I adore this movie more than words.

The Holdovers works predominantly due to a career best performance from Paul Giamatti, who gives a career best performance during his Sideways reunion with director Alexander Payne.

The main acting trio of this film is absolutely stellar and all give their best performances. As mentioned previously, Giamatti is at the top of his game. However, Davine Joy Randolph is no slouch and currently my pick for Best Supporting Actress. The true realization here is Dominic Sessa, who makes his acting debut in stellar fashion. Payne found the needle in the haystack with Sessa and he might just the scene stealer of the year. If Sessa keeps this up, his future in Hollywood will be *extremely* bright.

The production design is sublime to say the least. Payne and crew effortlessly evoke the 70s to the point where it doesn’t feel like a period piece made in the 2020s but rather a film straight out of the 70s. Its recreation of the timeframe is second to none from what I can recall. Everything, down to the old school studio logos at the beginning, the grainy film look, and the score, all feel like relics from that time and it’s all in the movie’s favour.

The script, written by Payne and Dave Hemingson, is sublime. It gives everyone proper character development, allows for the heartfelt moments to have their time to shine, while also allowing humor to take center stage. It’s everything you want in a script and will undoubtedly be vying for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, possibly getting Payne his second writing Oscar.

The movie also does something that is hard to accomplish, it leaves a lasting impression on me. It constantly feels like a warm and welcoming hug throughout the viewing experience and that earns the film so much rewatchability. This is the kind of film you will show your kids and talk about to all your friends after you’ve seen it. It’s got that magical touch to it that few films have.

The Holdovers is bar none the best film of the fest, one of the best films of the decade and a new Christmas classic. Alexander Payne has done it again and made arguably his greatest film. I implore everyone to watch this one, you will not regret it in the slightest.