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November 23, 2023
Film: The Holdovers (2023)
Plot: A curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go.
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston, Gillian Vigman, and Tate Donovan
Director: Alexander Payne
Distributor: Focus Features
Average Grade: A
Number of Graders: 28
Member Reviews:
The Holdovers is a cross-generation watch that brings a breath of fresh air to the holiday movie season, it will tug at your heartstrings as it wrestles with deeper themes — ultimately nurturing your hope.
Grade: A+
Nancy Tapia
Paul Giamatti leads The Holdovers with the perfect comedic jabs throughout the entire movie. This film holds one of the best scripts this year for its brilliant dialogue, especially in those moments of sympathy.
Grade: A+
Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers is his best movie since ‘Sideways.’ Reuniting with 'Sideways' actor Paul Giamatti, Alexander Payne crafts an elegant and touching film about friendship set in a lovingly nostalgic early 1970s.
Grade: A+
At the beginning of "The Holdovers," it's abundantly clear that this will be a story of survival meets connection. The most obvious contenders will eventually challenge Hunham's traditional and stubborn ways, and comprehension of others' feelings will slowly come into focus. Even though the premise might seem transparent from the get-go, the rollercoaster ride of getting from Point A to Point B matters most in this film.
Grade: A+
The Holdovers is a simple but heartwarming, charming, and very funny teacher/student story about finding connection and encouraging each other. Everyone has buried pain somewhere and we could all be more empathetic. Just utterly lovely from the opening logos to the ending credits. A new Christmas classic. Perfectly made - no notes. Give Paul Giammati, Dominic Sessa, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph all the awards.
Grade: A+
Demetri Panos
Alexander Payne takes a tried and true movie trope and makes it feel fresh, warm, and inviting as a holiday dinner. Hollywood loves a curmudgeon! With the help of some excellent performances, cinematography, and an original sharp-witted script, Payne makes The Holdovers pay off in unexpected ways.
Grade: A+
The Holdovers seizes a familiar sensation, one as fleeting as the first snowfall in autumn, and reminds audiences of the emotions that good storytelling can evoke.
Grade: A
Alexander Payne's latest, written by David Hemingson, is a triumph, a seemingly cozy Christmas movie with a sly streak of dark humor and a superb trio of performances making the script and direction sing. Paul Giamatti's reunion with his Sideways director is surely destined for awards chatter and the movie also doesn't forget to blend real emotion in with the laughs.
Grade: A
Alex Billington
One of the best films of the year. Payne pulls off the delicate balance of comedy and emotion, which is never easy to do. It's a somber film with so much sadness in the story, but also so much hope and humor and good cheer and genuinely heartwarming moments of connection. Such a warm embrace of a film despite being set during a snowy New England winter. The three main performances are exceptional, as everyone has been raving about already, and each one brings something unique to the film. I want to watch this again right away - and spend more time with all of them.
Grade: A
Tom O'Brien
Sessa is an absolute find in his screen debut, Randolph has at long last found the role that this talented actor has long deserved, and words fail me as to how good Giamatti is in this. The film is not without a few flaws here and there, but THE HOLDOVERS is easily one of my favorite films of 2023.
Grade: A
The Holdovers is a story embedded in its humanity, modeled after a 60s/70s classic. A wonderful drama with a hint of comedy, exploring an expanse assortment of emotions during an unorthodox holiday season.
It’s slow-moving in its meditation on storytelling, but there’s a sensational sense of comfort to it as we witness the unlikely companionship build between student and mentor. The Holdovers is a delight that is just as heartbreaking as it is joyous, Alexander Payne delivers a nuanced character-driven piece. Amongst an impressive filmography, with only a singular demerit. The Holdovers stands firmly near the top.
Grade: A
Clarence Moye
A wonderful character study of three bruised people who find comfort and personal growth within their friendship. The three leads are all outstanding. A gentle, loving throwback to great movies of the 1970s.
Grade: A
Taylor Gates
This movie feels so special and rare in today’s movie landscape. The setting and cinematography are stunning, capturing such a specific locale and time period. At several points, I wished I could jump through the screen and live in the world they created. The performances are stellar, with star-making turns for both Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph and my favorite performance from Paul Giamatti since the criminally underrated Private Life. It’s hilarious in a raw, real way and deeply impactful without an ounce of emotional manipulation. The Holdovers is easily one of the best films of the year.
Grade: A
The Holdovers also finds that perfect balance of comedy and drama. Several scenes are very clever and humorous, while others are emotional and sad. Paul Giamatti’s line delivery is excellent, while Da’Vine Joy Randolph surprised me by taking on the role of a mother struggling to overcome the loss of her son. Newcomer Dominic Sessa holds his own. He brings a lot of depth to the role of Angus and does a fantastic job acting alongside two incredible performances from Giamatti and Joy Randolph.
Grade: A
The Holdovers is without a doubt Alexander Payne's best movie in over a decade. Fueled by a tight script from David Hemingson and three stellar performances from Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and newcomer Dominic Sessa, this film is for everyone who can't spend the holiday season with their family or loved ones. Each of these three characters has had a tragedy happen in their lives, and watching them live with each other during what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year is what drives the film. It has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but it's also not afraid to have real drama, especially in the film's second half when we get a better understanding of why Giamatti and Sessa's characters constantly irritate each other. It's easily one of the best films of the year and one that shouldn't go under the radar.
Grade: A
The Holdovers feels like an instant classic, anchored by a knockout performance from Paul Giamatti. The world of Barton Academy feels so real and tangible, in large part due to the outstanding production design by Ryan Warren Smith which is artfully realized and captured by cinematographer Eigil Bryld. A sweeping and delicately pieced orchestral score by composer Mark Orton–which includes the standard guitar, piano, and strings along with the unexpected addition of a toy trumpet, sleigh bells, and a marxophone–perfectly compliments the abundance of synced songs. Music supervisor Matt Aberle must have had their hands full licensing tracks from Cat Stevens, The Allman Brothers Band, and Labi Siffre among others.
A film to experience with friends and loved ones this holiday season, The Holdovers promises to spread joy and put a smile on the faces of even the most curmudgeonly of people.
Grade: A
Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers is warmhearted and touching. I was in tears by the end. Three lonely people find comfort in each other during Christmas. Their lovely and funny interactions make you care about them. Paul Giamatti is wonderful in this role. He deserves all the awards' attention. I fell in love with the soundtrack as well. This movie is for the lonely souls this Holiday season. It's my favorite so far in the awards season.
Grade: A
Leo Rydel
The Holdovers was wonderful. An emotional, heart on its sleeve character-driven drama that peels back the layers of three very different individuals with trauma. Giamatti and Rudolph were PHENOMENAL and the screenplay too. Dominic Sessa had a tremendous debut alongside them! It had me in tears by the end!
Grade: A
It’s the last day of school before winter break. Final exams are turned in and everybody is checked out, including the teachers. What better way to coast through the day than by putting on a movie, preferably The Holdovers? Ironically, the tightly wound teacher at the center of The Holdovers would never consider rounding out the semester with a laidback movie – even if DVDs existed in the 70s. He not only has the audacity to fail practically every student on the last day, but he’s already preparing them for the next semester. With the wrong actor in the role, we’d immediately despise this guy. Since he’s played by Paul Giamatti, though, we hate him in all the right ways and come to empathize with him in unexpected ones.
Grade: A-
Daniel Rester
The Holdovers is another smart dramedy from Alexander Payne. The film nails the look and feel of early '70s movies and is akin to the work of Hal Ashby. David Hemingson's screenplay is warm and hilarious and Payne captures it beautifully with his three central actors, Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa. 'The Holdovers' does lose some of its bite as it becomes more familiar in the second half, but it's still a terrific picture overall.
Grade: A-
Alexander Payne reunites with his Sideways star Paul Giamatti nearly two decades later for a charming and genuinely funny story of a disgruntled teacher and troublemaker student forced to spend the winter holidays together. Giamatti is terrific, as are Dominic Sessa and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who complete a wondrous ensemble in a film that's visually striking and an absolute delight to watch.
Grade: A-
Kristy Strouse
Alexander Payne does it again with a heartwarming yet hilarious look at human connection. The Holdovers is poignant and warm, rooted by a phenomenal performance from Paul Giamatti. A loving embrace of a film, it’s familiar yet new enough to entertain and enamor in equal parts.
Grade: A-
Mark Johnson
The Holdovers unfolds as an unconventional buddy flick of sorts, where the two protagonists discover they have more in common than they’d care to admit. It’s a compelling character study grounded in reality, much like many of Payne’s previous works, such as Sideways, About Schmidt, and Nebraska.
Grade: A-
In a period film dealing with loss and loneliness, Payne isn’t attempting to turn his boarding school-set feature toward tropes of a Dead Poets Society-type drama. He gets much more mileage out of the way two misfits learn to bond on their own terms.
Grade: B+
The Holdovers is director Alexander Payne’s eighth film but he has already shown a storytelling brilliance that usually comes with far more years of experience. He not only understands the beauty that can come from quiet character development but also embraces the fringe elements that help elevate a movie to a far superior place.
Grade: B+
Alexander Payne quickly sets the mood and makes the audience feel that snowy Christmas break aura as The Holdovers opens. I was instantly brought back to my college winter breaks. Payne understands these characters, and the story was inspired by writer David Hemingson’s own history. Payne’s best work seems to come from small ensembles with characters on the brink of completely collapsing. Payne can find the humor and humanity within them, and we see that here with both Paul, Angus, and Mary.
Grade: B+
The Holdovers is a sweet and totally well-meaning film that would have probably worked better on the stage than it ultimately does on the big screen. It's full of tender but showy performances and is practically dripping with a slightly saccharine earnestness.
Grade: B+
In The Holdovers, Payne brings comfort to the way the trio moves through the space and the director captures this intimacy so it’s pleasantly noticeable. To add to this authenticity, the production filmed no scenes on soundstages. The whole production was shot on location and the rooms feel lived in and present. The story is solid, aided by top-notch direction and cinematography. The actors deliver fantastic performances, but the film leaves a bit to be desired with the character development.
Grade: B
