Review: 'The Holdovers' Has The Makings Of A New Holiday Classic
We all love inspirational movies about teachers, whether it's Robin Williams in Dead Singers Society, Jack Black in School of Rock, or your favorite version of Mr. French Potatoes are. I'm happy to report that The Leftovers, now in theaters, is not one of those movies.
Why? Because Paul Hanham, the tortured educator played perfectly by Paul Giamatti, is almost impossible to like. At Barton Academy in remote Massachusetts, Mr. Hanham to kill his students rather than guide them through college.
"Vulgar little Philistines" is one of the euphemistic terms Mr. Hanham used to describe his students, almost all of whom received Ds or Fs on midterms in ancient civilizations. Mr. Hanham could insult his protégés in Latin, but instead he sends the boys on winter break with heavy homework.
The boys hate her, teasing her about her secret drunkenness, sideways glances and the state of her skin which smells like rotten fish. As we learn from David Hemmingson's clever 1970 screenplay, when Barton's privileged white students easily escape a draft in Vietnam, Mr. Hanham other, more personal reasons for being a strict and stubborn headmaster.
The rest are experts at reducing stupidity. This is thanks to the brilliant direction of Alexander Payne ( Election, Nebraska ), who directed Giamatti in his biggest film role in 2004's Sideways , that of a wine-hating authority figure. Giamatti is never above ground. Billions and its award-winning star Amy John Adams.
I'm stopping this review to get off one of my Hanham-style insults. Giamatti should have won an Oscar for Best Actor for Sideways, but unfortunately he wasn't even nominated. Watch out Academy, don't let this happen again. Giamatti is very good at putting up with your stupid insults.
His talent shines at its highest when Mr. Hanham is forced to keep an eye on troublemaker Angus Tully (newcomer Dominic Cessa, a bright thread discovered by Payne in the private school's drama club). The principal punishes an unpopular teacher for disappointing an older student whose rich senator father contributed heavily to the school's coffers.
So it's up to this hellish teacher to supervise substitute Angus, played by the beautiful Daphne Joy, who is grieving the death of his soldier son in Vietnam with the reluctant help of black cook Mary Lamb. Randolph (good as the arrogant cop in Murders Only in the Building) takes you from laughter to tears without a dishonest note in between.
Then this emotionally damaged trio breaks out of the bubble to attend a Christmas party and hitch a ride to Boston, where holiday cheer collides with personal trauma. Just when you think you're feeling clichéd, Payne pulls the ground out from under your feet to reach an impressive climax that you might not expect.
Led by Giamatti in a career-defining performance, the entire cast shines in the new holiday classic, The Leftovers. It is a luxurious gift in the form of a film that sympathizes with imperfect humanity and that we can enjoy all year round. It's funny how the condescending and deceitful nature of the audience can bring you back to their living truth.
