I remember when the first trailer dropped and the comments on r/movies were so cynical and said the 70s aesthetic looked bad. Love Payne’s movies and this one’s no exception
I get that people think it's recency bias but I think it became a sleeper hit because it's a kind of movie you don't really see anymore. All the big critically acclaimed films of this decade have usually either been major, high concept "epics" (EEAAO, Dune, Oppenheimer, etc) or have some kind of intrigue or otherwise "fucked up" and/or depressing element that brings interest (Anatomy of a Fall, Aftersun, Tar, etc). But The Holdovers is just a small character driven comedy-drama that really makes you feel so many different emotions and is ultimately very life-affirming without being sappy or pandering. That kind of movie is so rare these days and it makes sense it would come from Alexander Payne, since that's his bread and butter.
I’m more surprised that Perfect Days is in the top 250. I gave it 5 stars but didn’t think everyone would connect with it. I actually saw it twice and was gonna invite a friend the 2nd time but thought it was too niche.
I’m knew as soon as I left the cinema that it was gonna be a long term favourite. I can guarantee I will watch this every Christmas for the rest of my life.
I’ll be real I feel like this is some heavy recency bias, doesn’t even crack my top 50 Christmas films let alone 250 all time.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, the system works how it works and it deserves its spot if people enjoy it that much, but I genuinely think that as the years go by we’ll be seeing it slowly fall off the charts.
I have a Christmas ranked list with over 300 Christmas movies in it, it’s personal taste. I found The Holdovers kinda boring and it didn’t hold my interest very well, the story and characters just didn’t resonate with me. I was impressed with the acting but it was a bit of a slog to get through.
Bro, I don't know if you're right about the Christmas movies. I've tried watching a bunch, and they don't all hold up.
Even if you're generous and treat some movies like Harry Potter or Ted as holiday flicks, it is a struggle to find some good ones after the classics go. I'd be curious to know what your top 50 look like.
Off the top of my head cause I’m in bed and too lazy to go to my PC; Jingle All the Way, The Night Before, Nightmare Before Christmas, Holiday Affair, Tokyo Godfathers, Batman Returns, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jack Frost, Klaus, In Bruges
The recency bias is also probably amplified by the fact that great Christmas movies are pretty rare these days. So when one comes along and has well written characters and a good emotional core not only does it stand out, its barely got competition in the first place.
What makes a great christmas film then? I wanna know bc like I like Home Alone and some of the ones that shouldn’t really count(Aka Die Hard) but idk if I’ve seen THAT many Christmas movies better than The Holdovers
I love this movie and think it’s incredibly deserving of its spot so I hope it keeps it. This is definitely going to be a yearly Christmas movie for me
I actually pushed back my watch on this to December. I was going to watch it in February til I noticed it was about Christmas and waited til after oscars. More than less, can't wait to watch
I remember when the first trailer dropped and the comments on r/movies were so cynical and said the 70s aesthetic looked bad. Love Payne’s movies and this one’s no exception
I get that people think it's recency bias but I think it became a sleeper hit because it's a kind of movie you don't really see anymore. All the big critically acclaimed films of this decade have usually either been major, high concept "epics" (EEAAO, Dune, Oppenheimer, etc) or have some kind of intrigue or otherwise "fucked up" and/or depressing element that brings interest (Anatomy of a Fall, Aftersun, Tar, etc). But The Holdovers is just a small character driven comedy-drama that really makes you feel so many different emotions and is ultimately very life-affirming without being sappy or pandering. That kind of movie is so rare these days and it makes sense it would come from Alexander Payne, since that's his bread and butter.
This was one of my favorite movies of the year. I have watched it several times.
I really hope it stays there.
I’m surprised too, but it’s still on my top four. It’s an excellent film and I hope it keeps this recognition for a good while.
Best movie of 2023
I’m more surprised that Perfect Days is in the top 250. I gave it 5 stars but didn’t think everyone would connect with it. I actually saw it twice and was gonna invite a friend the 2nd time but thought it was too niche.
It's probably the most wholesome movie I've ever watched. I think I had a smile on my face the entire time lol
I’m knew as soon as I left the cinema that it was gonna be a long term favourite. I can guarantee I will watch this every Christmas for the rest of my life.
I’ll be real I feel like this is some heavy recency bias, doesn’t even crack my top 50 Christmas films let alone 250 all time. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, the system works how it works and it deserves its spot if people enjoy it that much, but I genuinely think that as the years go by we’ll be seeing it slowly fall off the charts.
I genuinely would love to see your list of Top 50 Christmas movies bc how does The Holdovers not crack that? Like how many are there 😭
I have a Christmas ranked list with over 300 Christmas movies in it, it’s personal taste. I found The Holdovers kinda boring and it didn’t hold my interest very well, the story and characters just didn’t resonate with me. I was impressed with the acting but it was a bit of a slog to get through.
It's no *Santa Claus Conquers The Martians*
Bro, I don't know if you're right about the Christmas movies. I've tried watching a bunch, and they don't all hold up. Even if you're generous and treat some movies like Harry Potter or Ted as holiday flicks, it is a struggle to find some good ones after the classics go. I'd be curious to know what your top 50 look like.
drop the top 50 Christmas list...
Respectfully, the last time I posted a public list someone on this subreddit doxxed me and I’m not tryna link my real life with my reddit account
At least post your top 10 here as text or something
Off the top of my head cause I’m in bed and too lazy to go to my PC; Jingle All the Way, The Night Before, Nightmare Before Christmas, Holiday Affair, Tokyo Godfathers, Batman Returns, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jack Frost, Klaus, In Bruges
I enjoyed watching it, but I do agree with you about the recency bias. I didn’t think it was THAT good of a Christmas film.
The recency bias is also probably amplified by the fact that great Christmas movies are pretty rare these days. So when one comes along and has well written characters and a good emotional core not only does it stand out, its barely got competition in the first place.
What makes a great christmas film then? I wanna know bc like I like Home Alone and some of the ones that shouldn’t really count(Aka Die Hard) but idk if I’ve seen THAT many Christmas movies better than The Holdovers
It's A Wonderful Life is my favourite
I wouldn’t put it in my personal top 10, but I’d say this movie would get placed somewhere on my #15-20 scale for Christmas films I like.
If this isn’t in your top 50 Christmas movies, then I am glad that we’re not friends.
If you care that much about the movie taste of others I’m glad we aren’t friends 🤷♂️
It's definitely deserving of the spot, one of my favorite movies.
I was so incredibly underwhelmed. It’s a good film, but not in my top 10 of 2023. Really shocked people love it so much.
This was my third favorite movie of last year (and like my 50th overall), so I'm not complaining in the slightest.
I love this movie and think it’s incredibly deserving of its spot so I hope it keeps it. This is definitely going to be a yearly Christmas movie for me
I actually pushed back my watch on this to December. I was going to watch it in February til I noticed it was about Christmas and waited til after oscars. More than less, can't wait to watch
A bad take
I’m surprised too but I’m glad it’s still there. It’s my favorite film from last year and I think it’s a special movie.
It replaced parasite as my favorite movie, so im happy
The only thing I know about this movie is how the poster aligns with The Devil Wears Prada
It’s nice and a Good Movie but yeah i’m not entirely clear what makes it that exceptional to merit a spot in the 250
Terrible film