Just because a film is a hit with critics and viewers, that doesn’t mean it’s immune to critique from medical experts. While a movie might garner multiple Academy Award nominations and be widely lauded as a modern holiday classic, the presentation of mental illness can leave a lot to be desired and go against the scientific understanding of certain ailments.
Plenty of movies have been criticized by medical experts over the years for sacrificing accuracy for the sake of entertainment value. While this likely wasn’t intentional on the part of the filmmakers, it’s a firm showcase that films should be taken with a pinch of salt, and it’s important to verify medical portrayals with real-life knowledge and expert opinions.
What The Holdovers Gets Wrong About Mental Illness, According To An Expert
The Holdovers was a 2023 Christmas comedy drama from director Alexander Payne that was immediately praised as an instant classic. With Paul Giamatti giving one of his very best performances as the curmudgeonly classics professor Paul Hunham, this story about boarding students in 1970 being forced to spend the holidays at school beautifully explores friendship, loneliness, and unlikely connections.
The Holdovers was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing at the Academy Awards. Da’Vine Joy Randolph actually won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing Mary Lamb, and Paul Giamatti earned a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role.
However, the clinical psychologist Danny Wedding (via Hogrefe) took issue with the way that mental illness is presented in The Holdovers, particularly the depiction of Angus Tully’s father, Tom, whom he visits in a psychiatric hospital. Wedding claims that both the scene and diagnosis of Tom’s character “are unrealistic and less than convincing.”
With Tom being said to have debilitating mental illness, paranoid schizophrenia, and early dementia, Wedding claims that schizophrenia and dementia are unlikely to occur simultaneously in a middle-aged man. Angus claims that the medication he’s been given only makes his father worse, while Wedding says the meds he’s been given should actually ease his schizophrenia.
The medical history of Tom’s character also does not align with medical practices, as Angus claims his father was transferred to a new medical facility far away from his family after a single violent incident. Although Wedding disagreed with the characterization of Tom from a medical point of view, he also praised The Holdovers as a movie worth watching.
Why The Holdovers Is Still A Movie Worth Watching
It’s easy for a medical expert to pick apart their grievances with The Holdovers, but from a sheer entertainment point of view, the movie was a total success. From the emotional intensity of Giamatti’s performance to a star-making turn from Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers was a special film that’s sure to become an annual viewing for many each holiday season.
The emotionally intense way that The Holdovers explored past troubles and shattered dreams made it feel like a worthy successor to classics like It’s a Wonderful Life. By embracing themes of togetherness and found family, The Holdovers captured the spirit of Christmas without needing to rely on Santa Claus, reindeer, or magical miracles.
Source: Hogrefe
