Movies
A dry, slightly darker comedy that benefits greatly from Nicholson's stone-faced performance. I watched this very early on in my cinephile journey and liked it a lot. Upon revision, I think it's still a funny and capable film, but it lacks something to make it a true standout. Something I've noticed in other US comedies of that era. Nicholson is a delight, but the rest of the cast is good too, with Kathy Bates stealing the show in a supportive role. The main character's journey is fun, his letters are hilarious, and the comedy is on point. The film is a tad long though, and I prefer my comedy just a tiny bit edgier. Other than that, I enjoyed it a lot.Read all
Starts off pretty well, with some fun and surprising observations regarding the basic premise of the film. The first half works well as a drama, a sci-fi and an adventure film. But the film starts to meander during the second half and it all becomes quite aimless and pointless. A real shame, because the potential to be something more was clearly there.
Paris, I Love You
A rather tepid Christmas film from Payne. I'm not his biggest fan, I like my comedies a bit sharper and a tad more overt, but his films rarely dip below a certain level. There were moments in The Holdovers where I felt Payne should've done better though, unless he truly aimed to make a cheesy Christmas flick. So yeah, guess how this film ends. The dialogues aren't too bad and there is some fun wordplay going on, but apart from that, it's all very dusty and predictable. The characters were rather boring, while the drama felt stiff and repetitive. Performances were okay, but nobody was excelling either. A very middling film, stretched way too thin.Read all
