12/5/23 Holdovers - 8/10

One of the best films of the year. Payne’s affluent Christmas Dutch by way of Dead Poets Society is a stifling analogy but it resonated too much not to say. This might be his best work, with a whip smart screenplay, a burning bitter Yule log quenched by a poignant bleeding heart, and performances that sing with genuineness and talent.

Giamatti should take home a statue in some form for his best and most captivating put upon curmudgeon with more than meets the wandering eye. He contains multitudes and manifests mindfulness moderated with melancholy. The newcomer Dominic Sessa is a revelation, for his 1st feature film, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph provides a depth, intuition and presence that sings as much as it stings.

It’s a throwback to Hal Ashby in tone style and substance, literally feeling like it could have come out 1974, but it is timeless as a great work gets. Funny, forlorn, and fecund - a fantastic film experience.