Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers is one of his most likable films to date, and one of the most highly anticipated films of Fall 2023. Payne routinely writes his own films, but as with Nebraska, The Holdovers is not written by the auteur. Payne was approached to direct a pilot about a similar subject matter in the past and declined, but did stay in touch with The Holdovers screenwriter, David Hemingson (Traffic Light). Incorporating Payne’s own personal experience of boarding school with Hemingson’s script, The Holdovers was born, and the director brings a sense of levity to a teenager imploding.
The prestigious Barton Academy’s halls are filled with pompous teachers and arrogant kids. The students go home over the holidays unless their parents have plans without them. Unfortunately for Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), his mom is having her honeymoon and needs him to stay at school over the Christmas break. Along with a few other students, Tully is stuck with the unlucky teacher who has to stay there and be their chaperon. Professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is furious about his assignment but begrudgingly takes it on. Eventually, everyone but Angus is rescued from this hell, and he is left alone with Professor Hunham. The head of the cafeteria, Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), and the custodian, Danny (Naheem Garcia) are the only other residents during this time. Eventually, Tully and Professor Hunham realize they are better off working together than constantly being at odds, and with the help of Mary, all three of them find a way to enjoy the holidays and each other’s company.
The Holdovers won’t blow you away in any particular category of filmmaking, but in the capable hands of Payne, every one of these categories is above average, making the overall film equally enjoyable and well-made. Though the cinematography and shot selection are standard, The Holdovers is shot on film, and the soundtrack really give it the feel of its 1970s setting. And while Cat Steven’s needle drops go a long way to make that happen, the script and performances are also doing a lot of heavy lifting to put us in that headspace. The production was filmed on location in Massachusetts, which brings everything together in a realistic and engaging manner.
Like Payne, newcomer Dominic Sessa has experience in a school like Barton, and it shows in his level of comfort in the role. This pays off — he truly goes toe-to-toe with Giamatti on screen. Sessa’s performance isn’t effortless, though; in fact, you can tangibly feel his stress levels go up and down in the film. Though the stakes of staying at school over Christmas break seem very low, he does a great job of emoting how life or death that concept feels to a teenager. Furthermore, when his character is met with actual stakes he plays them down in a way anyone trying to avoid the hardest part of their lives might. That balancing act is a tricky thing to come by in actors with little experience and good things are in store for the lead of The Holdovers.
Whether it be the father-son relationship in Nebraska, or the father-daughter relationship in The Descendants, Payne’s filmography often has a paternal aspect to it and The Holdovers is no different. Reuniting with Giamatti nine years after Sideways really does feel like the summation of his love for Hal Ashby films and his own life. At a screening at TIFF, Payne declared “In some ways, I’ve been trying to make the same 70s movie my whole career, and this time I actually put it in the 1970s.” To that end, Payne succeeds.
The Holdovers screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is in theaters November 10. It is 133 minutes long and rated R for language, some drug use, and brief sexual material.
