Before ‘The Holdovers,’ Paul Giamatti Teamed Up With Paul Rudd For This Underrated Christmas Movie

The Holdovers has emerged as not just an Oscar-winning instant classic, but a film that’s been celebrated each year as a perennial holiday favorite. Although it’s been quite some time since a new Christmas film has proven itself worthy of Home Alone, It’s A Wonderful Life, and other classics, The Holdovers offered a warm and uplifting story of connectivity, particularly due to the tremendous performance by Paul Giamatti. It wasn’t the first time that Giamatti appeared in a Christmas film, as he also played Santa Claus in the misguided Vince Vaughn comedy Fred Claus. However, Giamatti did some of the most underrated work of his entire career when he starred alongside Paul Rudd in All is Bright, a dark crime comedy centered around the holidays.

Set over the course of a particularly bitter holiday season in Quebec, All is Bright stars Giamatti as the thief Dennis, who has recently been released from prison after serving his sentence for a burglary. Although Dennis has been anticipating getting to see his young daughter, Michi, again, he finds that his wife, Therese (Amy Landecker), told her that he was dead. Dennis doesn’t want to return to a life of crime, but he’s also desperate to find a way to prove himself as a father and regain his family’s good graces. His only option to make up the cash is to team up with his partner, Rene, played by Rudd, to start a business that could allow them both to go straight.

‘All Is Bright’ Examines Holiday Loneliness

All is Bright approaches the relatable notion that the holidays can be a difficult period for those who don’t have great relationships with their family; with the abundance of festivities that seem to celebrate connectivity and compassion, it can be a painful reminder of what is absent. All is Bright has a very realistic approach to a struggling family because it grants sympathy to both Therese and Dennis. Although Therese has understandably wanted to keep her daughter away from a father who has made bad choices and faced the consequences, Dennis has also not been given the chance to redeem himself. It’s a fascinating portrayal of a couple who aren’t particularly hateful towards one another, but simply don’t feel the same passion for each other as they did when they were first married. Although it can be heartbreaking to see these two characters reckon with the more idealistic ways in which they used to feel, there is something heartwarming about parents who can still work together for the sake of ensuring that their child is safe and happy.

Related

25 Years Ago, Paul Giamatti Teamed Up With Three Comedy Legends for This 71% Rotten Tomatoes Dramedy That’s Now Streaming

An ensemble for the ages!

All is Bright examines the difficulty of finding work during a period of economic duress, particularly for those whose track records make it difficult to find employment. The film centers around Dennis and Renes’ scheme to sell Christmas trees in New York City, which is ironic considering neither man puts a lot of personal stake in the holidays. Although their efforts to pull off their business, which includes intimidating other sellers, can be quite amusing, it’s also an indictment of the way that Christmas has been commercialized. It’s during a period in which those with privilege are celebrating without concerns that characters like Dennis and Rene find an opportunity that wouldn’t be granted to them at any other point in the year. While this begins as a somewhat cynical concept, Dennis ends up finding a sense of hope that he hadn’t had previously.

‘All Is Bright’ Is a Modern Update on a Classic Christmas Story

All is Bright is a refreshing new spin on the “Christmas blues” subgenre of holiday cinema because the performances from Giamatti and Rudd are both excellent. While The Holdovers showed that Giamatti could play a stiff, yet worldly character who had become trapped in an endless cycle, All is Bright gave him the opportunity to play a self-loathing anti-hero who is forced to suffer many indignities. Dennis is a character who has such little pride in himself that he could have been obnoxious, but Giamatti has a magnetic charm that suggests he still may have some good intentions. Rudd is also quite strong in a performance that is unlike anything else he’s done within his entire career; although it’s not the first time that Rudd has played a character who comes from a shady background, Rene is a character who lacks inherent likability and often takes advantage of other people’s insecurities. Although he doesn’t have as significant an arc as Dennis, Rene becomes a more complex and understandable character thanks to the bravery of Rudd’s work.

While it’s not as uplifting a Christmas movie as Love Actually or Miracle on 34th Street, All is Bright is a comforting film to experience during the holidays because it reinforces the idea that the season means different things to people. Even for a character like Dennis, who is at his lowest, the pressure to do something for his daughter gives him a goal that forces him to make positive changes in his life that give him a different outlook for the new year. There may be some emotionally charged instances, but the wistful, authentic banter between the characters gives All is Bright a touch of dark comedy, particularly due to the chemistry between Rudd and Giamatti. Those who have already completed their yearly viewing of The Holdovers owe it to themselves to check out a slightly edgier, if still worthwhile Christmas feature with Giamatti.

All Is Bright is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

Release Date

September 10, 2013

Runtime

107 minutes

Director

Phil Morrison

Writers

Melissa James Gibson