The Holdovers (2023)

The Holdovers

• After many weeks of waiting for this to hit streaming, I have finally watched what is thought to be one of the greatest movies of the year. For the most part, I fully understand what everyone is talking about. So much happens in this, and it plays with your heart and mind in ways I wasn’t ready for. The amount of feeling that you see and experience from the characters is super special. The big three of the movie (Mr. Hunham, Angus, and Mary) had great chemistry, even when they sometimes repelled each other. Very few people could’ve pulled off what the cast did. Honestly, those three should all get Oscar nominations. I absolutely loved Paul Giamatti, and he is just the best. Yes, he’s very crotchety, but I’m here for it. This is easily his best role since ‘Love & Mercy’. Dominic Sessa, who made his film debut in this, also gave one of the best performances of the year. I’m super impressed with how he did. He displayed love and warmth, as well as an occasional coldness. And of course, Da’Vine Joy Randolph delivered. She was just about the sweetest thing ever, and all you can do is grow to love her. The three of them compliment the story so well. Three unlikely friends that learn to love each other. It was awesome. It’s kind of hard to explain more about the plot, because it gets intricate at times. The simple summary is just some holdovers, but it goes much deeper than that. You’ll see what I mean when you watch this. My favorite thing of the whole movie was the aesthetic and setting. It had the perfect 70’s feel, and a gorgeous and comfortable New England mood. The snow, the scenery, the clothes, everything about it made you want to curl up in front of a fire with hot chocolate. Overall, this movie was fantastically well made, and although it had some scenes where I got a tiny bit restless, I very much enjoyed this. I’d definitely recommend it to dramedy fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!