The Holdovers is a 2023 movie about cranky professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) who is forced to stay on campus over the Christmas holidays with a group of students, including troublesome Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and the school’s cook Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who is grieving the death of her son in the Vietnam War.
The curmudgeonly teacher forms an unlikely bond with the duo, sharing comical misadventures during their two weeks together in the New England boarding school.
In time, they help each other to come to terms with their past and form a newfound hope for the future.
Set in 1970 and directed by the acclaimed Alexander Payne – also known for Sideways (2004) and The Descendants (2011) – the film was an overwhelming success.
For her performance as the grieving cook, Da’Vine Joy Randolph won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She was also awarded a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award in the same category.
Paul Giamatti won the Golden Globe for Best Actor and Dominic Sessa landed the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.
The Holdovers is described on Rotten Tomatoes as a “thought provoking dramedy for viewers seeking a dialogue-driven movie with a throwback feel”. It was rated 97 percent “fresh” by critics and a 92 percent audience score. It also achieved a score of 7.9 out of 10 on IMDB.
Despite only being released in January this year, it has quickly become a Christmas favourite.
One fan wrote on Twitter: “Finally got around to watching The Holdovers… instant classic. So cozy. So honest. Loved it.”
Another echoed: “The phrase ‘instant classic’ gets thrown around so often but god damn The Holdovers really did it.”
A third said: “I’m a year late to the party but The Holdovers is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while.”
And a fourth commented: “Alexander Payne is a massively underrated filmmaker. The Holdovers is phenomenal.”
The Holdovers is streaming on Now. It can also be purchased on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Sky Store.