The Holdovers Movie Review | London Film Festival 2023

The Holdovers is a wholesome, beautifully vulnerable tale of kindness led by the treasured Paul Giamatti and a star-making turn by Dominic Sessa.

It’s a rare feeling to watch a film that feels so unearth from the period and setting it depicts, as if one is transported by a time capsule with zero expectations only to find the feeling of that time wash over you, yet so universally speak to the relatable struggles of compassion, and the kind of solace when especially expects around Christmas time, when all the worries and woes of the world can be forgotten for a small, but nevertheless meaningful, moment of peace and tranquility.

Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers does exactly that, as it not only speaks to these issues an desires, but specifically captures a time in America when the warm embrace of family and rest was all so desired, with the country and its people still reeling from the impact of the Vietnam war. By doing so, the film staples itself as an early Christmas present that is bound to become an annual family watching tradition.

It’s almost time for Christmas break at the Barton Academy, but curmudgeonly instructor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) has no intentions of allowing his resentful students a respite from his stern model of extra-curricular work nor his restricted view of education. Paul secretly, and eagerly, awaits his own time to rest, but to his surprised is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break, mostly due to the fact his fellow professors dislike him as much (if not more) and his pupils, to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go thanks to their absentee families.

Although displeased, Paul has no choice but to accept this responsibility; finding himself in charge of five students, two of them amongst his most troubling students in Angus (Dominic Sessa) and Teddy Kountze (Brady Hepner), who Paul holds as little love towards as they do him.

But after the rich father of Barton jock Jason Smith (Michael Provost) arrives in his private helicopter to take his son, most other students embark on their own private ski trip, leaving only Angus behind as his parents are unreachable and Paul unwaveringly rejects letting him go with permission. This leave only disgruntled teacher, troublemaking student, and the heartbroken head cook of the school (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) to find a way to enjoy the festivities on their own, and while at first headstrong and emotionally impenetrable the trio eventually forms an unlikely bond with one another resulting in a heartfelt and hilarious dramedy on the rows of compassion and empathy that shows how everyone has a story we only need open ourselves up to hear.

With such a premise The Holdovers dangerously pulls a tonal balance that constantly threatens becoming too sweet and sugar-coated, but David Hemingson’s script, the film’s strongest aspect, avoids this trapping by powerfully engaging its grounded characters in delightful comedic & poignant beats, earnestly pulling at the heartstrings with moments that create a genuine connection in between the small, intimate ensemble which in it of itself initially contrasts Eigil Bryld’s isolating enormity of the Barton school, only to slowly enclose on its characters as they begin to more and more share their true selves with one another, sharing a mutual understanding of their inner pain.

Paul Giamatti, always a delight to watch, spearheads this nuanced chase for connection with equal parts wit & rock-hard strictness. Once upon a time a student at Barton himself, although one who earned his ways into the school, he knows all too well the arrogance that comes with those silver-spoon fed all their lives. A troubled background that essentially trapped him back at Barton as a teacher, which blinds him to the possibility of seeing how any of his pupils may have any struggles he could possibly relate to.

Having experienced the mean-spiritedness of these boys first-hand, when he was one of them and now has to constantly answer to a former student as head of the school, he rejects the idea of allowing his student to see the man behind the educator; and Giamatti’s holding down of Angus only increases the tension between them, causing Angus to lash out with disobedient acts of rebellion with both shocking and hysterical results.

As these combating scenarios unfold, be it the verbal discussions where Angus slowly pokes at the bear, Paul inevitably reveals more about himself, which cause the lonely young man to naturally open up in hopes of connecting with his teacher, the only figure of authority he, unwillingly, has to spend his down time with.

Angus is still a teenager however, how is intentions about opening up aren’t always received well: be it because his words are too confrontational as seen when he asks Paul about his smell without considering how it could be a health condition, or how he takes an act of leniency from his tutor as an opportunity to secretly visit a loved one without the necessary permission.

Despite these showings of insubordination, Paul comes to see what truly troubles Angus, and begins to truly know the wayward boy behind the mischievous student, and the soulful bond between the two stubbornly grows, even if sometimes has to be adjusted by Mary, who holds an authority over both, truly the lady of the land at the empty Barton school grounds.

Sessa is truly impressive in The Holdovers, which is his debut performance. He more than holds his own towards Giamatti, both in their comedic heights and heartfelt moments.

In a story truly about sympathy and connection, it’s astounding how Payne manages to deliver the most joyous laughs as well as capture the downright mean-spiritedness of our grinchiest depths. It sneaks its emotion on to the story, holding us at an arm’s length from the characters’ inner struggles as much as it does the ensemble itself, we’re eventually caught by surprise at just how deep the nuance goes in the same way Angus and Paul are, resulting in a first half that entertains, but perhaps too secretly holds its cards close to its chest.

It’s in the second hour that The Holdovers truly shines, but all the more so, because it continues to be a moving but simple story that just about speaks to the timeless truths of Christmas and the holiday season. And just like when Santa comes along, Payne stealthily finds the heart of his story in his characters, just like we find this new present under the tree: an instant Christmas classic for the whole family to enjoy every year from now on.

THE HOLDOVERS is the sneaky little festive treat we didn’t know we needed. A wholesome, beautifully vulnerable tale of kindness led by the treasured Paul Giamatti and a star-making turn by Dominic Sessa. Alexander Payne crafts a simple, sweet Christmas story, and he nails it.

FINAL GRADE: A-

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About The Holdovers

From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go.

Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

The Holdovers comes exclusively to select theaters on October 27th
and everywhere November 10th.