The Holdovers

Here is a film that feels and looks like something out of the early seventies. The Holdovers is a strong and warm-hearted piece that gives actors roles with powerful lines, without any reliance on flashy editing and being overwhelmed by special effects.

The story is simple three people get stuck for the Christmas holidays in a boarding school. It's cold, lonely, and boring for the parties involved. The adults drink to cope with whatever pressures they live with. The young man resorts to bad behavior and altercations with the teacher in charge.

Through the vacation period these people will get to interact and get to know each other, something that will prove to a challenge to say the least. As the story evolves, we get to understand what has made the people who they are. We get to feel their pain and frustration through the very insightful writing of the director.

It's a strong film with superb acting by the main leads. They have great chemistry together.

Most outstanding is Paul Giamatti who plays the tormented and defensive man with relish and speaks volumes with his eyes.

Hope the academy honors his performance as the best the year because no one else so far is coming close.

"I find the world a bitter and complicated place. And it seems to feel the same way about me." Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti)

Teaching privileged boys at an elite new England prep school called Barton (think for example, Philips Exeter), might be the pinnacle of an academic's career. But not Paul Hunham in The Holdovers, an elite movie itself of the year.

Paul should be teaching classics at an ivy school, not teaching entitled "vermin," among the many sobriquets he tosses around about the fortunate young men to experience his brand of grumpy intellectualism and misanthropy. He prepares them for a world that won't always be coddling and protecting them as their family wealth so naturally does in their early years.

Director Alexander Payne worked with Giamatti in Sideways, so he is prepared to have another winning cynical character who is endearing while distanced by negative temperament from normally positive fellow humans (Paul's last name, Hunham, suggests a distant connection with the better angels of humanity).

As Paul accepts the assignment to supervise holdovers (exiled to Christmas vacation in the absence of parents or guardians), the number whittles down to just Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa, reminiscent of young, Timothy Chalamet and Adam Driver), who shares Paul's dark attitudes and, with the sharp writing of David Hemingson, some witty dialogue- e.g., about Paul he says, "I thought all of the Nazis had left for Argentina."

Although, as in likeminded dramas such as Dead Poet's Society or Goodbye, Mr. Chips, the principals are destined to be transformed into more humane characters, Holdovers continues, even in its denouement, to accentuate the unsunny side of life for Paul and Tully, whose fortunes are still compromised by cold-hearted parents and administrators. The chilly world, however, is warmed on these lovely, snowbound days, by women, viz., the cook, Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) and administrator Lydia (Carrie Preston).

Mary good-naturedly deals with the death of her son, Curtis, a Barton grad who had to join the military because he did not have the resources as other Barton grads of the late '60s did to avoid the draft.

Lydia, an attractive middle-aged staff member, holds the promise of a love interest for Paul, only to show how difficult it is for social exiles to enter the romantic mainstream.

The Holdovers is a small gem of a move that will immediately remind buffs about Hal Ashby comedies of the same era like Harold & Maude, where character development is paramount and detachment from the mainstream is required to look at humanity clearly with its foibles and endearments.

The Holdovers is a movie everyone can enjoy with endearing characters who share with us our moments about loneliness peppered with the possibilities of love and happiness.

"Do you think I want to be babysitting you? No. I was praying your mother would pick up the phone, or your father would arrive in a helicopter or a flying saucer...." Paul Hunham.

Finally......a GOOD movie. The story/script, although not a breakthrough idea, was heartfelt,full and real.

The settings were also real and gorgeous (not really a cgi fan) Camera, cinematography, lighting,sound,score....every level made my eyes and ears satisfyingly full.

Acting was oscarworthy across the board.

Directing was brilliant.

Only negative I can come up with is that the pace was a bit slow, but so much of the movie is so focused and so superbly and beautifully made I just sat back and enjoyed it.

A very thoughtful substantial and beautiful movie. A rare gem in today's superficial gimmicky movie making world.

Let's just get this out of the way now - when it comes to writing this review, I'm probably a little bit biased (and a little bit drunk, currently, but that's besides the point). You see, I have an affinity for indie coming of age movies, and "The Holdovers" is basically an indie coming of age film, so it may - or may not - come as a surprise to you that I absolutely adored this picture. So, with that little preface out of the way, it's time for me to gush over this movie.

Starring none other than Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, Giamatti plays a professor at an all boys boarding school where, over Christmas break, he has the misfortune of looking over a group of boys, one of whom is named Angus, played by Dominic Sessa. After a rocky start, where Paul clearly doesn't get along with any of the boys, making his disdain clear and evident, he eventually finds himself alone with Angus - as well as with the school's cook, Mary Lamb, played by Da'Vine Joy Randolph - in an unexpected chain of events. What occurs after is a slice-of-life style piece of cinema that allows broken people to find comfort in each other's company.

"The Holdovers" is, without a doubt, one of my favorite movies of 2023, as well as probably one of the best movies of the year, as well. This Christmas-themed gem doesn't hold back on the drama, delivering a thoughtful blend of comedy, coming-of-age storytelling, and a touch of romance - all wrapped around a very raw, human plot-line that virtually everyone can relate to. I'm no spring chicken myself, but I found myself deeply connected to both main characters - one who is older and basically dejected with life as he knows it, and one who is younger but who feels lost, aimless, and disconnected from both family and friends. And admittedly, not everyone will have a direct parallel to these experiences, but even if you don't, you're in for a story that's bound to tug at your heartstrings... and make you laugh out loud in the process.

This is a high-quality movie - from the impeccable acting to the beautiful on-location cinematography to the relatable, thought-provoking plot, every element is executed with pinpoint precision and finesse; it's a testament to the art of storytelling on the silver screen. Director Alexander Payne knows how to create an artful film, and "The Holdovers" is no exception. It's at once indie and art-house while simultaneously being mainstream and easily accessible; in short, it's a film for everyone that actually feels like a genuine crowdpleaser instead of a pandering mess.

I'm having a difficult time describing what I liked about this movie, and the reason is because I liked almost everything about this movie. So why the 9 out of 10 rating instead of the perfect 10? Literally the only thing that's holding me back is because I would've liked a touch more romance; yes, there was romance here, but a bit more would've pushed me over the edge into 10 out of 10 territory. Besides that, this is basically a perfect film, one that I loved, and one that has become one of my favorite movies of the year, if not of all time. I am genuinely looking forward to rewatching this, and I can't wait until it becomes closer to Christmas so I can view this on my own TV, cuddled under blankets, with a glass of whiskey, and bask in the absolute heartwarming experience that is "The Holdovers." My recommendation: Do yourself a favor and watch this as soon as you can - you won't regret it.

Quite possibly one of the best Christmas films ever? I first saw Payne & Giamatti's previous film together, "Sideways" during my screenwriting training class, and it is one that I would think of for a while. Their new film, "The Holdovers", is hilarious, beautifully shot and acted, heartwarming, and has a great sense of grief and joy meshed together. Definitely leaning towards Randolph for Best Supporting Actress; her performance BLEW me away.

Overall, I love these films. Light-hearted & comedic while also have a sense of darkness and a lot of heavy emotion to it. Definitely is one of the most heartfelt films of the year.