So I guess Alexander Payne isn’t canceled after all?
Accuser Rose McGowan‘s credibility was already not very good before she accused Payne of being sexually inappropriate with her more than 30 years ago, so it would makes sense that Payne managed to escape that wrath.
I’m saying all this because Deadline is reporting that Payne is set to reunite with his “Sideways” co-star Paul Giamatti for “The Holdovers.” Giamatti will play a “curmudgeonly walleyed disliked history teacher” who has to deal with the only student of his, a holdover, who remains in town for Christmas, as all the other students have left to see their families for the holidays.
Payne is coming off the biggest misfire of his career, 2017’s “Downsizing,” which was met with tepid box-office and mixed reviews. Before that, the 60-year-old filmmaker had built up a reputation as the primary humanist of contemporary American cinema with films such as “Citizen Ruth,” “ Election,” “About Schmidt,” and “Nebraska.”
Back to those McGowan allegations. I tackled this story back in 09.20.20 in a piece titled Should We Believe Rose McGowan's Allegations Against Alexander Payne ... It’s well worth a read to better understand how and why Payne has been left unscathed by the aforementioned allegations. Regardless, it’s great to have this extraordinary filmmaker back at work.