It seems "The Holdovers" is a return to form for its fantastic director, Alexander Payne, after "Downsizing" didn't do too well. I haven't seen it, but I know it was a box-office bomb.
Perhaps that movie bombing is the reason why Payne went with a pretty familiar plot with his next movie. Hollywood loves movies about cranky older men learning to soften and relate to other people again, usually with a child as the catalyst, ie. "Saint Vincent", "A Man Called Otto", "Bad Santa". It's been done so many times, but Payne, Giamatti, the screenwriter and a newcomer named Dominic Sessa elevate the material mostly above cliché.
I thought this was pretty good, but it's not up there with the best of Payne's work, ie. "Election", "About Schmidt", "Nebraska". The details in the direction and screenplay are very impressive, letting you know you're in capable hands. The movie just never really grabbed me, though.
Perhaps that movie bombing is the reason why Payne went with a pretty familiar plot with his next movie. Hollywood loves movies about cranky older men learning to soften and relate to other people again, usually with a child as the catalyst, ie. "Saint Vincent", "A Man Called Otto", "Bad Santa". It's been done so many times, but Payne, Giamatti, the screenwriter and a newcomer named Dominic Sessa elevate the material mostly above cliché.
I thought this was pretty good, but it's not up there with the best of Payne's work, ie. "Election", "About Schmidt", "Nebraska". The details in the direction and screenplay are very impressive, letting you know you're in capable hands. The movie just never really grabbed me, though.