Discomfort and joy.
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.
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Character
Intimate, classical in form, character-led and contemplative.
- intimateepic
- classical in formformally daring
- character-ledplot-driven
- contemplativerelentless
- earnestironic
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“Is this Alexander Payne's best work?”
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“Is Paul Giamatti the best thing in The Holdovers?”
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“Does the smallness hold it back?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jan 20247/10
Anyone remember John Houseman's professor "Kingsfield" in "The Paper Chase" (1973)? Well, that's who Paul Giamatti reminded me of here with his portrayal of the acerbic, no-nonsense, ancient civilisations lecturer "Hunham". It's the last day of term and he hands out examination results that persist at the lower end of the A-F scale! This causes quite a bit of consternation amongst the silver-spooned students who fear their wealthy parents more than him. He agrees to try and mitigate these impending disasters by giving them extra work but that just irritates the B+ student "Tully" (Dominic Sessa) whose intervention doesn't exactly make him any friends! Anyway, serendipity takes her revenge now and this lad's planned Christmas in St. Kitts is kiboshed and he finds himself stuck at school over the holidays with his least favourite school colleague "Kountze" (Brady Hepner) and his teaching nemesis all sleeping in the infirmary! Drawbridges are up and battle lines drawn right from the outset, and are only exacerbated when the other kids are whisked off skiing leaving just the two and their long-suffering cook "Mary" (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) - a lady who also happens to be grieving for her
Read the whole review on TMDB - Brent Marchanton TMDB · Nov 20236/10
Heartwarming films for the holidays are something we’re all supposed to love, right? Well, if you’re talking about the works of directors like Frank Capra, George Seaton, Michael Curtiz and Chris Columbus, you’d be correct. But, since it’s been so long since we’ve had releases of that quality, in recent years, viewers hungry for such movies have been glomming on to anything that even remotely approaches such titles, whether or not the accolades are deserved. And that, in my view, sums up my feelings on the much-celebrated new feature from director Alexander Payne. This tale of a curmudgeonly, condescending, middle-aged, fuss-budget prep school teacher (Paul Giamatti) assigned to babysit a group of rambunctious students who are unable to be with their families for the year-end holidays has a premise with considerable potential that, unfortunately, is squandered by a narrative that feels loosely stitched together and ultimately comes across as patently undercooked. Indeed, what could have been a fun-filled romp a la a Christmastime take on movies like “Dead Poets Society” (1989), regrettably, comes up decidedly short. Admittedly, the film has its share of modestly funny and warm, fuz
Read the whole review on TMDB - Manuel São Bentoon TMDB · Oct 20239/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/the-holdovers-bfi-london-film-festival-review/ "The Holdovers left me in complete disbelief at how complete, thought-provoking, hilarious, and emotionally powerful it becomes with each extraordinarily captivating minute that passes by. A shockingly faultless screenplay from David Hemingson exponentially attacks the viewers' hearts through a truly profound yet bittersweet study of the vital need for human connection. Protagonists are brilliantly written as real people, and superbly portrayed by an award-worthy cast. Add an immaculate tonal balance and outstanding execution by Alexander Payne, and a new Christmas classic is born." Rating: A
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Cast
- Paul GiamattiPaul Hunham
- Dominic SessaAngus Tully
- Da'Vine Joy RandolphMary Lamb
- Carrie PrestonMiss Lydia Crane
- Brady HepnerTeddy Kountze
- Ian DolleyAlex Ollerman
- Jim KaplanYe-Joon Park
- Michael ProvostJason Smith
- Andrew GarmanDr. Hardy Woodrup
- Naheem GarciaDanny
Crew
- Alexander PayneDirector
- David HemingsonWriter
- Eigil BryldDirector of Photography
- Mark OrtonOriginal Music Composer
- Kevin TentEditor
- Mark JohnsonProducer
- Bill BlockProducer
- David HemingsonProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
The Breakfast Club 198580% alikeBoth intimate, classical in form, character-led.
Marty 195577% alikeBoth classical in form, intimate, character-led.
My Girl 199176% alikeBoth classical in form.
Behind the Candelabra 201376% alikeBoth classical in form.
Finding Neverland 200475% alikeBoth classical in form.
The Postman 199475% alikeBoth classical in form.
The Dresser 201574% alikeBoth classical in form, intimate.
Summerland 202074% alikeBoth classical in form, intimate.
Miss Austen 202574% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, intimate.
Steven Universe Future 201971% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, character-led.
Often watched with
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