The Holdovers (2023)

	Directed by: Alexander Payne	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama/Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE The Holdovers RUNNING TIME 133 minutes
	Produced by: Mark Johnson Bill Block David Hemingson
	Written by: David Hemingson

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Paul Hunham	Paul Giamatti
Angus Tully	Dominic Sessa	½
Mary Lamb	Da'Vine Joy Randolph	½
Miss Lydia Crane	Carrie Preston	-
Teddy Kountze	Brady Hepner	-
Judy Clotfelter	Gillian Vigman	-
Stanley Clotfelter	Tate Donovan	-

Review

Nostalgia is the most obvious driving force behind this small retrospective about a disillusioned teacher (Paul Giamatti) and the bond he forms with one of his students (Dominic Sessa), who is "holding over" during the Christmas period at their New England boarding school in 1970. Not for the first time, Giamatti is perfectly cast by director Alexander Payne (Sideways), and whenever the film feels mannered or inane, Giamatti's presence keeps it watchable, even downright fascinating at times. Still, the dramatic potential the story undoubtedly has is never fully realised, partly because the story is too designed to create a certain cosy feeling, and partly because of some anachronistic elements that make you all too conscious that this time capsule is not real, and that you're simply watching a film made in 2023.