Despite being released in the stupidest time of year possible, Alexander Payne's directorial comeback The Holdovers should be considered a future staple of the festive season.
The Holdovers follows the mean-spirited and gleefully condescending Classics professor Paul Hunham (played superbly by Best Actor nominee Paul Giamatti), as he is forced to look after those poor boarding-school students left behind over Christmas. But naturally, in the season of goodwill and peace on earth, he ends up developing a close bond with Dominic Sessa's Angus Tully, a jaded and troubled teenager who would rather be anywhere else but school.
This is the only Alexander Payne film I’ve seen, although I have definitely heard of his talents. The fact his name is nearly identical to mine is probably a factor in this, but he’s always been a very acclaimed name in the directing world, especially for his film Sideways which also stars Paul Giamatti. However, I know many people were disappointed with his previous film Downsizing, so not only is The Holdovers a fantastically-told story and upcoming Christmas classic, it’s a great return-to-form for the director.
It's not telling a new story by any means, but it excels in its wonderful simplicity. There's a retro feel to The Holdovers, not just in its cinematography which evokes a 1970s aesthetic, but in the way that harkens back to the heart-breaking but also heart-warming tales present in all the best Christmas films, such as the mental struggle of George Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life (1946). More importantly though, The Holdovers doesn’t feel like it’s desperately trying to recapture these old-school elements. Payne directs this effortlessly, knowing that the story is the most vital thing here.
Giamatti gives this role so much warmth as this crotchety professor soon begins opening up about his life
He’s also a great director when it comes to letting his actors act. You will probably have seen that Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph have been nominated for Oscars for their acting talents, and they are indeed fantastic. For as cold-hearted as his character is at the start, Giamatti gives this role so much warmth as this crotchety professor soon begins opening up about his life. Similarly, Randolph is fantastic as a dinner lady who is also grieving the loss of her son, giving the film its best moments of pathos.
However, it’s necessary to shine a spotlight on a new emerging talent, and that is Dominic Sessa as the main holdover student, Angus Tully. For people our age, Tully is the most relatable character in The Holdovers. He’s been troubled by recent trauma in his family life, and as a result has quite an unapproachable and bitter personality to begin with, being a deliberate nuisance to Giamatti’s professor and provoking him in ways that are both very funny and very creative. Much like Hunham though, the more that the layers of his character are peeled back, the more we dive into Tully’s tragic family story, culminating in one particular scene which made me tear up a little - a rarity for me!
If you’ve seen a lot of classic films that The Holdovers is aspiring to be you will definitely see some certain plot developments coming, and there was a certain point in the film where I guessed the ending and was 100% correct. However, if a slightly predictable story doesn’t bother you then I’m sure The Holdovers will satisfy you greatly.
We’ve been starved of great Christmas films in recent years, films that can stand up against Home Alone (1990) or Love Actually (2003), but Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers certainly fills this hole. So, it definitely gets my recommendation - just wait until the end of the year to watch it!