This makes me miss 90s Alexander Payne. _The Holdovers_ is a warm blanket film, and while it's one of the better films in that 'genre', I think it’s hard to argue for this being better than just fine. As per usual with Payne, its biggest strength is the (comedic) voice that's found in the dialogue, which is maybe surprising because he didn't write this one himself. The performances by Sessa and Giamatti are also really good, and I appreciate the effort of trying to capture the 70s through its filmmaking style. It's bound to become a new Christmas favourite because of the warmth and sentimentality, most of which is rightfully earned (he goes a little overboard with the score, but it's not a dealbreaker). I was thinking a lot about _Dead Poet's Society_ when watching this, and the emotion here definitely feels more authentic by comparison. However, it just doesn't have much of a story to tell. There's not enough conflict or thematic depth to fill the overlong runtime here. The character dynamics, while not awful, feel familiar and safe. This leads to a problem that can be found in a lot of films like this, which is that filmmakers don't want to go to a place that's challenging or bold. The end result is recommendable, but if you'd take Payne's stamp out of it, this would be called out for being a schmaltzy Hallmark film.

6/10