Why The Holdovers Is A Wonderful Film

Every so often a film comes along that reignites your faith in the storytelling process; that rekindles your belief that there can be small, character-driven stories that are beautifully written and manage to be as loved as they deserve. One of those such films is The Holdovers.

Directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson, The Holdovers takes place in the winter of 1970-71 at a New England boarding school called Barton Academy. Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) has pulled the short straw for being an unlikable, curmudgeonly professor. Over the holiday period, he is tasked with looking after the students left behind – the holdovers.

One of the students is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), who is left frustrated and disillusioned by the fact that his mother has left him there whilst enjoying time away with a new boyfriend. The two of them are forced to have to deal with each other; disdain not far from one another’s lips, as they begin the film feeling like they would much rather be anywhere else.

The only other consistent presence for them is Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the cafeteria manager of Barton Academy who is still coming to terms with the tragic death of her son, who was killed in the Vietnam War.

It’s a very simple, but very efficient set-up – one that highlights that you don’t need a huge cast or a complex plot to create a beautifully engaging, thoughtful film about the human experience. I adored everything about this film. Below, I’ve narrowed it down to five reasons why I think The Holdovers is a must-see:

1. The Acting – All three of the main cast are, frankly, absolutely wonderful in their roles. Giamatti has never been better as the pompous, arrogant Hunham, whilst Randolph gives Lamb a disarming vulnerability; a feeling that the grieving mother is just trying to hold it together behind the stinging one-liners and dry sense of humour. Sessa is also wonderful here – managing to be hilarious one second and heartbreaking the next. The fact that this is his first film role is nothing short of astonishing.
2. Balancing comedy and drama – What The Holdovers does brilliantly is show how you can mix drama and comedy. It’s a very difficult balancing act, as you need to keep the comedic beats relatable but not too goofy, whilst managing to show different parts of the characters in the dramatic scenes. Hemingson’s script is pitch-perfect for this; marvelling in the absurdity of certain scenes whilst still creating excellent character beats that show a character’s vulnerability.
3. Character arcs – The character arcs of the three main characters are brilliantly paced and written. Without spoiling anything, every character goes through a journey in the film – one that creates some comedy, of course, but is never not grounded in reality. Each character starts in one place and ends up in another and, by the end of the film, you will feel like you’ve been on a journey with them.
4. The setting – Despite it being released in January in the UK, The Holdovers is actually a Christmas film! The setting and set design beautifully recreate 1970’s America – from the music to the clothing, from the crappy television to the snowy surroundings, it authentically recreates the time period in a way that makes you feel like you’ve experienced it even if (like me) you were born decades later.
5. The theme of loss – Really, the film is about three people attempting to deal with things they have lost; whether it be the loss of a son, the loss of a future that never materialised or the loss of innocence due to unforeseen circumstances. It’s this theme that makes the three characters so relatable. Initially, you find the characters funny and engrossing but, maybe foolishly, believe that this is purely surface level – that The Holdovers is going to be a solid holiday romp only (not that that would be a bad thing.) But, the real beauty of the film comes from the gradual peeling back of the character’s layers. By the end of the film, the characters all feel real, due to that beautiful mix of comedy and tragedy. By tapping into a theme we can all relate to, it doesn’t just remain a funny, relatable comedy, but becomes a fantastically-written tragicomedy.

Suffice to say, there’s a reason that The Holdovers is getting so much attention at the minute. It’s rightfully been nominated for many awards and I’m sure it was on many film critics’ “Best Films of the Year” list when December 2023 rolled around. It’s easy to see why that is the case – superb pacing, excellent acting and a heartachingly real, emotive story make for a film that quickly entered my list of favourite Christmas films. Needless to say, I’ll be watching this film for many years to come.