Movie Number 3 of 2024
The Movie: The Holdovers
The Cinema: The Rivoli Camberwell
Stars: 4.5
Paul Giamatti is probably and awesome person, but he plays grumpy misanthropes so well. And his character Paul Hunham in The Holdovers has many similarities with other characters he's played over the years in Sideways, Downton Abbey and the remarkable Barney's Version. The sight of Paul Giamatti isn't going to make anybody drop their knickers, but he is one of the finest character actors out there.
He also won the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Golden Glove earlier in the week, and this award is well deserved. He thrives in roles like this - bittersweet, intensely funny and wonderfully human.
Yes, I liked this film a lot.
The action takes place in an elite boy's boarding school in New England in 1970. A number of boys are going to be staying at the school over the holidays. Giamatti's grumpy teacher is selected to stay at the school and a glorified babysitter. Along with them, Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph - who also won a Golden Globe for her role in this) acts as cook and counsellor, while grieving the recent loss of her son in Vietnam. The third player in this is Isaac, played by newcomer Dominic Sessa, a troubled boy who is on his last chance before they ship him off to military school.
These three characters have literally nowhere else to be, and it is within this construct the movie takes place.
Alexander Payne, the director who brought us Sideways, About Schmidt and The Descendants revels in these human dramas. The Holdovers is no different, where he blends comedy with tragedy across the movie.
There are many spit-take funny moments, as well as those which have you reaching for the tissues. Some of the lines given to all of the characters are priceless, the dry sense of humour woven through this is a bit of a trademark of this director. That and the near tragedy of all of the character's lives. At one point, Hunham makes the observation, "Life is like a henhouse ladder. Shitty and short." It's this hard look on life which makes him a foil for Isaac's exuberance and Mary's grief.
Other takeaways from the film was newcomer Dominic Sessa's performance as the deserted and desperate Angus. He was another standout in this film, portraying just the right balance of sensitivity and teenage exuberance.
The other thing I loved about this film was its portrayal of 1970. Everything from the costumes, to the sets to the cars was on point. Another element of the film which had me guessing was Giamatti's glass eye. Does he normally have a glass eye? No. But it has you guessing through the film. It's a very effective feature.
The movie is one to watch out for over the next few weeks as Awards Season comes full circle. I really enjoyed this.
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