This was a recommendation from a friend and I heard a good fair bit of praise when the movie initially came out so I figured what the hell. Set in 1970 at a religious school over the course of a two week winter break, one of the more hardassed teachers is tasked with watching over 4 students for the duration who for one reason or another couldn't be home for Christmas, sounds pretty simple but the way the story progresses and the characters interact is what makes it as good as it is. Paul Giamatti is an actor in my eyes who has only gotten better with age, and as Mr. Hunham this archetypal asshole of a teacher prevalent in many a high school film be given an arc and a touch of depth does wonders for my enjoyment. Though admittedly even when he was a jerk I was laughing and having a grand time. Dominic Sessa as the main student we focus on Tully has baggage and growth of his own, and the dynamic between the two from enemies to frenemies to friends is lovely and when you have someone like Paul to bounce off of you're going to give a damn good performance. And with the inclusion of Da'Vine Joy Randolph as the cook and a grieving mother Mary, we practically have a makeshift family unit and don't fucking lie to me about this, they are straight up his mom and pop and they act like a married couple, I have spoken! It was easy to get emotionally invested in her own story and almost got me into an emotional breakdown at one point, she did such a marvellous job. All the winter scenery and 70s aesthetics in terms of clothes, music, and pop culture certainly pushed my buttons in all the right ways and though I'm a Grinch at heart it was a sweet and charming setting around the supposed most wonderful time of the year. And it's pretty funny too at times, obviously it's more of a drama but has the right splashes of humor that hit my funny bone many a time. It's not even a super intricate directorial effort but they know when to just let a moment be a moment and maybe some would call it a meandering movie with no real goal but it's about the journey over that two week period and I had a great time with it. Easily the standout film for me this month...so far. I loved it, truly I did and I'll recommend it strongly on top of that. 4 stars, 8.5/10, and next week we're about to get goth and spooky so clutch those crucifixes and pray for daybreak!
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