User Reviews

It was a solid movie from someone with no budget and film school actors. That's it. I could go on (especially about the comparisons to Chandler and the Thin Man) but really, what's the point?

It's worth a watch if you just really love movies (especially way off beat ones) and are really bored.

Just your average middle of the road indie flick with plot holes and a below average group of actors. did enough to keep me interested and that is all

very comparable to my high school career. did just enough to graduate

c-

5.4

If there's a way to make privileged, glammy young drug abusers sympathetic, this decidedly isn't it. Callous, cynical, narcissistic, not nearly as funny as they think they are, dangerously irresponsible and determinedly wasting everything they've been given in life, they're more like minor a-hole antagonists we might encounter in the story of someone actually relatable.

Putting them centre-stage makes for a very strange viewing experience. Was the writer doing a sort of self-portrait, imagining in his own druggy delirium that we'd fancy them as much as he does himself? Feels like it.

One can only hope that, if this was the case, with the movie done, it held up a reflection to him he finally couldn't ignore, partly just because and party because there is at least a little potential here. True, the story isn't really about much thematically and the primary motivation for the two leads to embark on solving a mystery rather than going to the cops is pathetically weak and could have been stronger, but what follows is fairly well constructed and, with slightly different characters engaged in these shenanigans, could even be amusing.

As someone who's spent some time in DC and its suburban Virginian environs, I also just enjoyed seeing the area on film. And, unlike some reviewers here, I really liked the low-budget indie look of the thing.

So the 10 & 9 star reviews have to be written by people involved with the movie (or they asked people to create positive reviews). Cause this "movie" (you can't really call it a movie) is entirely stupid and bad. It is extremely pretentious of these "filmmakers" and "actors" to expect anyone to actually like it.

I'm really only rating this as the other reviewers were high? I see many of the points the other 6 at the time of writing reviews had to make, but just no. No. The 77 minutes dragged and dragged, and my guess at around 15 minutes in that it had lost it's way proved too true, Crowning glory the quick narration of what had gone on in case viewers too stupid? Good lord.

Poorly constructed. Poorly acted. Poorly written. Filled with BS identity politics. The direction is none existent. AND the screen quality looks like this was made on Super8 and blown up for the big screen.

In all it's amateur night. And boring as all hell.

This film looks like it was made with the disposable version of movie cameras or maybe it's just a 1.2 megapixel video recorder, either way the quality is atrocious. The sound doesn't fare much better, it is equally disappointing, and to keep it all in the same spirit, so is the script and the acting. All the positive reviews are probably from people that know the people in the film, but very unlikely to be impartial. Waste of time.

As a artist in my late, late, late fifties...I'm sixty three, I thought this movie was not going to be my nor my wife's kind of movie. It was about younger people in their 20s, millennials if you will, that were still partying their lives away and not giving a damn about what happens on any given evening. Especially when it's the holiday season (in this case, Christmas/New Years) and everyone is back home from where ever they may be coming from, reacquainting themselves with their old friends (for better or worse) and tiptoeing around old lovers and the life partners they are now with. William Jackson Harper did a nice job keeping the tension just under the radar of his watchful wife played by Allie Gallerandi. So, if you want to see a typical "were too old to be partying like this' movie, the first act is totally this! My wife and I were both rolling our eyes at the antics of the characters, 'been there, done that, I don't need to watch a movie about it'. This attitude nearly made us miss the second act turn. We had to play catch up to figure out what was going on. Don't do what we did, just watch the movie and pay attention!

I'm not sure I want to say much more about the sequence of events from this point. Let's just say, it becomes a whole lot more interesting and is totally worth the time it takes to watch the movie.

Kate Lyn Sheil provides a strong female lead that has a vulnerability that draws you in, but also the strength to take control of a situation when it's called for. A nice solid support from Thomas Matthews as sidekick / comic relief, never lets the movie drag or get too over-the-top with gags. Since he co-wrote and co-directed this film along with his brother, Michael Matthews, I assume this was by design, so bravo to you both.

Shot on 16mm film, (yep, the kind you have to develop) it has a classic look of a sixties exploitation film and I think this could even become one of those cult like films you sit down and watch now and then for the performances and the retro look of the film.

I know it's going to be a streaming film and there are a lot of platforms that are going to carry it. Find it on your favorite and make an evening of it. Maybe take some 'shrooms, pop some corn and crack a beer.

It's not often you get to see an R rated Christmas movie. At the crossroads of youth and adulthood, expectation and reality, this intensely messed up and delightful crew of characters repeatedly struggle to find the door, much less a window they can unlock to return to a life where they no longer belong. A tight little film with unexpected twists and turns, humor and pathos that really takes off on its own trajectory. The tone is original, the performances layered.

It's funny, yet poignant. The acting, particularly the male and female leads, is terrific. The writing is taut and clever.

This is the millennial coming-of-age-meets-gum-shoe-caper you didn't know you needed this Holiday season. Part homage to the "Thin Man" series, part meditation on the end of youth. All in a tight 85 min. This movie is funny, and strange, and sad, and has great performances. Highly recommend.

Smart and witty acting, writing, and direction. Independent cinema should aspire to be like Lost Holiday - this film is personal and artistic yet entertaining and relatable for a broad audience. Great on-location filming in Washington DC and lovely original music complement effective editing and an ensemble of original characters. The Matthews Brothers are filmmakers to watch - their star is on the rise!

Listen people! Lost holiday will not disappoint (if you have great taste in films). the film takes you on an almost familiar joy ride on several levels. What an incredible achievement for two brothers (Thomas Matthews, Michael Matthews) to work together on a film and produce something so nostalgic and thrilling. LOVED!

LOST HOLIDAY is a French New Wave-style screwball detective story...imagine BAND OF OUTSIDERS meets THE THIN MAN...or maybe more on the nose: MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY for Millennials. (Sorry, that's probably too trite, I know.)

Kate Lyn Sheil gives yet another masterful performance as a completely original female character we've never seen on screen before (Nicole Holofcener should write something for KLS immediately). And she's match perfectly with the churlish Thomas Matthews...in a truly platonic, trope-defying relationship that lives in the chemistry of actual BFFs...again, something that wouldn't even occur to a lesser filmmaker.

The rest of the cast is a who's who of "that guys"...faces you might not expect to see in a low budget affair like LOST HOLIDAY (or in a movie at all: David Corn?!). Each bringing a fresh energy to the proceedings: William Jackson Harper as the love lost, Allie Gallerani as his impossibly perfect fiance, Ismenia Mendes as the entitled victim of circumstance...I really can't say enough for the performances co-directors Thomas and Michael Matthews get out of these folks.

Look, LOST HOLIDAY may not be your thing. There is certainly an anarchist spirit to the film-at least in the way the brothers Matthews insist on both honoring and subverting the genre...sometimes within the same scene-that can make an audience member feel like maybe they aren't in on the joke. But still...by doggedly holding on to this fresh and unusual vision, this isn't a film you won't want to miss.

Someone working at a film festival recently recommended this to me, explaining it was her favorite in the festival. I enjoyed it. It's a fresh take on the sleuth genre with a strong female lead who tries to solve a missing person mystery to distract herself from her own problems. It's about close friendships, learning to grow up and embrace adulthood, and moving on from old flames. The two leads are convincing as old friends with their inside jokes and easy millennial-esque banter. Kate Lyn Sheil is superb playing the many dimensions of her bold, adventure-seeking character, while Thomas Matthews wins the laughs as her counter point and side kick with his reaction shots and silly antics. The story-telling is nicely done with good pacing and montages that allow the movie to be pretty short. The score is unusual with some renaissance-era music at times, but it all seems to work, especially a beautiful piece on the cello written by James Iha. Definitely worth a watch, especially for those short on time (it's a zippy 70-odd minutes).

Wild and quirky ride thru dc with a couple of 30 something friends home for holidaze! I loved it!

I was captivated by the characters while watching --- what made them tick? -- and found myself thinking about them days after the movie. Funny, relatable, and a must see.

Lost Holiday seems to be a portrait of privileged American millennials fighting off responsibility with drugs, sex, and reckless abandon. I loved it. The film made me reflect on myself and my own relationships, and its quirky style captured well and contributed to the frenetic dissonance of the main characters. I'd highly recommend it.

If you want a holiday film that's not a sickly sweet family-fest, but instead a darkly humorous caper about the tradeoffs of adulting in today's world, go watch this smart, entertaining film. It's full of great performances, especially the lead actress and her best friend/partner in crime, who also co-wrote and co-directed the film. The characters seem like people you may have grown up with, met at a party that one time, or dated in a past phase of life. The script is, for the most part, subtle and creative, even while the plot goes off the rails. It's a treat to watch a movie that feels like it was written by smart people who think you are smart enough to not be spoon fed every joke.

I loved this movie. It reminded me so much of Whit Stillman's Metropolitan in the sense that it captures the young adults saying good bye to their childhood and reckoning with what adulthood has in stores. Movie is funny, often-twisted, story line is great. Movie has it all, mystery, drugs and mischief. So well acted and shot. Kate lyn Shiel is hauntingly gorgeous and Thomas Matthews steals the movie. Their chemistry is great too. A fun Winter holiday movie.

I loved watching the relationships between/among the various characters. Especially the bond between Henry and Margaret. Henry's infectious smile/laugh and Margaret's "let's figure this out" personality make this movie fun to watch. I also loved seeing all of the DC landmarks...some famous, some known only to locals. The entire cast was awesome. I highly recommend.

Beautifully shot and well put together Indy flick w lots of comedic scenes. Well acted and original.

With style to spare, Lost Holiday is a noirish caper of a film: a whodunnit plays on the surface while age-old questions lurk below, as if a millennial were following some Chandleresque trajectory to wonder, how does one deal with loss? Where do we find meaning? Answers, of course, might lie at the bottom of a liquor bottle, but the title is Lost Holiday, after all, not entirely unlike The Lost Weekend. Plenty of Big Lebowski references as well.

A narrative feature with thriller and comedic elements, as well as a very layered, subjective soundscape

This is a curious little film. For all the boorishness, tomfoolery, and levity, a lot of the character and scene writing is understated and subdued. Music in the feature includes contributions from James Iha - a rather unexpected name to come across, especially in a very small-time, low-budget movie like this. Though there's a surprising amount of pure exposition - one-quarter of a feature less than 80 minutes long - the plot begins with surprising abruptness and somewhat inelegance. 'Lost holiday' seems like an odd mishmash of subtlety and overtness, serious events and parodic treatment, and other ill-fitting ideas and approaches. But for all that, it's also weirdly fascinating, and definitely entertaining.

It's a real joy to watch the cast embrace their roles with wild abandon, and that includes most of all star Kate Lyn Sheil and co-director Thomas Matthews, portraying Maggie and Henry respectively. The foremost duo, on whom the narrative is largely centered, are totally unprepared for and ignorant of the venture they arbitrarily undertake, and between their personalities, habits, adopted pretenses, enthusiasm, and amateurism, 'Lost holiday' quickly turns wonderfully funny in a way I didn't actually expect. Lyn Sheil and Matthews are outstanding, demonstrating peculiarly energetic range and nuance in inhabiting such oddballs, and the fun of the film is in no small part to their credit as actors.

The writing and direction is certainly a little disjointed when it comes to characters, scenes, and the narrative at large, with leaps in logic and time, and shortcuts from A to B. But that is wholly intentional, tending to be a reflection of the protagonists' disordered and childlike comportment. The trip down the rabbit hole is an experience at turns hilarious and dire, but excellent and absorbing at all points. For any appearance of indelicacy, the screenplay is genuinely sharp, smart, and clever in all regards. Honestly, in every sense, however it may first look, this is terrifically well made.

I truly didn't know what to expect when I began watching, and I'm glad for it. This is a strangely earnest, thoughtful farce, more carefully considered than I ever would have guessed, and far stronger in its craft. I'm not familiar with most anyone involved save for Lyn Sheil, though I will say too that of any performances I've seen from her to date, this is surely my favorite. Cast and crew alike have made an endearingly enjoyable, intelligent comedy mystery that far exceeds anything I could have imagined, and 'Lost holiday' is worth far more than the 77 minutes it takes to watch. Wherever you're able to check it out, this gets my eager recommendation!