LIFF: The Holdovers Review

Azrael Tay reviews Alexander Payne’s latest film The Holdovers as part of Leeds International Film Festival 2023, concluded on 19th November.

It may seem a little early to call it, but The Holdovers is shaping up to be an instant Christmas classic.

Alexander Payne directs this comedy-drama centred around Angus (Dominic Sessa), a delinquent stuck in boarding school over the holidays, with only his high-strung Ancient Civilisations teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) and cafeteria worker Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) for company.

The Holdovers is very much an ode and time capsule to a bygone age of moviemaking we rarely see in this day and age. The film is not only set during the winter of 1970, but has been shot and edited to look like a film produced during that era of American cinema, featuring screen wipes, footage from vintage lenses, imperfections and grain appearing in frame, and the popping and crackling you occasionally hear in the sound mix. Even its opening studio logos are in on the joke – the faux-vintage logo for Focus Features, not founded until the early 2000s, and the old-school ‘R’ rating classification card, all serve to immerse you into the atmosphere of the film.

“The Holdovers is shaping up to be an instant Christmas classic”

Azrael Tay

In many ways, The Holdovers’ sense of warmth emanates directly from its three central performers. Giamatti reunites with Payne for the first time since 2004’s Sideways, and he is once again perfectly cast here. Paul Hunham is such an enigmatic character, the epitome of an old man shaking his fist at a world that has wronged him. The difference between Hunham’s perceived superiority (especially when it comes to his knowledge of ancient history) and others’ exasperation where screenwriter David Hemingson mines endlessly for comic material, and he strikes gold every single time. Hemingson gives Giamatti a host of uproarious dialogue he clearly relishes delivering, and when the time comes to break out those dramatic chops, Giamatti proves himself once again to be a multi-faceted talent.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa give heart-breaking turns as their respective characters – without giving away too much, these are hurt, broken people left empty for the Christmas season, and seeing the trifecta of main characters develop into a found family, witnessing those walls break down, is as satisfying as they come. Most importantly, these performances never feel like they aim for melodrama or appeal to the Academy. Payne’s focus on character ensures that The Holdovers never feels like empty nostalgia; the deliberate style of the film always feels in service of the narrative, not just as an engineered embodiment of it.

As the moviegoing year comes to a close, some of cinema’s biggest critical and financial successes this year have been franchise instalments, mature period drama epics, or genre work from acclaimed filmmakers. The Holdovers feels singularly special in that way, a feel-good holiday drama that strives to be nothing more, but floors you completely while it works within its wheelhouse. Yet, it has emerged, for my money, as one of the year’s best films – and a future staple of the holiday movie-watching season.

The Holdovers is due to release in the UK on 19^th January 2024. You can read about LIFF and Azrael Tay’s other reviews including Evil Does Not Exist on the Gryphon’s Arts and Culture Page.