20 years after ‘Sideways,’ Paul Giamatti may finally land his first best actor Oscar nomination

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — “The Holdovers” marks the long-in-coming reunion of Paul Giamatti and director Alexander Payne, 20 years after “Sideways.” And just as in “Sideways,” their alchemy produces something wry and moving. This time, it may also lead to Giamatti’s first best actor Academy Award nomination. Giamatti has been widely praised for his grouchy and erudite boarding school instructor, a high point in the career of a character actor who emerged as an unlikely leading man with “Sideways.” The “Holdovers” setting — a 1970s boarding school — has moved from California sunshine to snowy New England, and from cabernet to whisky. But a faint connection between to the two movies is there.