Ahead of Oscars 2024, The Holdovers’ director accused of plagiarism

Just one day before the 96th Academy Awards, controversy has erupted surrounding the film The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson. The film, which is nominated for Best Original Screenplay, is now facing plagiarism accusations from Hollywood writer Simon Stephenson, known for his work on the film Luca.

Stephenson has claimed that The Holdoversbears striking similarities to his unproduced screenplay, Frisco. Both scripts allegedly share significant story elements, character arcs, and dialogue. Stephenson presented documents to support his claim, including drafts of Friscosent to Payne in 2013 and 2019.

"The meaningful entirety of the screenplay for THE HOLDOVERS has been copied from the FRISCO screenplay by transposition," one document stated. "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."

The Holdoverstells the story of a history teacher, played by Paul Giamatti, who forms an unexpected bond with a group of teenagers during Christmas break. The film's heartfelt narrative has garnered attention and critical acclaim, making the plagiarism allegations all the more impactful.

The timing of these accusations, on the eve of the Oscars, has added to the chaos surrounding the event. The Holdoversis competing against other films such as Maestro, Anatomy of a Fall, May-December, and Past Livesin the Best Original Screenplay category.