My first memory of Paul Giamatti is seeing him as Marty Wolf in the 2002 comedy Big Fat Liar. I would’ve been around seven at the time and his hilarious performance has stuck with me for my entire life. I have watched this scene probably a thousand times and think about it every time I hear “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran. It’s safe to say that I love Paul Giamatti and The Holdovers is possibly his best work yet.
My Thoughts
The Holdovers is directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson and takes place in New England during the Christmas season in 1970. Paul Giamatti stars as Paul Hunham, a strict and uptight classics professor at Barton Academy who is disliked by students and faculty alike. Dominic Sessa makes an impressive feature film debut as Angus Tully, a smart but troubled student, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph plays the cafeteria administrator Mary Lamb.
As the students and faculty depart for the holidays, Tully finds out his mother scheduled her honeymoon for the winter break and he is forced to stay with four other student holdovers during the Christmas holidays. Hunham is tasked with the responsibility of watching these students during the break while Mary remains to keep them fed.
I’ve only seen two of Payne’s previous films (Sideways and Downsizing). I really liked Sideways but I was not a big fan of Downsizing. One thing I remember most about Sideways though was how great Paul Giamatti was in it so I was hopeful that these two could create that same magic here and boy did they deliver with this one!
This movie has pretty much everything. First of all, it’s absolutely hilarious and delivers steady laughs throughout. I saw this with Adriana and Ty in a packed theater and we were sometimes even laughing in anticipation at the jokes we knew were coming. But even more impressive than the comedy was just how touching this movie was. In a different movie it would be easy to dislike both Hunham and Tully. Hunham is a curmudgeon that doesn’t understand the kids or the world as it is today while Tully is a smart student but can’t seem to get out of his own way. This movie doesn’t let those initial impressions linger though as you learn more and more about them throughout the movie and learn more about who they are and maybe why they are the way that they are. Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mary is just as important too and frequently steals the scenes that she is in as she delivers some of the heartiest laughs and deeply emotional moments with ease.
This is also one of the most comforting movies I’ve ever seen. Like if the feeling of curling up on the couch with a fuzzy warm blanket was a movie, this would be it. From the moment the movie starts, you’re transported to this place that feels real and lived in. Stylistically, from the film grain and static, to the audio, to even the opening credits and film rating, The Holdovers feels like a vintage movie. It’s hard to describe exactly, but almost right away the movie makes you feel comfortable, as if you’ve seen this movie a thousand times and you feel safe in this world with these characters.
That’s not to say the movie is completely light though. Yes, laughs are peppered throughout the movie, but as often is the case in the real world, humour also acts as a cover of pain that we feel. These are people with a lot going on in their life and specifically in their past. While the movie dives into some of these things more deeply, it also gives us more information in subtle ways that only adds to our understanding of these characters.
Looking more at the performances, Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully is fantastic here. I couldn’t believe this was his first feature film because he absolutely shines, especially in a scene later in the movie where he has a monologue that was shot in a single take. I can’t wait to see what else Sessa does in the future!
Now though, I want to turn to Paul Giamatti and the beautiful performance he gives in this movie. At the time of writing, this is easily my favourite acting performance of the year. The brilliance of this role is how deep they let Giamatti go. This character is far from one note as Hunham can annoy us in one moment, make us burst out in laughter the next, and then inspire us right after that. You understand who he is and why he is the way he is. More than that though, you grow to care about him. We even get a classic Giamatti yell with some excellent camera work to complement it.
(Also, shout out to my friend Vanessa who taught me that compliment and complement are two different words much later in my life than I would care to admit.)
Verdict
I’m writing this on November 10th, 2023 and so far this is my favourite movie of the year. I loved every second of this one and all of the amazing efforts by the cast and crew combined to deliver an experience that I believe will become part of my regular Christmas movie rotation. It’s not a Christmas movie in the traditional sense because it is so much more than that. This is about family, loss, and depression and it brilliantly uses the holiday season as a way to explore these themes. Don’t be worried by the themes though because this movie will make you laugh too and you will feel so good that you’ll want to experience it again and again.
The Holdovers is in theaters now and I can’t recommend it enough. This one is most definitely worth your time and your money!
Adriana Wiszniewska