^{By: Amanda Guarragi}

An Alexander Payne film is filled with heart, strong laughs, and an emotional gut punch that no one expects. All his movies have had a great cast and reflective conversations about life and relationships. The Holdovers is no different. It’s one of his most charming films to date. Any film that has Christmas as a backdrop is bound to pull at the heartstrings, and Payne delivers a beautiful story. A teacher named Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is a hard marker and wants to mould the young boys at this school to be great men. Unfortunately, his students can’t stand him, and neither can the faculty. He is very much a loaner and remains at school over the Christmas holiday to supervise students unable to journey home. 

Since it is a boarding school, students live there throughout the year and hopefully head back for Christmas. But one student, Angus (Dominic Sessa), has been having trouble at home. His mother has found someone new to date after losing his father. Angus has a tough exterior and is obnoxious to his classmates. He is intelligent, no doubt about that, but his arrogance lands him in troubled water. Angus has no choice but to stay with the teacher he hates and the Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the school chef. Newcomer Sessa gives an incredible performance, countering Giamatti and Randolph. 

David Hemingson’s script is one of the best this year as he interweaves the lives of these characters to reveal the central theme of grief. Grief comes in many forms; people can grieve the loss of a loved one, the loss of their past self, or even the loss of an opportunity. Everyone feels sorrow, even over Christmas. Hemingson explores the nature of his characters by giving them small tasks to overcome over the break to see if they can move forward. Each faces their hurdle, but they come together to help each other. They begin to see similarities, which unify them by the end. Payne’s direction is tender and focused on the self-reflective journey of his characters. By watching over Angus, Paul and Mary understand the pain of loneliness in all forms. 

The Holdovers is a heartwarming film by Alexander Payne and has career-best performances by Giamatti and Randolph. Apart from its emotional beats, Hemingson’s script is hilarious and has such witty dialogue that only Giamatti could deliver with a straight face. It is a feel-good Holiday film that truly depicts what the season is about. Not everyone is joyful because people tend to reflect on their life and the past year during the Holidays. Payne reminds audiences that everyone is going through something, and it’s important to understand the person before lashing out or judging them. You set your differences aside and try to help others, not only during the Holidays but year-round.