Director: Alexander Payne
Writer: David Hemingson
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner, Ian Dolley, Jim Kaplan, Michael Provost, Naheem Garcia

Having to spend your holidays at school and in the company of school staff sounds like an utter nightmare for students (and, frankly, for the staff). Even more so if you attend a boarding school and rarely get to see your family as it is. For some, it could be a welcome reprieve from a less-than-ideal homelife. The same could be said for the adults in charge of supervision. Either way, outside of the school day and term-/semester-time, not many students or staff stop to think about the other; students are far too young, inexperienced and self-absorbed to think about how life could be for adults, and adults have often forgotten what it’s like to be young, or unaware of differing circumstances. The Holdovers goes where many other films have gone before, but is it a fresh take on the student-teacher dynamic, or is this one film that earns a week-long detention?

During the Christmas/New Year break of 1970-71, classical history teacher and lifelong bachelor Paul Hunham (Giamatti) draws the short straw to act as supervisor for the handful of students remaining at Barton Academy, a New England boarding school, over the holiday. Already on a warning from the school headmaster, this could be his chance to redeem himself. One of those students, Angus Tully (Sessa), was looking forward to a trip to St Kitts with his mother and stepfather, but the trip is cancelled last minute, and so he remains at Barton. Joining Paul and Angus is grieving Mary Lamb (Randolph), the school’s cafeteria manager, who recently lost her son, a Barton graduate, in the Vietnam War. The other four remaining students eventually leave for the holidays, leaving Paul, Angus and Mary to entertain themselves, if not kill each other out of frustration.

If you’ve seen other movies of any genre that feature a strained student-teacher and/or child-parent dynamic (the likes of Dead Poets Society, Whiplash, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, to name a few), not to mention experienced it for yourself, then much of the basic plot of this film will be familiar to you. At least, at first. Between Payne’s direction and Hemingson’s writing, the story lifts from the familiar to the unfamiliar, much of that likely having to do with its 1970s setting, where things were done much differently to how they are today. We go from understanding why Angus and Paul have such a dislike of each other, to an enjoyment of watching them both grow as people in each other’s company, as well as Mary being something of a middlewoman between them. The dialogue and story are so well-written and move seamlessly between the dramatic, the comedic and the emotional; the distinct web of connection that comes with any authentic long-term human interaction is intricately woven. It has some truly memorable lines that audiences will enjoy reciting, both philosophically and humorously. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much yet felt so deeply touched at the same time by a movie, and I immediately wanted to watch it again, something I rarely feel a need to do.

Supporting the story from the fore is the wonderful 70s-inspired cinematography and editing, from the credits during the opening of the movie, to the music, the camera angles, and even the marketing posters. What’s nice about the setting is that although much has changed in the way of rules and regulations when it comes to supervision of students, the way the characters react, connect and argue with one another has barely changed since humans gained a modicum of intelligence. This film could have been set at any time and it would still have been as palpable in its themes and portrayal of the characters. The winter setting, including an abundance of snow and being cooped up within a large building, gives a little feeling of potential cabin fever, not unlike something from The Shining, but the characters find ways to overcome that and get outside, providing more understanding of the 70s setting and allowing the audience to see a wider range of characteristics that might have otherwise been missed.

Giamatti has been up for numerous Best Actor awards for his role as Paul and is currently in the running for Best Actor at the Academy Awards (Oscars), and bloody rightly so. Giamatti’s comedic timing is spot on and his physical presence in every scene is filled with character. Sessa has also had some nominations for his supporting role, and he is truly an excellent young actor, one to watch out for. He pours so much feeling into Angus, especially revolving around his family life, and his character’s arc will be very familiar to many people, young and old. He too has something of a comedic bone about his skeleton, with some truly enjoyable laugh-out-loud moments in his performance. Randolph has already won Best Supporting Actress at the BAFTAs and is included in the same category at the Oscars. She has the perfect range to play Mary, as she is a character that demands a multifaceted performance, and Randolph’s award nominations come as no surprise. The entirety of the supporting cast, from the young men playing the other Barton students, to other adult actors as parents, teachers and staff, all come together to create a solid world in which the three main leads can build their characters, both together and individually.

The Holdovers has been highly praised and lauded during awards seasons, and it’s been up against some strong contenders. It perhaps doesn’t quite have the blockbuster bite or cinematic chops to win over the likes of Oppenheimer, Anatomy of a Fall or Killers of the Flower Moon, but it has, without a shadow of a doubt, earned its place in the pantheon of top movies of 2023. It’s sure to become a timeless classic, and although it may not take home the top prizes, the cast and crew have created something that’s likely to keep audiences returning, which is not something most of the other award-winning films can boast.

Allow me to leave you with my favourite line of the film, tremendously delivered by Giamatti (no spoilers, but don’t read if you’d like to remain in suspense of the comedy):

“I have known you since you were a boy, so I think I have the requisite experience and insight to aver that you are, and always have been, penis cancer in human form.”