The Holdovers (2024) Dir. Alexander Payne

Standout performances from Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph anchor this fantastic comedy-drama set over the festive period at a New England boarding school.

Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, a strict classics tutor disliked by teachers and students alike, and it's the young men's unruly behaviour and spoilt entitlement that is fueled by the approaching Christmas holidays. However, a number of them become “holdovers”, staying at the school during the break, and after losing the school an important and wealthy donor, Hunham is forced to babysit them until it reopens in the new year.

Each day the students wake early, do laps in the snow and undertake silent studying in the library, all orchestrated by Hunham as a kind of educational Scrooge. Entrusted to look after the empty school, Hunham roams around rooms and corridors at night like Jack Torrance in The Shining, showing a loneliness under his harsh public veneer.

Yet a saviour arrives from the heavens (via helicopter) in the form of one of the boys' rich father who whisks the kids off to a ski resort. And whilst everyone exits excitedly, Angus Tully (a fantastic Dominic Sessa) is left with Hunham after not being able to get permission from his mum.

Upsetting the boy, his tantrum in a gym results in a dislocated shoulder but this leads to Hunham uncovering deeper cracks within the boy's family situation. Tully and Hunham then join forces to lie about the cause of his injury to avoid an insurance claim that will get both in trouble, thus beginning a thaw in the two’s relationship.

After attending a party they consistently butt heads, but even-handed school cook Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) helps smooth their differences leading to a Christmas Day meal and an off-the-books trip to Boston. And although the 'cantankerous teacher learning life lessons from a student' isn’t the most original idea, it’s done incredibly well here with humorous interactions and great performances from the entire cast.

As Hunham and Tully bond, they slowly discover naked truths about each other. Both feel the other has undeserved entitlement yet the film does a great job of revealing their darker personal backgrounds - not just through great dialogue but also quieter, more sombre, moments.

Tully’s reasons for not being with his family, somewhat the source of his overly cruel jibes, are teased out by Hunham who is hiding a number of personal bottled-up secrets himself. The home truths that are shared and push each other beyond their comfortable boundaries as they open up and admit to their vulnerabilities.

It’s an emotional and satisfying journey that starts out with two people very cold in spirit (and in temperature) who have their frozen hearts somewhat warmed by the end.

A cliched father-son dynamic does permeate throughout, but the film’s focus on serious issues like mental health, depression and surrogate families add copious layers of depth. Mary’s story of her child’s death is incredibly well handled in a sensitive and wholly believable performance from Da'VineJoy Randolph. Together they infuse a combination of heart and pathos that sure helps overcome any familiar tropes.

Giamatti’s surrogate though is the glue holding it together. Although he is only as good as his support cast who match him every step of the way. As the two’s journey heads to the new year, a final twist in the tale will leave audiences with a certain bittersweet moment to end on

And in the end, Payne’s stoic direction focuses the film firmly on the actors who are phenomenal throughout and the brilliant work from everyone in The Holdovers ensures the tears flow as much as the titters in an unlikely Christmas miracle of a film.

★★★★½

4.5 / 5

Michael Sales