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The Holdovers Accused Of Plagiarism By Luca Writer Simon Stephenson Ahead Of Oscars 2024; Deets Inside
The Holdovers is causing controversy as its script by David Hemingson is nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Simon Stephenson argues the script shares similarities with his unproduced Frisco.
The Holdovers, a film nominated for the Alexander Payne awards, is facing controversy as its script by David Hemingson is nominated for best original screenplay. The film stars Paul Giamatti as a cynical teacher caring for a teenage boy. Luca and Paddington 2 writer Simon Stephenson argues that the script shares similarities with his unproduced screenplay for Frisco, which was a 2013 Black List honor for the year's best-unproduced screenplays.
Simon Stephenson accuses The Holdovers of plagiarism
Simon Stephenson prepared documents comparing scenes from both screenplays as well as their overall structure. Variety, which made one of those documents public on Saturday, March 9, reported that Stephenson sent it to the WGA in January to seek help. According to one document, Payne was sent drafts of the script in 2013 and 2019 in a bid to get him to board the project.
“The meaningful entirety of the screenplay for THE HOLDOVERS has been copied from the FRISCO screenplay by transposition,” claimed the document. The document further claimed, “This includes the FRISCO screenplay’s entire story, structure, sequencing, scenes, sequential sub-beats within scenes, line-by-line substance of action and dialogue, characters, arcs, relationships, theme and tone. A majority of this has been done line-for-line, and a large number of unique and highly specific elements created in FRISCO are readily and unequivocally identifiable in THE HOLDOVERS.”
Among the similarities Stephenson highlighted was an early moment in which the protagonist is summoned to his boss’ office and dressed down for wronging a politician.
The Holdovers script is competing against Maestro, Anatomy of a Fall, Maestro, May December, and Past Lives for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. Payne and Hemingson discussed the movie's origins, with Payne wanting to make a film set at a boarding school and Hemingson having written an unproduced TV pilot set at a school.
More about The Holdovers
The Holdovers is a 2023 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson. Set in the winter of 1970-71, the film stars Paul Giamatti as a strict classics teacher at a New England boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go on Christmas break. Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa play the school cafeteria manager and one of the students who stays on campus.
The Holdovers premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released in the United States by Focus Features on October 27, 2023. It received positive reviews and has grossed $42 million worldwide.
The film was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and has received many other accolades, including two wins at the Golden Globe Awards and the British Academy Film Awards; Randolph won the Best Supporting Actress award at both ceremonies. The Holdovers has also received five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Following are the cast and the characters they played in the movie; Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, a classics teacher at the Barton Academy boarding school. Hunham has a lazy eye, which was achieved with a big, soft contact lens that made it difficult for the actor to see.
- Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully, a Barton student held over during Christmas break
- Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb, Barton cafeteria manager and bereaved mother
- Carrie Preston as Miss Lydia Crane, a Barton staff member
- Brady Hepner as Teddy Kountze, Angus's enemy; one of the five holdovers
- Ian Dolley as Alex Ollerman, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; one of the five holdovers
- Jim Kaplan as Ye-Joon Park, an international student from Korea; one of the five holdovers
- Michael Provost as Jason Smith, the Barton football team's quarterback; one of the five holdovers
- Andrew Garman as Dr. Hardy Woodrup, the headmaster of Barton Academy
- Naheem Garcia as Danny, a Barton janitor
- Stephen Thorne as Thomas Tully, Angus's institutionalized father
- Gillian Vigman as Judy Clotfelter, Angus's mother
- Tate Donovan as Stanley Clotfelter, Angus's stepfather
- Darby Lily Lee-Stack as Elise, Angus's romantic interest and Lydia's niece
- Kelly AuCoin as Hugh Cavanaugh, Paul's former Harvard classmate
- Dan Aid as Kenneth, a Vietnam veteran
A special screening of the film was held for buyers on September 11, 2022. The next day, it was reported that Focus Features had acquired distribution rights for $30 million. The film was scheduled for a limited theatrical release on November 10, 2023, followed by a wide release on November 22. However, it was pushed up to a limited release on October 27, followed by a wide release on November 10. It was released in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2024.
The Holdovers's world premiere was at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023. It also screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2023, where it was runner-up for the People's Choice Award. It was also invited to the 28th Busan International Film Festival's Icon section, where it was shown on October 7, 2023.
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