The Holdovers (2023) ****
The Holdovers (2023) is a welcome return to form for Alexander Payne after the lackluster Downsizing (2017) (review). I’m all for filmmakers experimenting and working outside their wheelhouse, but that latter picture just didn't a whole lot for me. The Holdovers, on the other hand, is a very classically structured and incredibly simple story but so well-executed. It's a joyful reuniting of Payne and Paul Giamatti and all the characters are endearing (flaws and all).
The movie has all the hallmarks of the director's style—acerbic wit, ennui, existential pondering, awkward, lonely personalities, realist portrayals of depression, and touching moments that never feel sappy. It reminded me a great deal of Hal Ashby, given the early 1970s setting, the mood, the morose humor, the editing, and the unlikely friendship struck by the two lead characters. An excellent film with an excellent soundtrack (and one that held up strong on a rewatch).
Recommended for fans of Harold And Maude (1971) (review), The Last Detail (1973) (review), and Sideways (2004) (review).
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