IMDb plot summary: A cranky history teacher at a remote prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a grieving cook and a troubled student who has no place to go.
Directed by Alexander Payne. Starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa.
The Holdovers takes place in an elite boarding school during the Christmas break, when most students and faculty have gone home -- except for one student, who has no place to go, and the teacher and lunch lady assigned to stay on campus as supervisors. This is one of those films that I've seen done badly a million times, focusing on small interactions between a unique set of characters, culminating in one or more of them learning some kind of lesson. What makes it work here is smart writing and a stellar trio of performances from Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph. All three of them get their own arcs and moments of growth, in a way I really appreciate, and none of them are two-dimensional caricatures for the sake of the story. There's aso a nearly perfect blend of humor and drama in a way that keeps it from ever feeling either too fluffy or too cloying. That's a tough balancing act to pull off, but Alexander Payne nails it. And, of course, it's all couched beautifully in a 1970s visual aesthetic, starting right off the bat with the credits and continuing to immerse us through the end. It's a meticulously crafted and effectively charming holiday movie that I can see continuing to grow on me.
How it entered my Flickchart:
The Holdovers > Captain Phillips
The Holdovers > Dark Passage
The Holdovers < The White Tiger
The Holdovers < Nope
The Holdovers > City Lights
The Holdovers > Pig
The Holdovers < Mildred Pierce (1945)
The Holdovers > Manon of the Spring
The Holdovers > The Butler
The Holdovers > 9
The Holdovers > Split
The Holdovers > Them!
Final spot: #757 out of 3872, or 80%.
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