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The Holdovers

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The Holdovers

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• Comedy
• Drama

• 2023
• Alexander Payne
• 133 mins
• 15

Summary

Period comedy drama starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa. Paul Hunham, the crotchety classics teacher at a boys' boarding school, is tasked with supervising the students who have been forced to stay on campus during the Christmas break. Four of the lads are soon whisked off for a skiing trip, leaving Paul and his colleague, cafeteria manager Mary, with just one remaining charge: Angus Tully, who wants nothing more than to run away.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Emma Simmonds

The spirit of the American New Wave lives on in this curmudgeonly Christmas drama that hides a big heart and a hopeful outlook beneath its withering putdowns. Set at a New England boarding school in 1970, it follows a crabby Classics professor (Paul Giamatti) as he reluctantly supervises the "holdovers" of the title - those who are forced to remain on campus over the Christmas holidays, including the morose and antagonistic Angus (Dominic Sessa). Joining them is the school's head cook Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), who is grieving the loss of her son. The leading actors complement each other wonderfully as their characters find comfort in one another: there's agony, decency and tenderness from a heartrending Randolph; a believable redemption arc for the superb, Scrooge-esque Giamatti; while Sessa looks set to be a star. Alexander Payne directs it all with droll humour and a slow-burn charm, ably channeling the likes of Hal Ashby (The Last Detail) and Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces), while David Hemingson's sharp script conjures plenty of poignancy from the coming together of three lost souls.

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7.9/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Channel 4
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenamePaul HunhamPaul GiamattiMary LambDa'Vine Joy RandolphAngus TullyDominic SessaMiss Lydia CraneCarrie PrestonTeddy KountzeBrady HepnerAlex OllermanIan DolleyYe-Joon ParkJim KaplanJason SmithMichael ProvostDr Hardy WoodrupAndrew GarmanStanley ClotfelterTate DonovanJudy ClotfelterGillian Vigman

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Crew

rolenameDirectorAlexander Payne

Details

Theatrical distributor

Universal

Released on

2024-01-19

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing, sexual references, drug abuse, nudity

Formats

Colour

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