The Holdovers – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Best 2023 Awards Contenders

December 24, 2023December 25, 2023 Jennifer Merin Air, American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, awards contenders, Barbie, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, origin, Pam Grady, past lives, Poor Things, saltburn, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, The Holdovers, The Taste of Things, The Zone of Interest

2023 has been a brilliant year for movies and an astonishing number of outstanding films representing all genres are now vying for awards consideration. There are so many top titles that if you were to watch movies from dawn to dusk for this quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s Day — without taking a break — you probably couldn’t manage to view all of the serious awards contenders. So, with this week’s Movie of the Week feature, we are recommending titles picked by Team MOTW members — titles that they say must be seen before the awards shows so you will be prepared to enjoy all of the awards season’s buzz and shine in social media opining and chatter around the watercooler. These are our must see films and we’ll wager that once you see them you will want to see them again. Happy holiday week viewing!!!

Awards Intelligencer

AWARDS INTELLIGENCER: Oscar Best Picture Noms Are a Muddle – Thelma Adams reports

December 14, 2023February 1, 2026 Thelma Adams All of Us Strangers, American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, awards intelligencer, barbenheimer, Barbie, best picture, fallen leaves, ferrari, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, oscars, past lives, Poor Things, the color purple, The Holdovers, the promised land, The Taste of Things, The Teachers’ Lounge, TÓTEM

The Golden Globe nominations are in, along with those of the National Board of Review winners and a host of critics’ groups – Why is Oscar’s Best Picture still in such a muddle? It seems to me that the potential winners have been split into distinct categories, like potential Jeopardy questions: Barbenheimer; All the Big Dudes; The Cool Kids; The Internationals; and Outlier Odds and Ends.

Reviews

THE HOLDOVERS – Review by Susan Granger

November 20, 2023November 21, 2023 Susan Granger Alexander Payne, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David Hemingson, Dominic Sessa, paul giamatti, The Holdovers

Set at Christmastime in 1970 at prestigious Barton Academy, a rural Massachusetts prep school, The Holdovers revolves around Paul ’Walleye’ Hunham (Paul Giamatti), the cynical, curmudgeonly classics instructor forced to supervise the unfortunate boys unable to return home for the two-week holiday break. When a rich kid’s dad arrives in his helicopter, he offers to take them all skiing – if their parents give permission. That leaves only arrogant, angry Angus Tully (newcomer Dominic Sessa) whose honeymooning mother and stepfather have abandoned him and cannot be reached. Screenwriter David Hemingson devises such distinctive, compelling backstories for each of these three lonely, sad souls that their traumatic misadventures turn out to be therapeutic, yet director Alexander Payne never succumbs to sentimentality.

Reviews

THE HOLDOVERS – Review by Diane Carson

November 2, 2023November 4, 2023 Diane Carson Alexander Payne, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David Hemingson, Dominic Sessa, paul giamatti, The Holdovers

Director Alexander Payne has demonstrated a rare skill in mining complex personalities, the façade presented to others as well as the hidden depths of that mask. In exploring identities, Payne reveals the agonizing elements, coping strategies, and positive aspects of his characters. Through all this, he maintains an affectionate, incisive approach to the human condition. The Holdovers is as profound as it is enjoyable, a world to embrace.

Festivals Reviews

THE HOLDOVERS (Middleburg FF 2023) – Review by Leslie Combemale

October 30, 2023November 3, 2023 Leslie Combemale Alexander Payne, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Middleburg FF 2023, Middleburg Film Festival, paul giamatti, The Holdovers

The Holdovers, aka Grumpy Professor has a Change of Heart (that’s not a spoiler. It’s telegraphed in the trailer) aka Sideways Part Deux is more charming, poignant and sweet than director Alexander Payne and lead Paul Giamatti have any right to be, but that’s no surprise for the duo that brought us Sideways. It may be the holiday movie you never knew you needed. None of the lead characters have family that make them feel safe and loved during the holidays. This is the story of them finding each other, as damaged and full of baggage as they all are.

Festivals Reviews

THE HOLDOVERS (TIFF 2023) – Review by Emma Badame

September 20, 2023September 21, 2023 Emma Badame Alexander Payne, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David Hemingson, Dominic Sessa, paul giamatti, The Holdovers, TIFF 2023

Filmmaker Alexander Payne’s latest offering is not particularly original in any of its elements and doesn’t attempt to break any new ground, but as it transpires, that’s not at all a bad thing. Well-acted, lovingly directed, and sharply written by David Hemingson, The Holdovers is a warm, nostalgic hug of a film that harks back to a specific and beloved era of filmmaking. Payne sets the film in the early ‘70s to allow for a showcase of his vintage favorites. From the soundtrack to the color palette, he immerses his film in everything of the era and it truly works in the film’s favor.