randolph’s character could have been explored more. Also, the film’s narrative is very predictable; again, just think of Dead Poets Society. However, Payne so successfully tells this story and delivers a heartwarming nostalgic experience that it’s hard not to love. It’s been a while since we’ve had a perfect old-school well-spirited Christmas movie, and luckily The Holdovers is destined to become a holiday classic.

Overall score: 8/10

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gurrenhime · 4 months

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My ★★★★ review of The Holdovers (2023) on Letterboxd:

#the holdovers #the holdovers review #movie review #film review #letterboxd

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dualredundancy · 3 months

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spryfilm · 5 months

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Film review: “The Holdovers” (2023)

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#Alexander payne #Da&039;Vine Joy Randolph #Dominic Sessa #film #Film review #film reviews #movie #movie review #movie reviews #Paul Giamatti #Reviews #The Holdovers review #The Holdovers reviews

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eslam27 · 5 months

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Watch Movie : The Holdovers

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Watch Full Movie Now : https://tinyurl.com/h6pmuty2

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girlboxd · 27 days

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The Holdovers (2023) Dir. Alexander Payne

#cinema #cinematography #filmstills #film stills #film diary #film quotes #screencaps #movie quotes #alexander payne #the holdovers #dominic sessa #paul giamatti #da’vine joy randolph #movie review

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thefoxinator · 2 months

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I’ve never really been a fan of ‘candy cane’.

AROACE KING 👑

#yall will never understand how much I love this movie #the holdovers #the oscars #the oscars 2024 #aromantic #asexual #aroace #headcanon #foxinator movie reviews

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vronskies · 3 months

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the holdovers (2023)

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sleepynegress · 3 months

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On The Holdovers...

I can't remember if I already made a little review post about this film yet, but if not... #ThisIsARec I am especially partial to good-hearted genuine misfits getting some good things in their lives and usually, when it comes to film, the misfit part leans on the acceptable/easily fixable side, i.e. the glasses and ponytail girl... But this film genuinely deals with relatable misfit ish as well just plain normal coming-of-age, and adult challenges in a space that has needed that sorely... The holiday film. FINALLY there is a movie for people who don't or can't do traditional holiday films because someone they love passed or for any number of hard-life turn reasons. This movie is brilliant and it's the reason why I want Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph to get those Oscars. Also, Dominic Sessa in his first role(!) is a revelation. I love a good heartfelt movie even if it's a bit saccharin and contrived but this one avoids that and still pulls those emotions. It's a damn good movie to watch when you need a lift in the same ballpark as Dead Poets, I'd say...but IMO better. Anyway... yeah, #ThisisABIGRec

#the holdovers #da'vine joy randolph #dominic sessa #paul giamatti #this is a rec #thisisarec #review

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icantthinkofaname6575 · 5 months

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More people need to watch The Holdovers! It’s a very good new movie, I will say it’s less comedic than the trailers make it look but it’s very heartfelt. If you like Dead Poets Society or Rushmore you will probably like this movie. I definitely recommend it! (and I need to talk about it more) Also I would recommend mediaversity for a more comprehensive review (and it discusses mental illness and how it’s represented in the movie) though I will say the way it depicts depression is accurate at least to me.

#the holdovers #movie reviews #so good #dps #dead poets society #rushmore #my post

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rickchung · 5 months

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The Holdovers (dir. Alexander Payne) x TIFF 2023.

Payne takes several simple premises, ideas, and well-worn character archetypes to make a touching, heartfelt film fully reminiscent of its nostalgic time period. The Holdovers sets a clear mood and vibe to the story's Northeastern setting while aping its snowy Christmas timeframe to unfold some pleasantly entertaining character development. It almost makes you want to spend an isolated winter holiday season trapped alone with [Paul] Giamatti and [Da'Vine Joy] Randolph.

#the holdovers #holdovers #focus features #alexander payne #paul giamatti #da'vine joy randolph #davine joy randolph #dominic sessa #movie #movies #movie review #film #film review #cinema #indie film #indie movie #tiff #tiff 2023

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agentnico · 4 months

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Top 10 BEST Movies of 2023

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all partied hard and are now surviving a dreadful hangover by sitting with your family or friends and enjoying a well deserved marathon of Lord of the Rings. 2023 - what a year! In the movie biz alone there were those little minor events known as the strikes of the actors and writers. Just when we thought COVID was over and stopped affecting releases, these strikes were like “errr no, actually..!”. To be fair, the way the streaming services were underpaying their actors and the studios enforcing AI so much into the media, it was good that these artists stood up for themselves and showed it to the man so to speak! Anyway, we’re not here to talk Hollywood politics, but to celebrate all the quality filmmaking that was exhibited this past year. I’d say in all honesty this year felt weaker compared to 2022. To be fair last year gave us Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick and of course the legendary RRR, so the bar was high for 2023. That being said, I still enjoyed some solid films, so let’s rank my Top 10 favourite movies of 2023, but first some honourable mentions…

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

Evil Dead Rise - one heck of a gore fest, and the best opening title card of the year hands down!

Past Lives - a simple yet brutally honest love story.

The Boy and the Heron - Wanna hear Robert Pattinson sound like not Robert Pattinson?!

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl are a match made in heaven.

Barbie - I’m Just Ken…need I say more??

Wonka - Timmy makes for a good Willy.

Right, with that, let’s get into the actual fun stuff - The Top 10 Best Movies of 2023!…

10) GUY RITCHIE’S THE COVENANT - The least Guy Ritchie film Guy Ritchie has ever directed and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Away with the rough East End and grizzly jokes, and instead what we have is a very reserved and straight-faced war thriller. Honestly I was so surprised with how much I was engaged and invested in The Covenant - it is a thrilling pulse-racing story of survival that adds to the dread that elements of it are true to many people’s reality. Truly, this is a well-made movie!

9) TETRIS - You hear of a movie titled Tetris and one has to wonder if we have another Emoji Movie on our hands, where we get little tetra shaped characters goofing about in some animated mathematics world trying to force an unfunny joke upon our poor heads. Luckily that’s not the case, as instead this is a behind-the-scenes look at the legal drama behind the ownership of the game rights, and though that may not sound that fun, the movie is surprisingly very entertaining with some visual pixel tricks, a great soundtrack, delightful nostalgia, a fast-paced ante-upping narrative set in the backdrop of the Soviet Union and an adorable Taron Egerton in the middle of it all. Honestly, I’m shocked at how much I digged the Tetris movie!

8) GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 - Marvel is evidently in a rut, but a rare bright spark in recent memory was the final instalment of James Gunn’s take on the fun dysfunctional space family. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a wonderful ride, bringing lots of great humour, character dynamics and emotion, and gets you hooked on a feeling…one last time. Oh, and Gunn finally managed to properly show Nathan Fillion’s face in a Marvel movie, and that in itself is a win!

7) MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING - PART ONE - Tom Cruise - what a guy! I mean yes he’s a Scientologist, has a constant death wish by breaking his ankles on film sets and also guilty of jumping on Oprah’s sofa like a monkey, but my my is he a charmer! You guys know the drill with these Mission Impossible movies - Tom Cruise throws his body around like a potato fearing not for his life nor broken limbs, but you have to respect the man for wanting to give the audience their tickets’ worth of entertainment, and Dead Reckoning not disappoint! There’s never a dull moment, the action is constantly inventive and exciting, and honestly with how consistent the quality of these films are, I say keep ‘em coming, Cruise-man!

6) DREAM SCENARIO - Anyone who knows me knows how much I love me some Nicolas Cage! The guy’s an acting legend, and he’s had it rough a decade ago when he got stuck paying off hi tax money and starring in crappy B-movies, but recently he’s been on a hot streak of great original content, and Dream Scenario adds to that. I love this idea of a random dude suddenly appearing in people’s dreams for absolutely no reason. It’s so rare to have a new original conception in a film in our day and age, and the execution here is great. As a bonus, the movie features possibly the best fart joke in the history of the cinema.

5) OPPENHEIMER - On one had this is probably the most “well-made” movie of 2023 cinematically speaking. Christopher Nolan does not hold back in using his typical non-linear way of storytelling, with the film weaving narratives and different time periods seamlessly as it explores the profound depths of a man who’s actions altered the world’s trajectory forever, for better or worse. It’s an incredible historical piece of cinema, and the movie gets extra points for the whole ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, but the reason this film is not higher on the list is due to the fact that I believe it is overrated. Cause every single person raved about how bloody amazing this thing was, I became tired of the positivity. Yeah, I know, I’m being a Scrooge but what you gonna do about it?? Oppenheimer is stuck at No. 5!

4) KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON - When a movie forces you to stay in the cinema for over 3 hours, it better be one epic film, as your man here was straining his bladder to health threatening levels. However this is a Martin Scorsese picture, as such this is event cinema! And this one may be up there with one of his best. Killers of the Flower Moon is a major saga of greed, murder, corruption and despair, told through the eyes of a filmmaker who somehow is still managing to mature more as a director even though he’s already over 80 years of age.

3) THE HOLDOVERS - The Holdovers is very much a vibes movie. It has that old-timey retro feel to it from how it is shot to make it look like it’s from the 70s (reminiscent of John Hughes films and Dead Poets Society). You also have the constant snow falling and the Christmas music just really delivers that cozy winter feel. It’s a wholesome Christmas movie through and through. Paul Giamatti gives a career-best performance and the writing is absolutely stellar, as such The Holdovers is destined to become a holiday classic.

2) BEAU IS AFRAID - A. 3-hour long anxiety attack that A24 spent $30 million to produce. For a movie studio to spill out such a massive amount of cash on a completely original IP that is divisively out-there and wild is such a unique thing to happen in Hollywood in this day and age, that like the film or not this act needs to be applauded. It just so happens that Beau Is Afraid is batshit bonkers and truly an act of madness, yet one that I will forever cherish. I bet David Lynch had the biggest hard-on when he watched this movie - you betcha!

1) SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is, put simply, brilliant! It’s everything that made Into the Spider-Verse great dialled up to 1000%, and the result is honestly fantastic. Look, I watch a lot of movies. And yeah, movies are great and I love them deeply. But in watching so many films I have in a way lost that magic of being in awe every time I go to the cinema. Cliches and repetitiveness in films stick out like sore thumbs. However with Across the Spider-Verse I felt like a kid again, purely stunned in amazement at every single frame, engaged with the characters and story-line, not knowing where it will go next. Like I cannot reiterate how much fun I had watching this movie! The animation is phenomenal, the narrative so rich, a pulse-throbbing music score (I even have Pemberton’s score on vinyl now just cause I love it so much!) superb character development and so many fun and unexpected twists and turns. Across the Spider-Verse is THE movie of 2023 for me and I believe this is the first time ever an animation took a top spot on my list. Here’s hoping Part 3 of the Spider-Verse saga will play out like The Return of the King!

There you have it - my favourite films of 2023. Naturally I don’t expect my list to be the same as yours, so don’t go throwing a tantrum if I missed out a movie you loved. Or do throw a tantrum, see if I care. But also don’t, cause like we’re all friends here, right? Right??!

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yeahiwasintheshit · 2 months

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i watched 'the holdovers' tonight, and it was alright. now that i know that its been nominated for an oscar, yea... its very oscar bait-y. feels like an old kind of movie that trys to pull the heartstrings. its not terrible, for sure, its sweet, in that sort of sentimental sort of way. but its also not great. its kinda obvs where its going. performances were fine. but like it said, oscar bait. ya know, like everyone has to have their emotional moment, kinda thing. i dont know what i was expecting, but i thought from the buzz id like it more for some reason. the soundtrack is good. that sort of early 70s wistful melancholic elevator music. it sets the mood. cant imagine a reason to watch it again, and the biggest crime is that it was over 2 hours, which is crazy. this is without a doubt and hour and a half movie, maybe an hour 45.

#the holdovers #yiwits reviews

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swinging-stars-from-satellites · 3 months

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I trusted Plugged In media reviews like the fricking Bible when I was younger but now I think more often than not they absolutely throw the baby out with the bathwater (any good thing or positive theme about a film gets tossed out with an out of context citing of Phillipians 4:8 if something has language or off-color humor)

#just looked up their review of the holdovers out of curiosity bc the mutuals keep talking about it #deeply disappointing but not unexpected that The Most Conservative Reviewers On the Planet couldn't find anything redeeming enough #Lu rambles

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13lizardsinatrenchcoat · 3 months

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The Holdovers (2023) isn't new, but it doesn't have to be. The angsty teen + depressed teacher bonding film is well trod territory because it's a dynamic that works.

At times funny, always bittersweet, this is a film immersed in grief. I found it deeply comforting during my first Christmas without my sister. It sustained me.

What sets the Holdovers apart is the quality of the work. While the script might be clumsy on occasion, the actors elevate the writing, and there wasn't a single performance I found fault with. Special mention goes to Naheem Garcia, who managed to make my favorite moment in the film one without words.

This movie is a must-see for fans of facial expressions.

I was astounded by the cinematography in the opening sequence, and loved both the color grading and the wardrobe and the set design the whole way through.

While the editing was occasionally awkward, with scenes being cut a bit earlier or later than I'd like, overall it is extremely competent. I've been dealing with a slew of films that end exactly at the 1.5 hour mark. It was nice to see something that took its time for once, but did not overstay its welcome.

I feel strange ending this with something so simple, but my final thought is an honest one. The Holdovers (2023) is a good movie.

#trenchcoat reviews #the holdovers (2023)

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tinyreviews · 3 months

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A surprisingly enjoyable story for me. Lotsa great quotes, ups and downs, good feels, warmth. Reminds me a lot of Scent Of A Woman. It would have been a lot more impactful if they hugged like father and son in the end, after all that tension.

The Holdovers is a 2023 American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne, written by David Hemingson in his feature writing debut. It stars Paul Giamatti, with Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa.

#the holdovers #paul hunham #angus tully #paul giamatti #da'vine joy randolph #dominic sessa #christmas movie #comedy drama #movie review #2023 #scent of a woman #must watch

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