The Hipster Folklore of 'The Holdovers'

Alexander Payne’s analyses of small-man, small-town egotism separates him from other American Eccentric filmmakers. His comedies feature particular regional settings, but Payne’s self-consciousness seems to distance him from them. The cynicism that results looks like sophistication but may be nothing more than generational chagrin — a reluctance to appear sentimental or dully patriotic.