I have to say that I thought I had already brought you a review of The Holdovers! I popped in to see the movie at my local Cineworld and have to say that waiting for the movie to get its UK release was well worth the wait.
The Holdovers follows a cranky teacher (Paul Giamatti, Sideways) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during the holiday break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them, a damaged, brainy troublemaker (new star Dominic Sessa), along with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Only Murders in the Building).
This is a movie that is packed with stellar performances that take the viewer into the minds of the main characters as they not only deal with being the ones left behind for the holiday season but also face some of the demons that they live with.
Set in the 1970s The Holdovers not only looks great with its costume design and cinematography, but it also sounds great with a superb soundtrack with artists such as Labi Siffre, Bad Finger and Cat Stevens.
Paul Giamatti who plays Paul Hunham is a joy to watch as he brings us one of his best performances in recent years, I found myself enjoying every moment of his screen time with the dry humour and wit that make the character one that is such a great part of the movie.
Joining Hunham during the festive break is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) in his first feature role and he just steals the moments that he is on the screen. Dominic is certainly an actor that we should be keeping an eye out for in future movies or TV shows.
Finally let’s not forget the third person in this trilogy of characters, the wonderful Da’Vine Joy Randolph who plays Mary Lamb, the head of the kitchens of the school who is stuck with Hunham and Tully after losing her son in the Vietnam War, she finds it hard to spend time with anyone at Christmas. Mary is certainly the glue that holds the three of them together and over time by helping them she also helps herself to get on with her life after the loss of her son.
Sharp, humorous, and heartfelt, The Holdovers is a cinematic masterpiece and a must-have for fans and collectors alike. For me, it has to be in my top 10 movies of 2024 (so far), but if you missed the cinematic release then don’t worry as The Holdovers is now available to buy or rent on digital platforms now.
Christmas Breaks can be Elightening
Movie title: The Holdovers (2023)
Movie description: Golden Globe®-winner Paul Giamatti leads this powerful story of a rebellious student, a notoriously disliked professor, and the school’s head chef forming an unlikely bond, as they are the only one’s left on-campus for Christmas break, helping one another understand that they are not beholden to their past.
Date published: February 5, 2024
Country: UK
Duration: 2h 13m
Director(s): Alexander Payne
Actor(s): Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Summary
The Holdovers is a delightful movie that has stellar performances from Giamatti, Sessa and Joy Randolph. A mjsy have for any movie collector.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
