Holiday movies meant to warm your heart are something we're all told we should enjoy, aren't they? And usually, if you’re talking about films from directors like Frank Capra, George Seaton, Michael Curtiz and Chris Columbus, that holds true. But since it’s been a while since we’ve seen movies of that caliber, people wanting those kinds of stories have recently been embracing anything that even resembles them, whether or not the praise is justified. And that, I think, explains my feelings about the widely praised new movie from director Alexander Payne. The story—a grumpy, condescending, middle-aged, fussy prep school teacher (Paul Giamatti) tasked with looking after a group of energetic students who can’t be home with their families for the holidays—has a lot of promise that, unfortunately, is wasted because the plot feels loosely assembled and ultimately comes across as underdeveloped. What could have been an enjoyable film in the style of something like “Dead Poets Society” (1989), regrettably, doesn't quite measure up. It’s true there are some mildly amusing and pleasant moments, but many of the scenes don’t transition well into each other, creating a storyline that feels contrived without delivering what’s needed to make this kind of film work. While it is successful (surprisingly) at showing how these mostly one-dimensional characters change over the course of the story, that almost accidental achievement is seriously overshadowed by plot points that largely feel thrown in, incorporated without much thought and an obvious lack of cohesion. And honestly, the most interesting character is the academy’s head cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), whose complex personality (and skillfully nuanced performance) surpasses those of the other two main characters (Giamatti and Dominic Sessa as one of the students). It's disappointing that a director as talented as Alexander Payne has produced something as incomplete as this, especially when compared to earlier works like “Nebraska” (2013) and “The Descendants” (2011), and people considering seeing it should be cautious of some of the exaggerated claims and awards season attention surrounding it. But in an era where audiences are searching for holiday movies that offer the kind of comforting escape they so desperately want, it’s easy to understand why viewers might be drawn to a film like this. It's just too bad they won’t find what they’re looking for.

Source on TMDB