‘The Holdovers’ will bring Alexander Payne back to the Oscars

This article has been corrected to include Alexander Payne’s first feature film, “Citizen Ruth.”

Alexander Payne has a near-perfect record when it comes to his movies being nominated for Academy Awards. The acclaimed writer, director, and producer — one of our very best — has made eight movies so far including his latest flick “The Holdovers” and five of them have been nominated for Oscars. Here’s the breakdown.

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Payne’s debut feature film was “Citizen Ruth” (“The Passion of Martin” was only 49 minutes), which follows Laura Dern as a drug-addicted pregnant woman who finds herself in the middle of an abortion debate as she weighs up her choices regarding the pregnancy. This 1996 movie was not nominated for any Oscars.

His next movie was “Election,” which stars Matthew Broderick as a high school teacher who meets his match with Reese Witherspoon‘s over-achieving student. In 2000, the film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Payne and his writing partner Jim Taylor after they adapted Tom Perrotta‘s 1998 novel of the same name. They lost to John Irving, who won for “The Cider House Rules.”

Payne’s next flick was “About Schmidt,” which follows Jack Nicholson as a recent retiree who embarks on a road trip to his estranged daughter’s wedding. The film is based on Louis Begley‘s 1996 novel of the same name. Payne wasn’t nominated himself here but Nicholson was nominated for Best Actor in 2003. In fact, he was in a two-way battle with Daniel Day-Lewis (“Gangs of New York”) right the way through awards season. Come Oscars night, however, Adrien Brody won for “The Pianist.” Kathy Bates was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She lost to Catherine Zeta-Jones for “Chicago.”

“Sideways,” adapted from Rex Pickett‘s 2004 novel of the same name, features Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church as two middle-aged men who go on a trip through California wine country to celebrate one of them getting married. Giamatti gave a tour de force performance but missed out on a Best Actor nomination. Instead, the film was nominated for five Oscars in 2005: Best Picture, Best Director for Payne, Best Supporting Actor for Haden Church, Best Supporting Actress for Virginia Madsen, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Payne and Taylor. It won for Adapted Screenplay.

Kaui Hart Hemmings‘ 2007 novel of the same name was the basis for Payne’s next movie, “The Descendants.” That follows George Clooney as a land baron who tries to rebuild his relationship with his daughters after his wife, who was cheating on him, is seriously injured in an accident. This one also picked up five Oscar nominations in 2012: Best Picture, Best Director for Payne, Best Actor for Clooney, Best Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash. Again, the film won for Adapted Screenplay.

Payne’s next film garnered the most nominations of any of his films with six bids in 2014: Best Picture, Best Director for Payne, Best Actor for Bruce Dern, Best Supporting Actress for June Squibb, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Screenplay for Bob Nelson. The movie failed to turn any of those bids into victories, however. This was the first original Payne movie and the first time Payne wasn’t involved in the writing process. The picture follows Dern as an old man who goes on a road trip journey to claim a prize he thinks he’s won a prize draw.

“Downsizing” was Payne’s next movie. This one is another original picture and it follows Matt Damon who decides to join a growing movement and shrink himself down to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor. The film, unlike Payne’s previous entries, received mixed-to-middling reviews and was subsequently shut out at the 2018 Oscars. This is the only Payne film so far to not earn even a single Oscar nomination.

However, we think that Payne’s newest flick, “The Holdovers,” will rectify that. The Focus Features film, which was released in US theaters on October 27, follows Giamatti as a school teacher who is tasked with looking after the students who have to stay behind during the Christmas break. The movie has gone down well with critics and currently sits on an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s critical consensus reads: “Beautifully bittersweet, ‘The Holdovers’ marks a satisfying return to form for director Alexander Payne.”

Brian Lowry (CNN) explained: “Nothing about ‘The Holdovers’ sounds particularly special, and yet it’s one of director Alexander Payne’s best films — very funny, occasionally touching and a sterling example of the bonds that can be forged by an unlikely family.”

Peter Travers (ABC News) claimed: “Paul Giamatti is absolute perfection as a Grinchy teacher who learns a hard lesson in empathy over a winter school break. All the actors shine in this exuberant movie gift from director Alexander Payne that has all the makings of a new holiday classic.”

Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) observed: “Funny and rueful, ‘The Holdovers’ seems beamed in from another time in cinema history, when wordy and thoughtful little movies like this were in healthier supply.”

We think “The Holdovers” will be nominated for several Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor for Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. It is also on the precipice of a bid for Best Director for Payne. However, we think that the film will currently be nominated for five Oscars, the same number that “Sideways” and “The Descendants” garnered. We also think the film will win Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

Only “Sideways” and “The Descendants” have won Oscars before. They both won for Adapted Screenplay. If “The Holdovers” were to win both categories, it would be record-breaking for several reasons. It would be the first Oscar a Payne movie has won that wasn’t Adapted Screenplay; it would be the first acting win a Payne movie has managed; and it would be the most Oscars a Payne movie has ever won. It looks set to be a fine return to form and a very good year for Payne.

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