The Holdovers Review: One of the Best Movies of the Year [TIFF 2023]
From “Sideways” and “Nebraska” to “The Descendants” and even his previous film “Downsizing”, you can trace a fascination with American livelihood across all of Alexander Payne's movies. He has a knack for imbuing the sharpest (and, at times, darkest) of humor in his characters' suffering, and The Holdovers is no different. Hilarious and heartfelt, it might be premature, though no less certain, to say that Payne has crafted one of the best movies of the year that is also destined to become a holiday classic. It made its American premiere just last month at the Telluride Film Festival, and at its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it's already proven to be ahead of the pack.
In their second collaboration and first since "Sideways," Paul Giamatti reunites with Payne in "The Holdovers," set against the backdrop of Barton Academy, a northeastern boarding school during the 1970 holiday season. Giamatti portrays Paul Hunham, a tenured teacher and Barton alumnus known for his commitment to tradition, structure, and the primacy of education. Despite being the least favored faculty member among students, a group of "holdovers" unable to return home for the holidays finds themselves under Paul's supervision during the two-week break.
Angus (played by Dominic Sessa in his debut role) stands out as a sharp but troubled teenager, demonstrating a remarkable intellectual match with his teacher, Paul. As other students enjoy their holiday break, Angus remains with Paul and the school's grieving head chef, Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), who mourns her late son—a former student at Barton. Despite initial reluctance, their holiday together forges unexpected and transformative friendships.
The film's nostalgic atmosphere begins even before the narrative unfolds, with opening credits resembling a VHS tape flickering to life on a TV screen. Accompanied by an evocative score from Mark Orton that blends modern tones with 70s vibes, the story immerses us in Barton Academy. The energetic students, clad in various school uniforms, evoke a cinematic nostalgia reminiscent of 80s and 90s boarding school films like "Dead Poets Society" and "School Ties," with the lively backdrop of the institution's old-fashioned wooden structures.
“In this regard, the design team for The Holdovers — production designer Ryan Warren Smith and costume designer Wendy Chuck — deserve utmost praise for their transportive work. There’s a tactility to the film, almost as if we can breathe in the chalk dust or feel the floorboards creak beneath our feet. It immediately takes us to the past (for many, to our own school days in our youth), free of the glass and steel that pervade many modern institutions now. Once we leave the school and travel to Boston (Angus’ Christmas wish from Paul), and we’re met with a sea of jewel and earth tones, tweed and bell-bottoms, and the soft haze from smoking indoors, it’s a visual time travel experience like no other.”
