TL;DR – It was a wonderful, moving, sad, delightful, and wild ride, unlike anything I have seen before, and it has been sitting in the back of my mind since I watched it. 

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

The Holdovers Review –

When you are watching a film, there are times when you have an experience where you become completely absorbed into the narrative. Taken back 50 years to a place you have never been before, to a place that you have no connection with, but you are taken there wholly. These cases are where the narrative, the direction, and the acting all come together for a perfect work. Today, we look at just such a film that focuses on three actors who give their all to the proceedings.

So to set the scene, it is coming to the end of the year in 1970 as we come to Barton Academy in New England. The term is coming to an end, and everyone is getting ready to go home to their families for Christmas, well, almost everyone. Every year, there is a handful of students who can’t make it back home for the break and stay over at the school, the titular holdovers. Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) teaches ancient civilizations and is hated by most of the students, does not want to be the one stuck with the holdovers but gets out manoeuvred by another staff member. Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) wants to go home for the holidays, but his mother is spending it with her new husband, and Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) lives on campus but is facing her first Christmas alone. They make an odd bunch as the snow comes in.     

In some respects, this film is made directly for me because we have three very different people forced to work together and find joy in each other’s disparate lives. Or at least the respect. Found families are something I fundamentally enjoy because it is hard to do comradery convincingly on the screen. Our three leads are great in the ways they are different and how they work as a group, making each moment they are on screen a delight. All of this is helped by a setting that looks like it was ripped right out of the 1970s down to the most minor details. I have never been to a boarding college before, but I felt that place was real because I think they filmed it in a real boarding college.

For a film like this to work, you need to believe the cast at every moment, and everyone, especially our leads, is giving masterful performances. I know Paul Giamatti has been in a lot of films, but this was the character he was born to play. I think he reminds me of some of the academics that I have met in my life, full of passion but struggling to communicate it at times. If you had told me going in that this was Dominic Sessa’s feature debut, I would not have believed it. His character is 100% a brat, but you soon see the walls that he has, but it’s up to everyone. Passion and compassion are hiding there, and getting to pull down those walls in a convincing way is what makes the film work. Then, we have the emotional centre of the film with Da’Vine Joy Randolph. She broke my heart with her performance, to the point that even after this amount of time, it is hard to write about it without tearing up. This film would not work without her character and her performance.

The Holdovers is a movie shining a light on those juxtapositions that you find throughout life. Its Vietnam War setting is used to significant effect; it highlights who did and did not get to differ in their service. Angus’s parents probably honestly care for him, but they have been through so many struggles that they don’t know how to communicate that anymore. Paul’s passion and conviction make him both an excellent and terrible teacher all at once. This is also a film that understands that emotions can be complex, sadness and joy can sit side by side, concern and amusement can come at any moment, and you never know when your words will make an impact, good or bad.

In the end, do we recommend The Holdovers? Absolutely. This is the first official film review for 2024, and it is our first 5/5 stars because its impact hits as hard as it does. They perfectly captured a moment in time that has a message that spans the generations. It also has a cast throwing their all into every scene. If you liked The Holdovers, we would recommend to you The Banshees of Inisherin.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched The Holdovers?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Holdovers
Directed by – Alexander Payne
Written by – David Hemingson
Music by – Mark Orton
Cinematography by – Eigil Bryld
Edited by – Kevin Tent
Production/Distribution Companies – Miramax, Gran Via, Focus Features & Universal Pictures
Starring – Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa & Da’Vine Joy Randolph with Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner, Ian Dolley, Jim Kaplan, Michael Provost, Andrew Garman, Naheem Garcia, Stephen Thorne, Gillian Vigman, Tate Donovan & Darby Lily Lee-Stack
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: 14A; India: na; Germany: 12; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R