Oscar-winning cinema legend Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti have reunited! The Holdovers is getting a resounding nod of approval from critics. Perhaps coincidentally, it’s yet another thoughtful movie about depression, thematically similar to their first project together, 2004’s Sideways. According to Giamatti, his characters in the Payne films also have quite a bit in common, specifically their gnarly hangovers.
Both Sideways’ Miles and The Holdovers’ Paul are fans of boozin’, with Miles being a notorious wine “connoisseur” and Paul numbing his pain with whisky. I recently caught up with Paul Giamatti to talk about The Holdovers, and when I asked if he intentionally played both characters as having a certain level of anxiety following the previous night’s party, he admitted that they did, but also that one character had it slightly worse due to an additional affliction:
I had to, because they are hung over all the time. I don't know who is worse hung over but yes, yes I did. Hung over and the smoking, especially for the guy with the pipe because I was actually smoking and I was like, I remember this, when every room was filled with smoke and everybody had throat burn, kind of like blown out, inhaling smoke all day. So that was there too.
I had to ask! One can only wonder how the process of getting into character is affected knowing that you’re meant to be dehydrated and miserable, and both characters are daily bingers. Paul Hunham had an additional layer of discomfort, as he’s a smoker, which means Paul Giamatti was a smoker too. There was no faking it with this one, and Giamatti picked up smoking pipe tobacco, which was reminiscent to him of a time when such behavior was the norm. You can check out a video of that part of our conversation at the top of this article, and the pipe is just the beginning of The Holdovers details he revealed.
There would generally be nothing surprising about the fact that Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti would want to reunite after the massive cult-like success of Sideways, if it weren’t for the fact that the film was released almost 20 years ago, and they haven’t collaborated since. Since then, the two have had massive success on their own, and there’s no time like the present! Even if Paul Giamatti was nursing hypothetical hangovers, and had a gnarly case of “throat burn.”
Not only are critics in agreement about The Holdovers, as previously mentioned, but it might just be the first film this year to give you all of the warm holiday feels. It’s still in theaters right now, so go check it out for yourself! While the 2023 movie release schedule is coming to an end, we have plenty to look forward to coming to theaters in 2024!
