The Holdovers

The Holdovers starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Randolph, and Dominic Sessa is currently streaming on Prime video.  I really wanted to see this movie while it was in theaters but unfortunately, I lost track of time and found myself having to wait until it came out on streaming. The movie was directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson and is one of my favorite movies from the year 2023.

I absolutely loved this movie and rated is a 9.5/10. The directing, writing, and acting, was absolutely amazing. Director Alexander Payne went through great lengths to make the movie feel as if it were made in the 1970s rather than in 2023. He and his crew achieved this by shooting all scenes on location with zero soundstages or sets. They also edited the film in a certain way to give an older feel to it. It is no surprise that film editor Kevin Tent received an Oscar nomination for his efforts. The film was beautifully written and should be considered a masterpiece by screenwriter David Hemingson who earned an Oscar nod as well. To be frank, I am unsure how either Tent or Hemingson did not end up taking home the statue. Someone who did take home the statue was Da'Vine Randolph who won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Mary Lamb. Paul Giamatti delivered likely his best performance of his career and in my opinion could have beaten Cillian Murphy for Best Lead Actor. Fun fact: Giamatti's character sports a lazy eye which earns him the nickname of "wall eye." This presence of the lazy eye stemmed from Giamatti pulling a prank on his co-star, Dominic Sessa, before eventually being incorporated into the scrip

This masterpiece of a movie shows us that we are never too old to grow as individuals. It truly warmed my heart and I strongly recommend giving this one a watch!