The Holdovers (Alexander Payne, 2023): USA

Reviewed by Anna Henningsen at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

My favorite film of 2023 that was also featured as a free screening (my first year attending SBIFF) would be The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne. This film has a hold on me so much that I desperately want everyone I’ve ever met to experience the warmth and sheer comfort that it brought to my heart. For how simply it was described in sum, it blew me away with some of the themes it touched on- different ways in which grief manifests, status, and loneliness. It takes place during 1970’s holiday season, in rural Massachusetts at a prep school for young boys. A curmudgeonly and miserably bitter professor is stuck ‘holding over’ with a small group of students who are unable, for various reasons, to return home for winter break. 

Alexander Payne has also directed Sideways (which also stars Paul Giamatti), Downsizing, and Election. His feature film debut was a black comedy entitled Citizen Ruth in 1996. Payne’s filmography has as been described as having a smaller scope with a focus on tightly knight communities and a twist of sardonic humor. As for the cast, the story centers around three somewhat outcast individuals Hunham, Angus Tully, and Mary Lamb played by Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, respectively. Dominic Sessa was plucked out of obscurity for this role, discovered by a casting director at his real-life boarding school in Massachusetts. Paul Giamatti has often played men who are snakes (his admission at the tribute in his honor I attended the night of the screening). I know him from Billions, a show I watched with my dad. He also has been featured in John Adams, Big Fat Liar, and Cinderella Man. Last but certainly not least is Da’Vine Joy Randolph. I know her from the 2020 comedy series High Fidelity (based on the 1995 novel and 2000 film adaptation), but she has also acted in The Lost City, Rustin, and Only Murders in the Building.

The beauty of this film lies in its relatability. The basic concept of depression has not changed very much in the past forty years, merely society’s ideology and treatment of it. Though the topic is only outright mentioned once and briefly, there are enough subtleties for us to infer that their mental state is a large part of what brings Angus and Mr. Hunham closer together. Another is their past; both men have struggled because of their dynamic with their fathers. Mr. Hunham manages not only to impart historical knowledge to Angus but also the knowledge that Angus’ past will not be his future. He shows Angus that he is worthy of respect and kindness and that he has heaps of potential. What’s more is that Angus, in turn, shows Mr. Hunham that he too is a likable person under his petulant exterior. Their bond is strengthened by Mary, who despite undergoing extreme grief over her deceased son, encourages each of them to make more of an effort attempting to feel empathy towards the other just as much as they each feel sympathy for her. 

With unmatched and authentic cinematography, a soundtrack that is gentle and nostalgic, and astounding performances beyond words, I would recommend this film to anyone who needs their faith in humanity restored. I have no doubts that this film will become a beloved Christmas classic that will stand the test of time.