The Holdovers

 I want to start out by saying I had high expectations for the movie, considering how much I have heard people raving about it, and it absolutely did not disappoint. The Holdovers is such a beautifully crafted movie that follows a young teen who has been confined to school for the winter break with a grinch-like teacher that just seems to hate everything and everyone. This movie is jam-packed full of heartbreak and scenes that tug on the heartstrings. One thing that is repeatedly popping up in the movie is the prospect of war, which I believe is meant to give the audience a subtle nudge to protest war. The main message, however, is more of a found family type of deal. The boys attending the boarding school are assumed to be rich and living happy lives--- but as the movie moves on, layers are peeled off showing that these kids are all going through something. The Holdovers teaches the lesson, 'don't judge a book by its cover', to its viewers by setting up a frozen expectation, then thawing it out the longer you sit there.

If it weren't for the obscene amount of dirty teenage boy humor and profanity (which I had no complaints about), I see this movie becoming a family holiday classic. The Holdovers is a twist of a classic, something conventionally unconventional. I would like to applaud the cinematographer, Egil Bryld, for his amazing skills. The way he captures that 70s feel and the colors, lighting, angles, everything to a T was absolutely amazing and unique. Overall, I have no complaints about this movie, although I do wish we got a little more closure about what happened with Angus's parents, though, sometimes confusion is purposeful. I rate this a 9.5/10