2024 Oscars Challenge: [2] “The Holdovers” (Five Nominations)

FILM #2

of 38

DAY#8

of 48

96TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2024 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“THE HOLDOVERS”
JANUARY 30, 2024
VUDU

Alexander Payne delivers a feel-good comedy with the aesthetics of a film plucked from the 70s. Paul Giamatti plays prickly classics professor Paul Hunham, who gets stuck chaperoning the boarding school students left on campus for Christmas. Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) is one of the students. He is brilliant but smart-mouthed as he navigates the frustrations of a less-than-ideal holiday break, forming a bond with his teacher and the campus head cook, Mary Lamb, played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

The characters are richly written and reveal layer after layer throughout the story. There’s a beautiful balance between comedy and drama, with each character dealing with their traumas. Mary deals with one of the more considerable traumas as she spends her first Christmas alone after the death of her son. Offering guidance to Hunham as he attempts to connect with Angus, she is the film’s bright spot, stealing the scenes she’s in. With all the tension and comedy from their interactions, Giamatti and Sessa play off one another perfectly.

As with most films over two hours, I question the long runtime, especially in the opening scenes. However, the rest of the editing is essential to comedic timing and emotional pacing. Still, Kevin Tent’s work doesn’t scream Academy Award winning. With Randolph’s sweep of the awards season thus far, it’s hard to see anyone else winning Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and with two big wins at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, Giamatti appears poised to win as well. David Hemingson has his work cut out in Best Original Screenplay, with “Anatomy Of A Fall” and “Past Lives” presenting stiff competition. And, in the Best Picture race, “Oppenheimer” is the odds-on favorite, but “The Holdovers” might have taken some momentum away from “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Barbie.”

A cranky history teacher at a remote prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a troubled student who has no place to go and a grieving cook.

Directed by Alexander Payne
Focus Features
October 27, 2023
133 minutes

Best PICTURE
Mark Johnson

61st Academy Awards (1988)	Best Picture	“Rain Man”	WINNER
64th Academy Awards (1991)	Best Picture	“Bugsy”	Nominated

PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS | MARK JOHNSON

EXPERTS

1. “Oppenheimer”
2. “The Holdovers”
3. “Poor Things”
4. “Anatomy Of A Fall”
5. “Killers of the Flower Moon”
6. “Barbie”
7. “American Fiction”
8. “The Zone Of Interest”
9. “Maestro”
10. “Past Lives”

PERSONAL

1. “Oppenheimer”
2. “Killers of the Flower Moon”
3. “Barbie”
4. “The Zone Of Interest”
5. “Past Lives”
6. “American Fiction”
7. “Poor Things”
8. “Anatomy Of A Fall”
9. “The Holdovers”
10. “Maestro”

BEST Actor in a Leading Role
Paul Giamatti

78th Academy Awards (2005)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

“Cinderella Man”

Nominated

PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS | PAUL GIAMATTI

EXPERTS

1. Paul Giamatti – “The Holdovers”
2. Cillian Murphy – “Oppenheimer”
3. Bradley Cooper – “Maestro”
4. Jeffrey Wright – “American Fiction”
5. Colman Domingo – “Rustin”

PERSONAL

1. Cillian Murphy – “Oppenheimer”
2. Jeffrey Wright – “American Fiction”
3. Paul Giamatti – “The Holdovers”
4. Bradley Cooper – “Maestro”
5. Colman Domingo – “Rustin”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Da’Vine Joy Randolph

First-time Nominee

PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS | DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH

EXPERTS

1. Da’Vine Joy Randolph – “The Holdovers”
2. Danielle Brooks – “The Color Purple”
3. Emily Blunt – “Oppenheimer”
4. America Ferrera – “Barbie”
5. Jodie Foster – “Nyad”

PERSONAL

1. Da’Vine Joy Randolph – “The Holdovers”
2. Emily Blunt – “Oppenheimer”
3. America Ferrera – “Barbie”
4. Danielle Brooks – “The Color Purple”
5. Jodie Foster – “Nyad”