The Holdovers is a film that holds a special type of charm; it’s a 1970’s period piece that feels less like a period piece, and more like a movie lost to time. Beginning with a seven-minute-long opening credits sequence played over the serene winter landscape of Massachusetts in December, it’s clear from the get-go that this is something different. The Holdovers is a film that sticks with you, sure to be a certified Christmas classic for years to come.
The film follows Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), a brash, bug-eyed, fish-smelling professor of classics at Barton Academy, a posh boy’s school somewhere in Western Massachusetts. It’s the start of Christmas break for the majority of the school, but not for Hunham. He’s been stuck with babysitting those who are left behind over the holiday break, or the “holdovers”, giving the film its title.
Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) is one of those boys holding over against his will, as his newly married mother refuses to pick him up. The men are joined by the school’s head cook, Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who just lost her recently graduated son to the war in Vietnam. The three make an extremely unlikely trio, bonded together by loneliness and the Christmas spirit; together, they deliver an extremely emotional film.
The Holdovers holds some of the best performances to grace the silver screen in 2023, with actors receiving accolades left and right. Giamatti has already taken home a Golden Globe for his heart wrenching, subtly sad performance, and is one of the front-runners to take home the Oscar for Best Actor.
The character of Paul Hunam is one of loneliness, of lack of purpose. His quick wit, lazy eye, and overall sincerity are at the heart of this film. Giamatti is long overdue for an Oscar, and I wouldn’t be the least surprised if he took it home for this film.
Randolph also took home the Golden Globe for her performance in the film and is also nominated for an Oscar. Her performance as Mary Lamb is one that creeps up on you as the plot unfolds; a bereaving single mother, she holds it all together, until she can’t. Despite all she’s facing, she never lacks empathy and kindness for the world around her. She is the embodiment of a woman doing the best she can with the odds stacked against her. If Giamatti is the heart of this film, Randolph is the glue.
Notably, Sessa is left out of these Oscar nominations, a true snub. The Holdovers is Sessa’s debut film, he was cast from an open audition call at his school, Deerfield Academy, one of the filming locations for the movie.
Sessa holds his own against two seasoned actors, which is no small feat. He goes toe-to-toe with Giamatti and Randolph in subtlety, class, and wit; the film would not succeed without his performance. He acts with a certain ease, reminiscent of the stars of the 70’s themselves, like Dustin Hoffman. Despite his lack of accolades, Sessa is sure to have a bright future in the industry.
Outside of its performances, The Holdovers is a film that is bright and warm. It embodies the ‘found family’ Christmas flick, yet nothing about it feels cheesy. It’s one of the most authentic holiday films in a long while, never overstepping its boundaries or asking the viewer to suspend belief. Backed with the scenic winter landscape of Boston, Massachusetts, the world of The Holdovers is a warm, loving hug that you never want to let go of; a solidified Christmas classic that will only get better with time.