The Holdovers
Summary
contentedness admonition : This article hold mentions of intimate harrassment
26 years beforeThe Holdoversbecame a surprise success , Disney bury one of the proficient embarkation school dramedy moving picture ever made . While 2023’sThe Holdoverswasn’t a massive box place success , director Alexander Payne ’s darkly comedic drama was by no means a failure . The boarding school movie earned stellar reviews upon release and perform admirably at the box office give its stiff rival . unluckily , the same ca n’t be say for one earlier embarkment school dramedy that deserved to be a huge strike . 1998’sAll I Wanna Dois as realized as Payne ’s movie , but it has been largely forgotten .
Whilethe form ofThe Holdoversearned surprise Oscar nominations , All I Wanna Dofailed to recoup a fraction of its meek budget at the box office . The funniness - dramatic event , set in the fictional Miss Godard ’s Preparatory School for Girls , was write and directed by Sarah Kernochan . Between its needlelike hand , its shape of present and future stars , and its serious-minded satire , All I Wanna Dodeserved to be a mainstream winner and a likely prize contender . Instead , it flopped and subsequently vanished without a trace . The reasons for this circumstances include Disney , a string of championship changes , and the Weinsteins .
All I Wanna Do Is An Underrated School Comedy Classic
The Kirsten Dunst vehicle boasted an amazing cast and a killer premise
With an unbelievable dramatis personae including Kirsten Dunst , Gaby Hoffman , Rachael Leigh Cook , Merit Weaver , Monica Keena , Heather Matarazzo , and Vincent Kartheiser , All I Wanna Dohad all the ingredients of a immense bang . Likethe 70s stop pieceThe Holdovers , All I Wanna Dois set a few decade before its release . All I Wanna Do ’s report follows Odie , a rebellious teenager who is transfer to Miss Godard’swhen her parents expose that she has be after to have sex with her swain . Odie is taken in by Dunst ’s precocious trouble maker , Keena ’s subversive steady Tinka , Matarazzo ’s tumultuous Tweety , and Weaver ’s studious scientist Momo .
Together , the girls form a secluded society , the Daughters of the American Ravioli , that scupper the shoal ’s programme to immix with a male child ’s academy and become a coed mental hospital . A subplot focused on the schooling ’s headmistress , Lynn Redgrave ’s Miss McVane , as she does everything in her power to check the takeover from occurring . While both movies are comparable in term of look and themes , whereThe Holdovers ’ Angusis its sole leading teen protagonist , All I Wanna Do ’s write up focus on its unseasoned heroine as oppose to adult . outdoors of Miss McVane , most adult character are uncaring parents or predatory teachers .
All I Wanna Do Balanced Drama and Comedy Perfectly
The underrated dramedy’s story tackled real issues with wit and verve
LikeThe Holdovers , All I Wanna Dofinds a ticklish balance that allows the movie to address issuing like bulimia and misogynism while also finding room for crying - out humor . All I Wanna Do ’s unripened gags make its serious present moment even stronger , as the movie veer from a creepy instructor essay to rape Odie to a goofy set - piece where the confabulate schoolboy throw up all over the leg at a consort recital . This haphazard blend of tones perfectly reflect the chaotic experience of pubescence , where serious issues clash with nonsensical bit and life can fly from scary to hilarious in an moment .
The skillful distillation ofAll I Wanna Do ’s unique appeal comes in one lot part . Matarazzo ’s fresh , naive Tweet is fob into hit her bra by a schoolboy whose champion crack a picture . This devastating delineation of teenage psychic trauma is presently ameliorated by Tinka ’s townie love interest Snake beating up the male child and break their camera while the girls play tricks them into drink ipecac syrup , result in the aforementioned cloudburst of onstage vomiting . In many movies , this tonal veering would be a disaster . Thanks to preternaturally skilled carrying out from Matarazzo , Keena , and Kartheiser , it is somehow tragical , hilarious , and out of the blue prideful .
Why All I Wanna Do Was Forgotten
The movie’s director alleged that Harvey Weinstein sabotaged the 1998 flop
Many great boarding school movieshave succeeded at the box part , withThe Holdoversbeing the most recent example of this . As such , it is tough to see whyAll I Wanna Dofailed to witness an audiencewith its starry shape , deft direction , and charming script . alas , the answer allegedly rest with one of the moving-picture show industry ’s most odious frame . In 2019 , Kernochan took toTwitterto allege that dishonour producer and convict rapist Harvey Weinstein ’s statistical distribution company Miramax did n’t do anything to promoteAll I Wanna Do ’s release , which would excuse its unlikely failure .
While it was eventually acquire by Disney , All I Wanna Dowent directly to video despite Dunst ’s considerable ace great power . Its chances at achiever were further hurt by a strand of title changes . distributer fear that the original title , The Hairy Bird , would prove too tasteless for mainstream audiences . This note amount only after the moving-picture show ’s opening credit rating and closing credits included an animated depiction of the eponymic Hairy Bird and a birdcall about it , both of which were bizarrely out of place in the re - titled movie . To make matters worse , All I Wanna Dowas then inexplicably re - titledStrike ! .
you’re able to watchAll I Wanna Do , a.k.a . Strike!on Amazon Prime Video .
Why All I Wanna Do Deserves A Comeback
This modern classic has been unfairly forgotten since its 1998 release
Like2023’sThe Holdovers , All I Wanna Dois a period dramedy whose unique context allows the movie to cut into late into the mussy kinship between stripling and their educational institutions . The underrated movie is also a fun girl power story , a sweet drama , and a raucous comedy that never got its bloom when it originally arrived in theater . As such , All I Wanna Dois delinquent a revival . The movie should be recognized both for the contribution of its superb unseasoned dramatis personae and the strength of its writing , which perfectly captures the woolly idealism and cynicism of adolescent .
How All I Wanna Do Compares To The Holdovers
All I Wanna Do prioritizes students while The Holdovers focuses on a teacher
WhileAll I Wanna DoandThe Holdoversdo have a lot in coarse , the motion picture diverge in some polar respects . All I Wanna Dois a bawdier , more tight - pace teenager motion-picture show , whileThe Holdovershas the melancholy tone of Payne ’s earlier efforts . Meanwhile , althoughThe Holdovers ’ endingdoes bring the story of its main character together , the movie is primarily centre on Paul Giamatti ’s gruff , cynical antihero . The instructor is the film ’s main fictitious character , whereasAll I Wanna Dois more concerned with its scholar . Despite these deviation , All I Wanna Dostill deserves the same plaudits and fame thatThe Holdoversis currently enjoying .
Cast
