While most classic Christmas films are bombastic family movies filled with holiday cheer, The Holdovers (2023) —a melocholic comedy drama—deserves a spot on your holiday list as a modern holiday classic. Named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and nominated for 5 Academy Awards, Director Alexander Payne and stars Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa craft a heartfelt, character-driven, and timeless story.
Set in the 1970s, the film follows Paul Hunham, a strict and eccentric classics teacher played by Paul Giamatti, as he is assigned to chaperone a group of “holdovers” stuck at Barton Academy over winter break. Joined by Mary Lamb, the head cafeteria cook played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Angus Tully, a difficult yet vulnerable student played by Dominic Sessa, the unlikely trio bond through a series of bittersweet holiday experiences.
Instead of a race against time, evil antagonist, or worldwide apocalypse, The Holdovers avoids large-scale drama in exchange for an intimate tale: Mary, Angus, and Paul, each battling their own demons. At the beginning of the film, Paul Hunham is hopelessly alone, using his repulsive attitude and trimethylaminuria (a medical condition that gives him a fish-like stench) as a defense mechanism. Both Mary Lamb’s husband and son have passed away, and she spends her winter break watching 70’s dating shows aimlessly. Angus Tully is once again neglected by his dysfunctional family over Christmas as his father is in a mental institution, and his mother is off vacationing. Forced together, these three strangers unexpectedly alter each other’s lives, resolving the issues keeping them stuck in stasis.
The characters meander around New England, chatting about trivial life topics as they sit, walk, or drive. This doesn’t mean the movie isn’t remarkably entertaining. The cast comfortably morphs into their characters, breathing life into each scene. Paul Giamatti ricochets sardonic and dry dialogue, and Dominic Sessa is able to match his energy with angsty and sarcastic comments. Beneath the humor, however, there is also piercing depth and soul in each scene.
The film’s humorous dialogue doesn’t rely on Marvel-esque one liners, but instead grows naturally out of the characters’ relationships and identities. When Da’Vine Joy Randolph conveys the pain of a mother grieving the loss of her son, she doesn’t constantly cry or froth in anguish. Instead, she hides behind a resilient shell with a subtle sadness. Since Mary Lamb is barely holding it together, Randolph creates scene-stealing tension every time she is on screen. Catharsis comes over the course of the film as she shares her vulnerability and heals, resulting in a satisfying and realistic journey.
The Holdovers feels astonishingly fresh even as it purposefully tackles a stereotypical genre. The film is made with a rich appreciation for its characters, avoiding limiting them as merely the “oddball-grumpy-teacher” or “angsty-snarky-rich-kid.” Through small interactions, Mr. Hunham’s actual care about his students is more apparent, and his backstory reveals his own personal failures and disappointments. Angus Tully isn’t troubled just because he is a bratty private school kid, but due to parental abandonment, mental health issues, and a desire for connection. Through it all, a collective loneliness and melancholy makes these deeply flawed characters lovable.
The Holdovers repeats the cliched universal life lessons of loneliness, family, grief, that have been explored in thousands of movies. Somehow, Alexander Payne and writer David Hemingson manage to tell the story in such an organic and authentic way, completely avoiding contrived circumstances to drive a sudden realization. Instead, circumstances drive character interactions, which then force introspection and development.
What could have easily been a forgettable, cliche, and nostalgia-bait film with one dimensional characters, The Holdovers elevates by creating nuanced characters and an authentic narrative. With brilliant performances and deeply smart dialogue, this film explores the unexpected experiences that permanently change the course of a life. The holiday magic presented by The Holdovers are these encounters. This movie subverts the usual Christmas comedy-drama tropes for a deeper story that can resonate with anyone this Christmas, and for future holiday seasons to come. I absolutely recommend this film for any Preuss student seeking a heartwarming holiday experience.
