As Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us, there is undoubtedly a slew of manufactured ‘feel-good’ movies that capitalize on the commercialized holiday season. Well, Alexander Payne has crafted a new holiday classic and what makes this one extra special is the focus on desolate people and the authentic human connections formed when they least expect it.

Set in the Winter of 1970, most of the movie takes place in New England’s Barton Academy prep school. Paul Giamatti plays a cantankerous ancient history teacher Paul Hunham who’s unpopular with students and fellow faculty alike. He’s tough and rigid with his students, claiming that it’s out of principle that he holds them to a high academic standard. A former Barton student himself, he admirably refuses to give a pass to the privileged bunch, no matter how huge their parents’ donations are to the school.

As Christmas rolls around, Hunham is somehow tasked to supervise a handful of students who also have no place to go. Hunham himself has no family or friends to spend with, but as a loner, he actually prefers it that way. Unfortunately for Hunham, there are a few students who have to stay on campus, but after a few days, 15-year-old Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) is the only student holdover remains. It’s understandably frustrating for the boy as the reason his mom can’t get him is that she wants to spend her delayed honeymoon with her new husband. The school’s head cook Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) also isn’t going anywhere as she’s still deeply mourning the loss of his only son, a former student, in the Vietnam War.

Payne capably balances comedy and tragedy seamlessly in ways that feel honest and relatable. Even the most uncomfortable situations are packed with equal pathos and humor. There’s a moment where Paul runs into a nosy former classmate on the street of Boston and somehow Angus steps in unexpectedly to save him. The Holdovers captures the extraordinary moments that arise from normal folks’ everyday life. There are so many droll but heartwarming scenes in this slice-of-life cinema that make me laugh or cry, sometimes both at the same time.

The movie mostly functions as a three-hander and all three actors are terrific. Giamatti is a lot of fun to watch, even pulling off the pretend lazy eye so well it made me question ‘Has his left eye always been like that?!’ It’s a quirky as well as wonderfully nuanced performance that I reckon would garner him some nominations this award season. Speaking of awards, Randolph deserves to be singled out in the supporting category. She has been killing it in pretty much everything she’s done so far, and here she gives one of the finest performances of the year. There’s a delightful rapport between her and Giamatti, as they are two broken people who don’t really belong in the privileged society they serve.

I’m impressed by Sessa in what I found out later is his first-ever screen performance. Sessa perfectly nails the role of a sharp but rambunctious kid whose rebellious streak we later learn is to mask the pain of abandonment. I love stories of unexpected friendships and these three are as unlikely as it gets. While Paul and Angus are flawed human beings who don’t always get things right, they’re not unlikable and we care about their journey. It’s a testament to David Hemingson’s astute script as it’s able to peer into what’s beneath who they appear on the surface.

The Holdovers is a genuinely moving and truly human story, free of frills and artificial embellishments. The special effects are superb writing + direction, and outstanding performances. Character-driven stories like this one are becoming a novelty these days, the dialog is engaging and the jokes are funny. Yet it also doesn’t hold back on raw, painful emotion, especially a mother’s insurmountable loss of an only child. Later on, the movie also touches upon a parental loss that ties well into one character’s journey.

The 1970s setting is wonderfully realized through excellent production design and costumes (love those 70s vintage sweaters) and evocative visuals by DP Eigil Bryld. Mark Orton’s score has that retro 70s vibe infused with the holiday spirit. In the end, there’s a lesson to be gleaned from the brief experience they all had together that makes each of them feel less alone in the world. Funny, relatable, and poignant, I thoroughly enjoyed this one from start to finish. The 2 hours 13 minutes running time rarely drags and it delivers an emotional payoff with its bittersweet ending. Definitely one of the highlights of the 2023 Twin Cities Film Fest and will likely earn a spot on my top 10 of the year.

Have you seen The Holdovers? I’d love to hear what you think!

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