From the opening title cards and credits of Alexander Payne's latest film, The Holdovers, we are instantly transported back in time by presenting a film that is not only set in the 1970s, but feels like a lost gem of the It was the greatest of cinema.
Filmed and presented in 35mm, and paying enormous homage to the great directors who came before him, such as Robert Altman and Hal Ashby, in the opening frames and the construction of its main characters, Payne takes us to a quiet New England town covered by snow blankets. preparing for the upcoming Christmas season in the winter of 1970.
Director: Alexander Payne
Writer: David Hemingson
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
Within this town lies an elite, all-boys prep school, housing the brightest young people whose parents can afford them the privilege of attending said institution. This turns them into arrogant, stuck-up rich kids who know that no matter how badly they do in their studies, the problems of the outside world won't affect them. Letter to an Ivy League school. But the only obstacle to these kids getting their way is in the hands of the man who has been at the school for decades teaching Ancient Civilizations with an iron fist, Mr. Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti).
Mr. Hunham is a grumpy curmudgeon who doesn't care much about people, including many of his fellow faculty members and a considerable number of kids on campus. He likes to be alone and would rather sit in his campus room, listening to classical music and tearing up the latest batch of essays with his red ink pen and a tall glass of Jim Beam.
His approaches to life are very old school, so he lacks sympathy or proper evolution and understanding of the era in which he lives. But in his mind, he's trying to provide a small ounce of discipline to these young men before they run away. rule the world one day. So, when another teacher steps down from his responsibilities and stays on campus over the holidays to keep an eye on the school and take care of the remaining kids who don't go home (aka the holdovers), Mr. Hunham is the one. has the power. Few, as he has no family or friends, making him the perfect candidate to stay and take care of the children. Reuniting with Payne for the first time since his incredible work on Sideways, Giamatti delivers a hilarious and nuanced performance as a man who simply wants to be left alone to read his books about the world he's afraid to expand and explore because his job and this School is all he knows.
The group of vacation survivors is made up of five children, among whom Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), one of Mr. Hunham's students, stands out. Angus is a very bright young man and the only one who didn't get a failing grade in the midterms, Mr. Hunham. But he is a troublemaker and has angry outbursts stemming from the loss of his father and his mother quickly marrying someone he doesn't like. In understanding Angus throughout the film, we discover that he was expelled from three other schools and that if he is expelled one more time, he will go to military school.
His excitement about coming home for the holidays is quickly ruined when he receives a call from his mother telling her that he's going on his honeymoon, which is long overdue, and that she won't be picking up Angus until the holidays. of spring. Upon hearing this news, Angus is devastated and it's the start of a showcase for one of the best newcomer performances of the decade so far. Sessa, a non-actor found by Payne at the school where the film takes place before filming began, is able to play a seasoned actor like Giamatti in every scene he is in and steal every moment he is in. the screen.
Angus, along with the other children, are forced to follow Mr. Hunham's vacation plans for the children, which consist of exercising in the snow early in the morning, studying for the schoolwork they will do when they return from vacation and not much fun or Christmas spirit attached. After a couple of days, the children have completely had enough of their harsh teacher, but are rescued from his wrath when one of the boy's rich parents comes to pick up their son and, with the other parents' permission, they are able to leave. by helicopter for a ski trip during the rest of the break. But because his mother is unreachable, Angus is the only remaining member of the remnant and that's when the film takes another turn as Angus and Mr. Hunham go one on one to try to make each other's lives a living hell. during the rest of the year. for a couple of days of the rest of your break. Giamatti and Sessa have fantastic chemistry.
Comments
Post a Comment