A Christmas-centric comedy-drama, “The Holdovers” follows disgruntled history teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) as he struggles to take care of a group of students left at their prep school over winter break in 1970. The teacher eventually forms a bond with the cynical but sensitive student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and the emotionally vulnerable school chef Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
From the retro opening credits to the consistent use of crossfades and wipe transitions, “The Holdovers” presents itself as a story about the past’s influence on present-day experiences. In a telling moment late into the film, Hunham speaks to Tully about how history explains the present, and by then, it’s clear that the past haunts every character.
Hunham acts belligerently towards students he sees as “philistines” and obsesses over history (and alcohol) as a means to avoid his career disappointments. Paul Giamatti digs deep into the character to reveal his wickedly dry sense of humor that makes him compelling to watch.
It’s a treat to see Giamatti bring his anxious charisma to this character, but it’s made much more effective when paired with the other two protagonists. The characters’ contradictory worldviews contrast with each other and eventually give way to a satisfying display of empathy and growth.
The maladjusted Tully benefits from detailed character development that slowly reveals how he came to such a tough position in his life. Lamb’s story of grief and bitterness over her son’s death in the then-ongoing Vietnam War is brought to life by the emotional yet powerfully restrained depiction of grief delivered by Randolph, and together they begin to warm the cold heart Hunham has been hiding behind.
The story does make some missteps by not taking advantage of certain stories it seemed to set up for itself, particularly by underutilizing supporting characters who potentially could’ve fit into the overarching theme of history’s reverberations through our daily lives. This becomes more problematic as the 133-minute-long runtime continues to spend so much time with the small trio of leads, whose chemistry and enjoyable moments together feel stretched thin by the time the credits roll.
However, “The Holdovers” manages to maintain a consistent pace throughout even as the story grows disinteresting, and there’s a surprising variety of visual variety and dramatic situations that get explored without betraying the small scale of the New England milieu. A low-key dramedy that manages to sneak in emotional weight with emphasis on persevering despite the disappointments of the past, “The Holdovers” stands as more than a decent movie choice for this holiday season.
3.5 bottles of Jim Beam out of 5
