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

1 Comment | Comedy, Drama | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

GIFTED (2017)

April 6, 2017

 Greetings again from the darkness. The “right” choice isn’t always obvious. Things get more complicated when even the “best” choice isn’t clear. Place a young child at the heart of that decision tree, and the result may yield emotional turmoil and an abundance of moral high ground and judgment. Such best intentions are at the core of this latest from director Marc Webb (his first feature since 500 Days of Summer) and writer Tom Flynn.

Frank (Chris Evans) is raising his 10 year old child prodigy niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) in low-key small town Florida. The circumstances that brought the two of them together aren’t initially known, but are explained in a poignant moment later in the film. Frank has been home-schooling Mary and now believes it’s time she transitions to public school for the socialization aspect … “try being a kid for once” he urges. Of course, Mary’s teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate, Obvious Child) immediately realizes Mary is special, and just like that, the wheels of the educational system are in motion to explain to Frank why they know what’s best for Mary … a high-fallutin private school where she can be all she can be.

There is a really nice and enjoyable story here of Uncle Frank dedicated to doing what he thinks is best for bright and charming and spirited young Mary, but it all comes crashing down when the bureaucrats, and ultimately Frank’s mother (Lindsay Duncan), get involved. When the adults can’t agree on the best route for Mary, a courtroom battle ensues. Ms. Duncan gets a witness scene reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, and her overall performance stands in effective stark contrast to the warm fuzzies of Mr. Evans.

The supporting cast contributes nicely, though Octavia Spencer’s role as kindly neighbor Roberta is more limited than it should be, and the love connection between Evans and Ms. Slate could have easily been omitted – but she is so pleasant on screen, that we don’t mind at all. Glenn Plummer and John Finn are the attorneys who go to war, and Fred the one-eyed cat also gets plenty of screen time. But there is little doubt that the movie really belongs to the effervescent Miss Grace. She nails the back and forth between kid and genius, and we never doubt her sincerity.

Child prodigies have been explored through other fine movies such as Little Man Tate, Searching for Bobby Fischer, and Shine, and while this one may run a bit heavier on melodrama, but it’s worthy of that group. The best discussions after this movie would revolve around what’s best for the child. Should she be deprived of “higher” education in order to live within a more “normal” social environment? Are any of the adults more interested in their own ego than in what’s in the child’s best interest? Home school vs public school vs private school is always good for some fireworks, and everyone has their own thoughts. So how do we decide who gets to decide? Does a parent get the final say on their child – even if their motivations may be in doubt? Should every kid be pushed to their academic – or artistic – or athletic – limits? The questions are many and the answers are complicated. There is a great line in the film that itself is worthy of conversation: “You got on the bad side of a small-minded person with authority”. Yikes. Even Cat Stevens’ great song “The Wind” can’t soften that.

watch the trailer:

 

1 Comment | Drama | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson