The Holdovers

It's now on Amazon Prime.

But it's the kind of movie we used to go to the theatre for, when film was still the national religion, when cinema engendered analysis, conversation, before everything became two-dimensional, in-your-face entertainment made to be consumed with popcorn and then forgotten.

Movies had to play around the world, they had to be dumbed-down, if you weren't shooting for the fences, you weren't even in the game. Studios even stopped buying art films, never mind closed their divisions in that area down, they limited production to grand slam efforts and in the process not only ceded the visual entertainment field to streaming television, but alienated an entire swath of dedicated moviegoers. Never mind not inculcating the desire, the religion, in young fans. You need to follow the sport, know what is going on, see the players move from flick to flick, so you can be involved. You need to be respected. Funny how food has gone upscale and movies down.

So "The Holdovers" is a flawed film, because the plot is predictable. You're waiting for a left turn, something surprising, but when it all plays out as you predicted, as you've seen before, you're disappointed.

Having said that, Paul Giamatti is great as usual, however it does take too long for his character to soften. But his ultimate confessional rings true, and is satisfying.

As for Mary, played by Da'Vine Joh Randolph... She evidences a wisdom, sense of humor and a sense of reality that is the heart of the film. The overlooked, those with less upward mobility, those not reaching for the stars, are the heart of our society, and Randolph evidences this. At first you think she's a caricature, large Black woman who is the school's cook. Over decades we've been exposed to the archetype, a second-class citizen who has been put upon. But Mary is the wisest person in the film. Not only does she have a sense of humor, she's the truth-teller, she suffers no B.S. She's attractive, you're drawn to her. I'm watching this film wondering when Giamatti is going to fall for her, she's normal but so desirable.

However the star of this movie is the penumbra. The set, the look.

You want to know what it was like going to college in my era? Watch "The Holdovers."

It's snowy. At times bleak. And isolated. You're there with your peers and your overlords, and that's it. Finito. In the pre-internet era. When we were not connected 24/7, when people could be unreachable, when there was an emphasis on what was in your head as opposed to the image you presented online.

But as much as the snowy weather enticed me, placed this movie, what blew my mind, the absolute peak of connection, was the poster of W.C. Fields on the dorm room wall.

W.C. Fields was an icon in the late sixties. A little more cult than Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider," but we quoted him all the time, after having seen each and every one of his movies, back before you could pull them up anywhere, instantly. Today there's a tsunami of information, of entertainment options, but in the pre-internet era not only were there fewer choices, you had to make an effort to consume them. Anybody could watch the three networks and listen to Top Forty radio. But to go see the films, both mainstream and art, to dive into FM and purchase the albums and read all the information you could get your hands on...that required an effort. And when you participated, did the work, you were a member of a club and reveled in it.

W.C. Fields died in 1946, just after the first baby boomers were born. His last great film, "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break," was released in 1941. Yet we argued what was said on his gravestone, never mind imitating his vocal style.

And I doubt any youngster today even knows who he is.

W.C. Fields was a cult item on the periphery of the mainstream. Just an inch away. Today cult items are far from the mainstream, they almost never break through to ubiquity. But back then we had these mental totems based on our experience that wove us together. That's how you knew you had found your people, when they could quote the same movies and records as you.

And then there's the interactions amongst the students. Put males in a group without females and this is how they act, constantly jockeying for position, bullying, ganging up against the weak sheep, making fun of them. Sure, this is prep school, but many never outgrow this behavior.

And there's the spark of meeting someone of the opposite sex. Potential. And if they too are interested...

And there's the kid whose father won't let him come on vacation because he refuses to cut his hair. Amazingly, this was an issue back then. But even better, the ski trip is to Haystack, a ski area in Southern Vermont right next to Mt. Snow that ultimately went bankrupt and after lying dormant for years is now the private Hermitage Club. Skiing was hip back then, as skateboarding ultimately became. People still ski today, but it's a mature sport. Back then it was a reasonable question to ask, "Do you ski?" And you didn't have to be upper class to do so.

Then again, the striation of classes was less defined back then. Most people didn't know anybody who was rich, and wealthy roles on TV were caricatures. And there were no billionaires. And you never boasted about your financial status, the bluebloods kept their wealth close to the vest.

And the wealthy went to prep school. I went to college with a class that was made up of 45% prep school graduates. They knew the ropes, the college environment was not new to them. And they told tales. How at Lawrenceville the walls in the dorm did not go all the way to the ceiling, and after dark people would throw balls from one room to another.

"The Holdovers" captures a bygone era. And if you lived in it, you'll recognize it.

But there's nothing like it today. We're all connected, but less connected. Because we have options. Back then there were limits, not only technological, but you were beholden to the boss, your parents, your teachers, you chafed at the restrictions. Today kids talk back to their parents. Teachers and administrators are afraid of the students.

And I do not want to go back to this bygone era, but I haven't seen a film that has captured it as well as "The Holdovers" in quite a while.

It's hard to sustain this mood, this look and feel, throughout a series. This is where film triumphs, in setting a mood and a story upon it. But that power has been abdicated. However Alex Payne is still working in that milieu.

Once again, you'll ultimately be disappointed by the predictability of the plot. But the rest of the movie, the look, the feel, the mood? A+!


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