The Holdovers | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere

There are films that hunt deeper emotions and plenty that just want to entertain. But the best do both. This is what Alexander Payne is about and why he is one of his generation’s finest filmmakers. And The Holdovers is one of his finest films.

The Holdovers’ difficult character dynamics ultimately fall into all the right places. From beginning to end, Payne’s protagonists often remain static, but their perspectives shift dramatically.

Their misery is our gain as filmmaker Alexander Payne reunites with his Sideways star Giamatti for another comedy of thwarted lives that perfectly evokes the 1970s in look, sound and cinematic satisfaction; there’s a fully developed story told here

Giamatti does some absolutely fantastic work as Paul Hunham, a thoroughly disliked teacher at Barton Academy. Arguably he’s never been better.