I first saw the trailer “The Holdovers” when I saw “Oppenheimer” in theaters. It looked like your typical 80s school comfort movie, filmed in the style of “Dead Poets Society” or “The Breakfast Club.” I expected the movie to feel forced and be mediocre in comparison to its now timeless predecessors, merely an attempt at reviving a dead genre. And so I was very surprised to hear raving reviews after it came out. And I was even more surprised to find that one of those reviews would be my own.
“The Holdovers,” directed by Alexander Payne, takes place at a fictional all-boys boarding school called Barton during winter break. Each year, there are a few students who stay at school over break because of various familial circumstances; these students are called the holdovers.
Paul Hunman, played by Paul Giamatti, is a Barton teacher forced to stay through the winter and look after the kids as punishment for his machiavellian methods. At first, five students are planning on “holding over,” but after the first few days, all leave except for one: Angus, played by Dominic Sessa. The final character that stays over the break is the cook, Mary Lamb, played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
At school, each character deals with preconceived judgments about themselves. Angus is a spoiled rich kid with no experience of anguish, Paul is an inexplicably angry man who lets it out on his students and Mary is a school lunch lady without any notable experiences or heartbreaks. But they all deserve more forgiveness in the critical eye, and as the film progresses, the characters gain more empathy towards each other, realizing the true pain behind their facades.
Mary, although a side character, is integral to this process. Mary’s life is not short of tragedy, yet unlike Angus and Paul, she doesn’t use that as an excuse to project frustration on people who’ve had it easier, because in the end, you can’t; you never actually know what someone has been through. Her character ultimately ties through the themes of the films about forgiveness and empathy.
This isn’t a super original concept for a film, and it would fall flat with bad writing or bad acting. But it doesn’t.
The acting is the most notable reason. Every performance is nuanced and heartfelt, and sadness or joy never feels forced. Da’Vine Joy Randoph and Paul Giamatti have already received plenty of critical acclaim for their roles, but Dominic Sessa brings an equally powerful interpretation of Angus that skillfully navigates both comedic and emotionally heavy scenes.
The directing and filming style doesn’t feel corny like I expected and actually really complements the already “comfort movie vibe” the script creates. A modern type of filmmaking would feel out of place, especially as the film takes place in the 70s. The grainy shots additionally bring through a nostalgic holiday spirit.
The script, although simple, is just so well done. The scenes feel real and every plot point flows really nicely together. No character developments feel rushed or out of place, and the scenes in Boston are just packed with fantastic writing.
Nowadays, where every movie is either a super esoteric concept or an overdone blockbuster, it’s incredibly refreshing to see a simple film. One that is neither overdone nor some wildly creative endeavor. While I don’t think “The Holdovers” necessarily revived this genre, it’s amazingly comparable to its predecessors. “The Holdovers” deserves every bit of acclaim coming its way for making an otherwise cheesy movie beautifully poignant.
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Cinematic is a movie review column currently publishing a series on each of the 2024 best picture nominees. To access more reviews, click the “Cinematic” tag below.
