I think Alexander Payne is the best filmmaker since Billy Wilder. It’s just so frustrating that he has made less than 10 movies and it’s been six years since his last (the forgettable “Downsizing”). This is Payne’s first period piece (set in 1970), and he channels Hal Ashby (even using a Cat Stevens song). He also re-teams with Paul Giamatti, who was so great in Payne’s “Sideways” 20 years ago.
Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, a mean teacher at a New England boarding school for boys. He won’t seem as mean as the story plays out and his heart warms (and we find out his backstory from that very school).
Dominic Sessa is currently a college student studying drama, and he was perfectly cast in this role to play the angry Angus. From the trailers, I thought he was going to play a nerdy kid that’s picked on. Yet right from the start, we see that he can fight his own battles (and creates many of his own).
There are a variety of students that are “holdovers” for the holidays; those kids that can’t go home for one reason or another. With Angus, it’s because his mom is on her honeymoon (we’re told his dad died earlier).
The cafeteria cook Mary Lamb is played wonderfully by Da’Vine Joy Randolph. I loved her in “Dolemite is My Name” and as Sandra Bullock’s sassy editor in “The Lost City.” She’s sassy in this, but there are also scenes with her grieving the son she lost in Vietnam.
Since we’re dealing with an incredible cast of actors, and a top-notch director, things never get too maudlin. Everything feels earned, even if you may have seen this type of film before (aside from the ‘70s movies I thought of, there were times I was thinking of some ‘90s movies – Mr. Holland’s Opus, Rushmore, and Dead Poets Society [well, that was 1989]).
After an accident that leaves Angus bandaged up, teacher and student start to begrudgingly bond with each other.
They take a trip to Boston, where we learn more about these characters; and they learn in the process, too.
There were lots of humorous moments that worked well: listening to Paul's explanation of mistletoe, or the origins of the Santa Claus outfit to a drunk store-Santa at a bar. Folks, forget all this debate about whether “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie (it’s not). This is a new holiday classic. I’m just worried that with such high recommendations, people might expect something more. I remember how much I loved Payne’s film “About Schmidt” 20 years ago (Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates), and my friends were only lukewarm on it. I did notice the LA Times critic didn’t like this, but we often disagree.
I was reminded of all the great films I enjoy. Even small things like how Paul smells like fish. That reminded me of Alan Arkin being paranoid about his fish smelling fingers in “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.” And I thought about Arkin again, in one of the best comedies ever made – “The In-Laws.” There’s a scene where Peter Falk is confused by the show “The Price is Right.” In this, it’s Paul wandering in and asking questions about “The Newlywed Game.”
About the only thing that bothered me were the song selections. Two Vietnam movies ago, I thought filmmakers should retire the great Chamber Brothers song “Time Has Come Today.” And Badfinger is used too often, as well as Shocking Blue’s “Venus.” The best use of music in this is when we hear Artie Shaw, and it breaks your heart as to why.
The film was shot beautifully by Eigil Bryld (The Last King of Scotland, In Bruges), giving it the grainy feel of a ‘70s flick, as well as the panning out shots.
This movie is going to make every critic’s Top 10 list of the year, and you’ll see it nominated for many Oscars.
4 stars out of 5.