Paul (Paul Giamatti), an aging classics professor at an elite New England prep school, is at odds with his students. His rigidly judgmental teaching methods are, to say the least, outdated. When he is thrown together for a long Christmas break with Angus (Dominic Sessa), a smart, charismatic and self-destructive teen, and Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), the school's grieving cook, we enter territory that reminds us of John Hughes' Breakfast Club … but David Hemingson's nuanced script has much more on its mind. Giamatti is effortlessly commanding from the start, and Sessa and Randolph are outstanding. In About Schmidt, Sideways and Nebraska, director Alexander Payne proved himself a master in depicting isolated people forced to confront their fears and illusions. Here, his uncanny grasp of the minute particulars of everyday conflict reaches new depths of both comedy and pain, in a blend reminiscent of Hal Ashby's finest works. Courtesy of Focus Features

D: Alexander Payne, US, 2023, 2h13m

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay.

Telluride Pass: See all 6 films for $80 and get priority seating. Get the Pass>