Plagiarism Accusation Rocks ‘The Holdovers’ Ahead of Oscars

The Oscar-nominated film The Holdovers—a significant awards contender with nominations for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing—is embroiled in controversy mere hours before the Oscars ceremony.

Plagiarism Allegations

Scripted by David Hemingson and directed by Alexander Payne, The Holdovers faces accusations of line-by-line plagiarism. Worse yet, the film is nominated for Best Original Screenplay, competing against Maestro, Anatomy of a Fall, May December, and Past Lives—the latter having ended its voting window late last month.

 

Similarities to ‘Frisco’

According to writer Simon Stephenson, known for works like Luca and Paddington 2, The Holdovers‘ script bears striking similarities to his unproduced 2013 screenplay Frisco. Both stories revolve around a cynical figure caring for a teenage individual over a period of days—Frisco featuring a cynical pediatrician and The Holdovers starring Paul Giamatti as a world-weary teacher at a boarding school.

Documented Evidence

Stephenson presented documents comparing scenes from both scripts to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in January. One of these documents, now made public by Variety, asserts that The Holdovers has essentially copied Frisco line-for-line, encompassing the entire story, structure, characters, and more.

Ongoing Discussions

Stephenson has engaged in discussions with the WGA for months regarding his claims, as reported by Variety.

Previous Access Allegations

Adding complexity, Stephenson alleges that Payne had received the Frisco script in 2013 and again in 2019, just before collaborating with Hemingson on The Holdovers.

Oscar Night Intrigue

If The Holdovers secures any major Oscars tonight—potentially two—these victories may be overshadowed by the plagiarism controversy.