FILM
KEEP CONNECTED
Stressed Out? Think Massage!
facebook.com/theboulderweekly twitter.com/boulderweekly instagram.com/boulderweekly
Call 720.253.4710
All credit cards accepted No text messages
boulderweekly.com
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU ‘The Holdovers’ is a chilly comedy perfect for the holidays BY MICHAEL J. CASEY
P
and Angus is determined rofessor Paul Hunham Dominic Sessa, to make the least of it. A (Paul Giamatti) loves histo- Paul Giamatti sullen figure with a wealth and Da’Vine Joy ry. Not just any old history of emotional baggage, he Randolph in ‘The but antiquity: Greeks, Romans, is as bitter at the world as Holdovers.’ Sumerians — you name ’em, Paul Paul is cranky. They knows all about ’em. And not just make for a perfect pair and venture off because he believes the past informs the present, but because the past is the the school grounds for a trip to the present. The clothing might be different emergency room, a holiday party hostand the names have changed, but if we ed by one of Barton’s teachers and an can solve those ancient riddles, then overnight adventure into Boston. we might be able to crack the code The Holdovers is a calmly paced right in front of us. movie that allows its characters space It’s fitting then that director Alexander to breathe, think and express themPayne sets his latest feature, The selves in their own manner. It’s a narHoldovers, not in the present but in the rative not in any hurry to go anywhere past. The year is 1971, and the movie but to revel in comedic moments of looks like it: lots of yellows and browns, character. tweed for days and grainy cinematograAnd thanks to the comedy and the genuine heartwarming relationships that phy shot on 35 mm. build, The Holdovers is not a movie you Paul teaches at Barton Academy, a want to hurry up and get to where it’s New England prep school for rich kids, going. Where that is, I’m not so sure. and ends up with the fuzzy end of the lollipop when he gets stuck supervising For all of Paul’s emphasis that the past helps us confront our present, I’m at a the students who can’t go home for loss for what Payne and Hemingson Christmas break. Those held-over stuhoped to accomplish by setting their dents (Brady Hepner, Michael Provost, story in the early 1970s. Maybe they Ian Dolley, Jim Kaplan and Dominic don’t want anything out of it more than Sessa) make for a motley crew. Add in an enjoyable time tinged not by nostalthe school cook, Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the janitor, Danny (Naheem gia but by appreciation. Everything Garcia), a school establishment too seemed hopeless then, too, and we cheap to keep the heat going, and no made it out of that. one’s happy to be stuck here during the That’s not exactly an earth-shattering cold Massachusetts winter. revelation, but like Paul’s speech to Salvation comes when a student’s Angus about the importance of learning dad arrives in a helicopter and offers to from history, it’s something worth being take everyone skiing for the holidays. reminded about from time to time. Angus (Sessa) is the only one left behind. ON SCREEN: The Holdovers Now it’s just Angus, Paul, Mary and is now playing in theaters. Danny stuck inside Barton’s drafty halls, BOULDER WEEKLY
MORE FUN TRAILS • Volunteer to build/maintain trail • Meet up for a Group Ride • Come out for a Skills Clinic Connect with the Boulder mountain bike community Join (BMA membership) to support our programs Join BMA today and access social events and group rides--
bouldermountainbike.org
bouldermountainbike.org NOVEMBER 9, 2023
23