I really wanted to like The Holdovers more than I did. I found it to be slow, tough to stay engaged. There were some moments, but not enough to hold the 2 hour 13 minute film. And I didn't get it. Paul Hunham (Giamatti) is described in reviews and portrayed in the preview as this hated, bitter, cranky teacher. But really, he had a very soft spot for Mary Lamb (Randolph), for Angus Tully (Sessa), for Miss Lydia Crane (Preston). He was sentimental, he was a good listener, he was passionate about his profession and the subject of history. For some reason, he took delight in the demise of the students at Barton Academy he felt were entitled, who didn't care, who didn't appreciate what they had. But we never understand why. We get to learn a bit about his history and why he was expelled from Harvard. At one point, he says that he feels like the world is a bitter and complicated place and that the world feels the same way about him, a sentiment his own father tried to beat into him. Now, we don't know if that was literal or a figure of speech and it's delivered as a toss-away and never mentioned before or after. So we don't really know why Paul feels the way he does. And he never really goes through a character arch. Paul always had the capacity to care, so the lengths he went to bond with Angus really didn't seem like a stretch. And the ultimate sacrifice he makes for Angus at the end, really wasn't a surprise at all.
And Angus Tully, also, is portrayed as this misbehaving ne'er-do-well miscreant. He's been kicked out of three schools already. If he gets kicked out of Barton, he'll be sent to military school. But Angus isn't a bad kid. When we first meet him, he sincerely pleads the case with Mr. Hunham why they shouldn't start a new lesson right before the holiday break. While stuck on campus, Angus looks after the other kids, protects them from the bully Teddy Kountze (Brady Hepner). We know about Angus' family problems. He says his dad is dead and his mom has remarried and is living like a woman in her 20's which is why she's shipped Angus off to boarding school and doesn't come get him for holiday break while they're on vacation. If anything, Angus has more right than anyone to be acting out and being a complete nuisance. But he's not. The three worst things he really does in the movie are hide out in the school auditorium when Mr. Hunham is looking for him, run from Mr. Hunham through the school and leap over the gymnasium pommel horse, and attempt to sneak off in Boston to see his father's grave. He's really not bad, but he's treated like a total deviant. So, again, he really doesn't go through much development by the end of the movie.
Don't get me wrong, Giamatti, Sessa, and Randolph all gave stellar performances. And it was touching at times, funny at others. It probably could have been sped up and cut down by about half an hour and still been the same movie. There just wasn't a point. I didn't understand why these characters were either portrayed the way they were, treated the way they were, or acted the way they did. I predicted 4 Stars, but I knocked it down to a disappointing 3 Stars for The Holdovers. I still love Giamatti and I think we'll see more good things from Sessa, but I think Director Alexander Payne and Writer David Hemingson missed the mark with this one.
And Angus Tully, also, is portrayed as this misbehaving ne'er-do-well miscreant. He's been kicked out of three schools already. If he gets kicked out of Barton, he'll be sent to military school. But Angus isn't a bad kid. When we first meet him, he sincerely pleads the case with Mr. Hunham why they shouldn't start a new lesson right before the holiday break. While stuck on campus, Angus looks after the other kids, protects them from the bully Teddy Kountze (Brady Hepner). We know about Angus' family problems. He says his dad is dead and his mom has remarried and is living like a woman in her 20's which is why she's shipped Angus off to boarding school and doesn't come get him for holiday break while they're on vacation. If anything, Angus has more right than anyone to be acting out and being a complete nuisance. But he's not. The three worst things he really does in the movie are hide out in the school auditorium when Mr. Hunham is looking for him, run from Mr. Hunham through the school and leap over the gymnasium pommel horse, and attempt to sneak off in Boston to see his father's grave. He's really not bad, but he's treated like a total deviant. So, again, he really doesn't go through much development by the end of the movie.
Don't get me wrong, Giamatti, Sessa, and Randolph all gave stellar performances. And it was touching at times, funny at others. It probably could have been sped up and cut down by about half an hour and still been the same movie. There just wasn't a point. I didn't understand why these characters were either portrayed the way they were, treated the way they were, or acted the way they did. I predicted 4 Stars, but I knocked it down to a disappointing 3 Stars for The Holdovers. I still love Giamatti and I think we'll see more good things from Sessa, but I think Director Alexander Payne and Writer David Hemingson missed the mark with this one.
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