The 552nd film I have seen in theaters…

Possibly the best of 2023

It is Christmas 1970 at a New England boarding school. Despised Professor Hunham is stuck there for the holidays with students not going home, holdovers as it were. Over the course of the break, he befriends young Angus and Mary, the head cook.

This is why I love the movies. Alexander Payne reunites with Giamatti to deliver another fantastic film. Well written and beautifully acted, this is an emotional journey brought to us by artists at the height of their skill. Funny, heartbreaking, inspiring, nostalgic are just some of the ways I would describe this. The cinematography, by Eigil Bryld, hearkens back to the movies preceding my birth in the late 70’s. I swear, they even piped in the sound of the old film projectors into the sound mix. An amazingly effective movie, I cannot recommend this enough.

10/10