From Sideways and Nebraska to The Descendants and even his previous film Downsizing, you can trace a fascination with American livelihood across all of Alexander Payne's movies. He has a knack for imbuing the sharpest (and, at times, darkest) of humor in his characters' suffering, and The Holdovers is no different. Hilarious and heartfelt, it might be premature, though no less certain, to say that Payne has crafted one of the best movies of the year that is also destined to become a holiday classic. It made its American premiere just last month at the Telluride Film Festival, and at its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it's already proven to be ahead of the pack.
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