Among this year's best picture nominees are big budget blockbusters and obscure arthouse films. While 'The Holdovers' skews more towards the latter, it's kind of in a category of its own thanks to its noir comedy and intentionally dated aesthetic.
The Massachusetts-based tale of students who are stuck at a Catholic private school during Christmas break and the unlucky teacher who's asked to babysit them (Paul Giamatti) is equal parts funny, tragic, serious and sarcastic. The main rivalry on screen is between Giamatti's Paul Hunham and Dominic Sessa's Angus Tully (are we sure that wasn't the name of a GoT character?), the former being an elder educator whose life has seemingly passed him by and the latter being a troubled young man who's one strike away from going to military school. The relationship that develops between the two over the two weeks depicted here is pretty much the roller coaster you'd expect. But don't forget Da'Vine Joy Randolph, whose portrayal of Mary, a lead cook who is grieving the loss of her son, is raw yet sweet.
The film itself is offbeat to say the least. There are laughs to be had, sure, but 'Holdovers' is much more of a "thinking" movie that has plenty of messages hidden within the halls of the dated school. The resolution at the end of the film is also bittersweet, but fitting. As for the cinematography, it's unique in that you feel like you're transported back into the 1970s and could be forgiven for thinking the film wasn't actually produced a half-century ago (although this trend should really not continue if we can help it).
While it's not going to win best picture, 'The Holdovers' gets points for trying something different in the current sea of cinematic sameness.
The Massachusetts-based tale of students who are stuck at a Catholic private school during Christmas break and the unlucky teacher who's asked to babysit them (Paul Giamatti) is equal parts funny, tragic, serious and sarcastic. The main rivalry on screen is between Giamatti's Paul Hunham and Dominic Sessa's Angus Tully (are we sure that wasn't the name of a GoT character?), the former being an elder educator whose life has seemingly passed him by and the latter being a troubled young man who's one strike away from going to military school. The relationship that develops between the two over the two weeks depicted here is pretty much the roller coaster you'd expect. But don't forget Da'Vine Joy Randolph, whose portrayal of Mary, a lead cook who is grieving the loss of her son, is raw yet sweet.
The film itself is offbeat to say the least. There are laughs to be had, sure, but 'Holdovers' is much more of a "thinking" movie that has plenty of messages hidden within the halls of the dated school. The resolution at the end of the film is also bittersweet, but fitting. As for the cinematography, it's unique in that you feel like you're transported back into the 1970s and could be forgiven for thinking the film wasn't actually produced a half-century ago (although this trend should really not continue if we can help it).
While it's not going to win best picture, 'The Holdovers' gets points for trying something different in the current sea of cinematic sameness.