Alexander Payne's latest movie, The Holdovers, feels like a movie from a different era, and I mean that in the best possible way, as evidenced by our rave The Holdovers review. Specifically, the era the movie harkens back to is the 1970s, which is often referred to as the "Silver Age" of Hollywood, one where a group of young directors emerged, including Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, William Friedkin and Steven Spielberg, often with more control to make more personal, challenging movies than before (or arguably since).
What to Watch recently spoke with The Holdovers writer David Hemingson, bringing up the movie's 70s feel. While he feels Alexander Payne has been making "humanist, character-driven dramedies" reminiscent of the 70s his whole career, Hemingson has worked primarily in more mainstream TV (his credits include Whiskey Cavalier and Kitchen Confidential), so he rewatched a number of movies to help inspire him and to "understand the pacing… and the tone of these films."
After making a trip down to his local video store (Cinefile Video in Los Angeles), here are the filmmakers and movies that inspired The Holdovers.
Hal Ashby movies
The first name that Hemingson brought up was Hal Ashby. Hemingson says that Payne credits Ashby with directing "seven of the greatest films of the latter half of the 20th century from 1970 to 1980." High praise but not unwarranted, as Ashby's output during that period includes The Landlord, Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, Shampoo, Bound for Glory, Coming Home and Being There.
Hemingson did not specifically mention which Ashby movies he watched, but we can definitely see elements from a few of them. That includes The Last Detail, which stars Jack Nicholson and Otis Young as two Navy officers tasked with taking a young recruit (Randy Quaid) to military prison but resolve to show him a good time along the way. There definitely feels to be elements of Coming Home as well, which stars Jon Voight and Faye Dunaway and deals with soldiers returning from Vietnam, as the war is a very present part of The Holdvers.
How to watch The Last Detail: free on Tubi or rent via digital on-demand in the US; rent via digital on-demand in the UK
How to watch Coming Home: not available online, but can purchase DVD copy on Amazon.
Robert Altman movies
Robert Altman was also someone Hemingson mentioned but did not call out a specific movie. However, the school that serves as the primary location for The Holdovers reminded us a bit of the snowbound scenes in Altman's classic western McCabe & Mrs. Miller, which stars Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. Some other Altman movies that Hemingson may have watched for inspiration: M*A*S*H, the 1970 war comedy starring Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould (not the long-running TV series that was spun off from it), and California Split, which has Gould again form half of an unlikely pair with George Segal.
How to watch McCabe & Mrs. Miller: rent via digital on-demand in US and UK
How to watch M*A*S*H: rent via digital on-demand in US and UK
How to watch California Split: stream on Prime Video, Pluto TV or Roku Channel in US; rent via digital on-demand in UK
Bob Rafelson movies
Sticking with the 70s directors that may not be as familiar to modern day audiences, Hemingson brought up Bob Rafelson as someone he studied. Again, Hemingson didn't give a specific example, but Rafelson is best known for the Jack Nicholson-starrer Five Easy Pieces, which we can definitely see Hemingson possibly taking notes from, particularly with many of the emotional-heavy scenes.
How to watch Five Easy Pieces: rent via digital on-demand in US; stream on ITVX in the UK
The 400 Blows
Hemingson didn't just focus on movies from that era, he also looked for movies that could help inspire some of the movie's key character dynamics. That included expanding his watchlist to iconic titles from outside the US. One he mentioned was The 400 Blows, Francois Truffaut's classic about a young boy who is often ignored by his parents and his school, which sees him going out on his own and getting into trouble. Hemingson credited this as a source to help with the coming of age aspects of The Holdovers, almost surely represented by Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa).
How to watch The 400 Blows: stream on Max in the US; stream on BFI Player in the UK
Bicycle Thieves
Hemingson was also interested in unique father and son dynamics to help with the relationship between Tully and Professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti). For this Hemingson looked to an Italian classic, Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves, which sees a working-class man in post-World War Two Italy attempt to reclaim his stolen bike so he can continue to work, bringing his son along with him.
How to watch Bicycle Thieves: stream on Max in the US; stream on Arrow in the UK
The Holdovers is now playing exclusively in movie theaters in the US. It premieres in the UK on January 19.
