The Holdovers (2023)

When history teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is forced to spend Christmas break with a group of students known as The Holdovers, he knows that his holiday season will be less than cheerful. Among the group of students with no place to go is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a troubled young man with a surprisingly promising future. Together they will be forced to make the best of their situation.

From the moment The Holdovers began, before we met a single character, heard a single word, or even saw the actual film, I knew that this was going to be good. Director Alexander Payne uses graphics from the 1970’s in order to set the tone, to bring viewers back to that time in American and film history–and the old Miramax logo, the opening credits, and just about everything else lends itself to ensuring that Payne and The Holdovers finds success.

The gritty nature of the film is so incredibly appealing. The entirety of the film appears to have been shot on 16mm film, where the shots are wider and the film’s aesthetic is worn and somewhat drab. However, Payne and his team didn’t use 16mm film, they manipulated their film to look the way that it does, and they do a beautiful job. The way in which The Holdovers is filmed works wonders for its reception. Again, viewers get to see slightly wider shots throughout the course of the film, and that’s inviting, providing them the opportunity to see a greater scope of characters like Paul and Angus and their lives. We notice books in the background, tattered clothing, and more as a result of the cinematography, and we are almost given the opportunity to feel like we are present within this greater story.

I think it’s important that The Holdovers be given a grainy look, because it helps to set a somber tone that extends itself throughout the entirety of the film. Even in the closing seconds, after the story has ultimately concluded, viewers are subjected to heartbreaking content. Again, with the aesthetic, The Holdovers immediately lets viewers know that it will be full of drama and the like. That somber and dramatic tones that transcend the entirety of The Holdovers grabs hold of viewers and it refuses to let them go. With that, Payne and Writer David Hemingson allow viewers to remain emotionally open to the film as it progresses. The comedy ultimately lands beautifully, the emotional moments (that made me cry on numerous occasions), and everything in between works better as a result of the tone that is set in the early going.

Teacher Paul Hunham says some pretty terrible things about his students, but the reality is that he says things that are true. He rarely oversteps (sure, he says things that he probably shouldn’t–but he never lies), and I was able to connect with him so well. I’m in the unique position among viewers where I work with children all the time, and I understand their strengths and their weaknesses–so hearing Hunham speak the truth throughout the course of The Holdovers really resonated with me. He’s one of the most relatable characters that I’ve ever seen on screen, and that happens due to the combination of Payne, Hemingson, and Giamatti.

The Holdovers is beautiful, graceful, relevant, and full of passion. In an incredibly artistic independent film, Giamatti, Sessa, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Mary Lamb), shine like the stars of a blockbuster film. They are brilliant, and the incredible filmmaking tactics help to bring The Holdovers to life in a way that is sure to resonate with the masses.

Directed by Alexander Payne.

Written by David Hemingson.

Starring Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner, etc.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10