A Movie Review
By
Carol Schaye
Actors: Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Giamatti
Director: Alexander Payne Writer David Hemingson
Desperate to escape the overcast skies of Reno, Nevada, I willingly almost gleefully accompanied my friend Don to see “The Holdovers.” Nothing about the promotions I’d seen for this film got me to that movie theater. It looked like a knock off of the Robin Williams film,” The Dead Poet’s Society”.
Movies, my favorite, revered art form have the ability to alter my mood for far less than it costs to see a second rate therapist here in Reno. Suspicious of “The Holdovers” but desperate for relief I went to the local, “Art house” (I should have known better) expecting to indulge in expensive but necessary cheese nachos and a coke to complete the outing.
That was the beginning of a few hours of agony I am asking you to avoid. Refusing the seven dollar bag of ten nachos I grumpily followed my friend to the designated theatre. Sitting in the near empty theatre on the top row (my favorite seat), viewing 15 minutes of advertising for films and products I will never see or purchase out of spite.
Cast with young fairly inexperienced actors playing boarding school kids stuck at school for the Christmas holiday, the writer never bothered to make any of them empathetic or even interesting. The dialogue spoken mostly by the movies lead actor Paul Giamatti insulting or scolding these kids, making their already sad situation horrible. Great premise?
As is the case these days, due to fear of protests there was one of almost every ethnic origin actor in a part regardless of relevance to character or story line.
The dialogue banal, not witty, not smart not even moving the story, sat there waiting for an actor with talent to rescue it.
Luckily for me the three seats (and many more) next to me were empty, so I lifted the armrests, curled up and snored somewhat loudly according to my companion for a good hour. When I awoke much to my dismay the actors were still talking, the credits weren’t running so I sat up and watched the last minutes of the most boring, poorly cast and poorly directed film I’ve seen in years. In that way it is outstanding.
Carol Schaye has had several short stories published by McFadden’s Women’s Group, Sierra Nevada Ally and other publications. Carol has written for two west coast newspapers and has worked extensively in television. A fan of Flannery O’Connor, Carol studied acting with Lee Strasberg and Austin Pendleton and writing with Salem Ludwig. She attended Marymount College majoring in theater.
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