The Good:
The Bad:
The Verdict:
Holdovers is a delightful "Christmas" movie. Even though you know where it is trying to take you, the trip ends up being quite pleasant due to strong cinematography and great main actors.
7/10.
- The movie gives a wonderful homage to 70s filmmaking without overplaying its hand. The shots, the colors, the set, the 1.85:1 ratio, it all fits the bill without looking like major effort was put into it
- The colors, the indoors v. Outdoors atmosphere, the wide shots of the boarding school and the snow are just wonderful. Some of the best I've seen in a while
- All 3 major characters gave very respectable performances. Giamatti is on his usual A-game, Randolph brings a lot of nuance to the scenes she's in, and Sessa absolutely kills it considering it's his feature film debut
- The movie has a very "feelgood" vibe to it. It is a perfect family viewing and, my bet is, in a few years, it will be considered a Christmas classic.
The Bad:
- I was surprised it lasted 2h20min considering it felt like 3h20min. In terms of plot, it definitely covers more ground than I thought it would, but I think the slow setup kneecaps its pace a little bit
- The plot is basic. Way too basic. There is a grumpy teacher and a rambunctious student, and they hate each other, but they're both kinda good people, and they are locked in a boarding school for 2 weeks over Christmas. What do you think was gonna happen
- The late 60s folk choice was way overplayed. The same 2 minutes of the same Cat Stevens song is played 3 times. It desperately tries to get you to feel something, almost to a point where you feel a little cheesed about it
The Verdict:
Holdovers is a delightful "Christmas" movie. Even though you know where it is trying to take you, the trip ends up being quite pleasant due to strong cinematography and great main actors.
7/10.