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."
