The Holdovers

The Holdovers is a 2023 American Christmas comedy drama film directed by Alexander Payne, written by David Hemingson, and starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa in his film debut. Set in 1970, it tells the story of a strict classics teacher at a New England boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students who have nowhere to go during the school's Christmas holiday break. Filming took place from January to March 2022 in Massachusetts. The Holdovers premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released in the United States by Focus Features on October 27, 2023.

Film · TMDB

7.6

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas 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 — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.

Released: 2023-10-27133 minDir: Alexander PayneDrama, ComedyBudget: $13.0MBox office: $42.5M

▶ Watch trailer

Cast

Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham
Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully
Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb
Carrie Preston as Miss Lydia Crane
Brady Hepner as Teddy Kountze
Ian Dolley as Alex Ollerman

Themes

vietnam war
winter

~22 min read

Article

The Holdovers is a 2023 American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne, written by David Hemingson, and starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa in his film debut. Set in 1970, it tells the story of a strict classics teacher at a New England boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students who have nowhere to go during the school's Christmas holiday break. Filming took place from January to March 2022 in Massachusetts. The Holdovers premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released in the United States by Focus Features on October 27, 2023.

The film received critical acclaim and grossed $46 million. It was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and received many other accolades, including two wins at the Golden Globe Awards and the British Academy Film Awards; Randolph won the Best Supporting Actress award at both ceremonies. It also received five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Giamatti; Randolph won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.