THE HOLDOVERS (2023)

November 9, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. We’ve all had that teacher. You know, the one with an evil streak who just seemed to thrive on making students miserable. Throw in a staff and administrators who feel the same way, and the casting choice for the teacher becomes obvious.  Enter the always great and perfectly curmudgeonly Paul Giamatti. This is the first time Giamatti has worked with two-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne since their brilliant SIDEWAYS (2004), and it’s clear these two share a wavelength for comedy and drama, even in throwback form.

Paul Hunham (Giamatti) is a long-time professor at Barton Academy, an all-boys private prep school located in the snowy northeast. It’s December 1970, and an early scene exemplifies how he relishes the failing grades he bestows upon desperate students so afraid to disappoint their rich parents. In the final class before the holiday break, the student-teacher banter doesn’t go so well for the boys, and they head to break with an extra workload. Hunham is easily manipulated into babysitting the titular holdovers – students stuck at school over the break, while most others spend time with family, often on exotic trips.

Initially there are five students, but after a certain development, what remains is Hunham, smart but troubled Angus Tully (first timer Dominic Sessa) and the school’s head cook, Mary Lamb (a divine Da’Vine Joy Randolph, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, 2019). Hunham is perpetually annoyed and has a weakness for booze. Angus is frustrated that his mother left him at school so she could travel with her new husband, and Mary is grieving over her son who was killed in Vietnam. Watching these three struggle to bond is a case study in psychology, yet of course we know they will ultimately form a family of misfits, depending on each other to offset the loneliness.

The genius tagline for the film is “Discomfort and Joy”, and initially the first overshadows the latter. Isolated from the world in their own way, the three characters begin to influence each other, showing broken/wounded people need and deserve love and friendship as much as anyone else. “Entre nous” (just between us) becomes a kind of calling card for this trio, and a Christmas party thrown by an eternally optimistic staffer (Carrie Preston) is a turning point.

Giamatti is master of this material and only goes over the top a time or two. It’s painful and humorous each time he is so anxious to infuse his breadth of ancient civilization facts into even the most mundane conversations. Newcomer Sessa possesses star potential and nails a complex first role. Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Mary is the heart of the film, doling out advice to Hunham and comfort to Angus. Depression is a vein running through these characters and it’s acknowledged, though not the focus.

This is Alexander Payne’s first film since the disappointing DOWNSIZING (2017), but his brilliance has been proven in ABOUT SCHMIDT (2002), SIDEWAYS (2004), THE DESCENDANTS (2011), and NEBRASKA (2013). This time he’s working from a screenplay by successful TV writer, David Hemingson, and though there is never much suspense about where the story or characters are headed, we enjoy the ride immensely. Cinematography from Eigil Byrld (IN BRUGES, 2008), perfectly complements the emotions (shot on digital, graininess added in post), and the soundtrack is period-specific, including the great Cat Stevens. Pay attention to the retro opening credits and logos, and enjoy a smart and funny film (an Alexander Payne trademark).

Opening in theaters November 10, 2023

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

ONE OF THESE DAYS (2023)

April 14, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. Thanks to the onslaught of ‘Reality TV’ over the last decade, we seem to have lost empathy for those whose lot in life has driven them to submit to acts of desperation in hopes of finding a way forward. Writer-director Bastian Gunther has used the real-life east Texas events featured in the 1997 documentary, HANDS ON A HARD BODY, to create a drama depicting the fallout from such extremes.

Kyle (Joe Cole, “Peaky Blinders”) is a down-on-his-luck local guy with a wife and young daughter. Life is hard and he’s desperate to improve their way of life. However, he’s such an honest and good person that our impression is that he’s one of those who just gets continually kicked while down. When Joan (Carrie Preston, “True Blood”), in her role as Public Relations Director for Boudreaux car dealership, announces a contest to win a new pickup truck, Kyle sees his chance to make things better for his family.

If you have read about the dance marathons held in the 1920’s and 1930’s, or seen Sydney Pollack’s film, THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? (1969), then this “last person standing” concept will be familiar. A lottery is held to select twenty people who will compete for the vehicle in a test of endurance: they must keep one hand on the truck at all times, taking only short breaks with no chance for sleep. The expectation is that this could last 100 hours, with sleep deprivation and psychological willpower certainly in play. It’s a diverse group of twenty, and mind games are afoot, especially by one of the participants, Kevin (Jesse C Boyd) … one who no one recognizes.

Since watching people stand around touching a truck lacks cinematic drama, director Gunther infuses some of Joan’s less-than-stellar personal life, while also offering tidbits on some of the participants. Much of the focus is on Kyle, even as exhaustion, hallucinations, and health issues begin to creep in. The opening segment provides us with a Google Earth-type lay of the land in this rural community, and we quickly understand the stress of poverty – a stress that is eating away at Kyle.

A surprising plot twist with one of the participants elevates the tension, but it’s not until the final act where Gunther follows an unconventional structure that is downright confounding. We believe our story will end when the truck is awarded to the last one standing, but that’s not what happens. It’s an unusual story structure and one that’s challenging to deal with as a viewer. The characters feel real, and having been inspired by true events, the “hands on” competition is believable and uncomfortable to watch. This is a different kind of storytelling as it turns the familiar rural community trope sideways and shakes it up.

IN THEATERS, ON DIGITAL AND ON DEMAND APRIL 14, 2023

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

EQUITY (2016)

August 11, 2016

equity Greetings again from the darkness. A film made by women in a male-dominated profession about women in a (different) male-dominated profession becomes the first female-centric Wall Street movie. Director Meera Menon (Farah Goes Bang) and writers Amy Fox, Sarah Megan Thomas and Alysia Reiner have a lot to say … maybe even more than they intended.

Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad”) delivers a strong lead performance as Naomi Bishop, a hard-driving and successful investment banker – a self-described “banker chick”. She’s coming off a failed client IPO – her biggest career failure. Naomi basically torments and disrespects her first assistant Erin (Sarah Megan Thomas), and she regularly sleeps with a co-worker and hedge fund manager Michael Connor (James Purefoy) for the benefits only. In other words, Naomi is much like the men we have seen in these roles over the years.

While pursuing her next IPO with a hotshot d-bag tech entrepreneur (Samuel Roukin as Ed) who claims to have a revolutionary impenetrable cyberware, Naomi is unwittingly (although it could be argued that she SHOULD have known) being played by multiple parties. One of these is a Justice Department investigator (Alysia Reiner as Samantha) who is trying to use their old college connection as a way to gather intel on Naomi’s firm and Michael Connor. Adding complexity and turmoil are Craig Bierko as an egotistical investor who pressures Michael for insider info, Sophie von Hasselberg (Marin) who is a disgruntled programmer for Ed’s company, and Tracie Thoms as Samantha’s partner and co-parent of their kids.

Fractured relationships abound as all characters are driven by something other than the relationships. We are told “money is not a dirty word”, but it sure seems like motivation for these folks is centered on power, ambition, and yes … money. The social issues and moral dilemmas come across as less important than the challenge of competing (rather than collaborating). Seamless backstabbing is a valued skill in this world, and always present are greed, desperation and paranoia. This is post-2008 Wall Street, but it looks pretty darned familiar.

Previous films have taken us inside this world. Wall Street (1987), Margin Call (2011), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and The Big Short (2015) each provided some lesson on this corrupt-to-the-core industry and helped us understand the dual meaning of the title, but this is the first to show us the women who fight the same fights. If there is a disappointment here, it’s the apparent conclusion that putting women in the same high-stakes game as men means they will compete in much the same way, rather than finding a better, more graceful way. Gordon Gekko may not have been right when he said “greed is good”, but it seems pretty clear that greed is prevalent. It’s a lesson we evidently must be reminded of on a regular basis … and whatever you do, make sure to count the chocolate chips before giving that cookie to Naomi!

 watch the trailer:

 

 

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Posted by David Ferguson