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The Holdovers Movie Review

Name: The Holdovers Movie Review
Item: The Holdovers
Rating: 3.5
Author: Smitha Joseph

The Holdovers Movie Review English Movie Review

Written by

Review for the film " The Holdovers"

Streaming On: Amazon Prime Video

Runtime: 02 Hour 13 Minutes

Certificate: UA

Released: 16-02-2024

OTT Release: 29-03-2024

Genre: Drama

Similar To: First Cow, Wendy, Lying And Stealing, Write When You Get Work

Critic Review
User Review

3.5 / 5.0

3.63 / 5.0

CAST & CREW

Paul Giamatti

Tate Donovan

Carrie Preston

Alexander Payne

MORE CAST & CREW

Producer:

Bill Block

Music Director:

Mark Orton

Editor:

Kevin Tent

Director:

Alexander Payne

Supporting Actress:

Carrie Preston

Art Director:

Jeremy Woolsey

Director of Photography:

Eigil Bryld

Supporting Actor:

Paul Giamatti

Tate Donovan

empty:

Gillian Vigman

Dominic Sessa

Naheem Garcia

Brady Hepner

Michael Provost

Andrew Garman

Ian Dolley

Click Here For Full Cast & Crew

The Holdovers is a comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne Alexander Payne or Constantine Alexander Payne (Pa >> Read More... . The writer of the film is David Hemingson. This film features Paul Giamatti Paul Giamatti is an American actor. He was born in >> Read More... (Paul Hunham), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Mary Lamb), Carrie Preston Carrie Preston (D.O.B- 21 June 1967) is an America >> Read More... (Miss Lydia Crane), Brady Hepner (Teddy Kountze), Ian Dolley (Alex Ollerman), Jim Kaplan (Ye-Joon Park), Michael Provost (Jason), Andrew Garman (Dr. Hardy), Naheem Garcia (Danny), Stephen Thorne (Thomas Tully), Gillian Vigman (Judy), Tate Donovan Tate Donovan is an American actor and director kno >> Read More... (Stanley), Bill Mootos (Mr. Endicott), Dustin Tucker (Mr. Rosenswieg), and others. Mark Orton has given the music for this film. The producers of this movie are Bill Block, Andrew Golov, David Hemingson, Mark Johnson, Chris Stinson, Tom Williams, and Thom Zadra. Eigil Bryld is the cinematographer of this film. Tammiraju is the editor of this movie.

Plot

This movie is set up at a boarding school called Barton during the winter break, where an unlikely trio finds themselves in each other’s unwanted company. There is Professor Paul, a scathing and caustic professor who teaches ancient civilizations. He isn’t very fond of the privileged students and makes their school life difficult with insufferable insults. He is an easy target for the kids and school staff because of strabismus and trimethylaminuria. Then we have Augus, a bright but troublesome child who cannot to contact his mother and step-father. He is also depressed about the whereabouts of his heartbroken father. And adding to this odd company there is Mary lamb, cafeteria’s head cook who just lost her son in the war. How will this vacation turn out to be for these three? The film’s story explores the answer to this question.

Star Performances

Giamatti delivers a majestic performance in this film. His portrayal of Paul, a man who has submitted to a life of disappointment and is cynical most of the time, is the emotional anchor of this film. Sessa’s performance in this film proves his potential as an actor. He brilliantly showcased the insecurities and confusion of the teenager and his attempts to hide his emotions behind the wall of sarcasm. The jury of the academic awards already praised Randolph for her performance as Mary by giving her the Oscars. Their camaraderie is the heart of this film.

Analysis

‘The Holdovers’ is a tragic comedy set against the backdrop of a 1970s boarding school. It makes one shed tears while laughing and laugh while crying. Payne as the director of this film showcased mature and honest themes, such as, companionship, hypocrisy, hopelessness, etc. The film’s narrative follows the complicated and unwanted interaction between three people bringing three different kinds of mentality to the table- a hopeless and authoritative professor, a callous but brilliant student and a cook who is hiding her fear and vulnerability behind her stoicism. The screenplay beautifully unravels their relationship along with hard-hitting plot points and reveals. As the story progresses, the character development put forth the insecurities and vulnerabilities of the different characters in the film. The dialogues of this film are the best as well as worst part of viewers’ movie-watching experience. They elevate the individuality of each character and humorously present the clichés. At the same time, some of the dialogues feel out of place to the global audience because of the lack of context. The performances of the actors in this film bring each character to life. Giamatti just like a chameleon fits into Paul’s character. The Oscar winning performance of Randolph is a treat for the audience to watch on-screen. Also, Sessa is undoubtedly an upcoming talent who shines throughout in this film. The director efficiently reflected the character’s personality in the choices they made in the movie. The characters’ repeated lingering about their past mistakes is earnestly showcased frame by frame in the film. The movie’s story takes its time to establish the characters that may bore the general audience but overall there is hardly any noticeable flaw in the movie.

What’s There?

• The film’s humor is worth watching.

• The brilliant acting performances of the actors in the film.

• The director’s impressive vision.

• The film successfully creates the nostalgic feeling of 1970s England.

What’s Not There?

• Some regional references made in the film feel odd to the global audience. .

Verdict

We all have a few out-of-the-blue friendships, interactions and even mentorships that alter out way of thinking and the flow of our life. “The Holdovers” is based on the same concept. It follows three different personalities and each one feels like reflecting a different version of you which makes a connection between the audience and the characters in the film. The Oscars have already recognized the brilliance of this film and you should watch it once for sure.

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