The Holdovers (15)

Dir: Alexander Payne

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa

Whilst it may not have had the emotional impact I was anticipating, Alexander Payne returns to form with this bittersweet festive dramedy

Despite his work on several critically admired works over the years, I have never truly got on board with Alexander Payne as a filmmaker. There is no question that as a writer-director he is extremely talented and often accurately depicts American sensibilities with the help of his often satirical and zany characters. I found myself enjoying Payne’s work earlier in his career, particularly with the releases of Election (1999), Sideways (2004) and About Schmidt (2003), which remain my favourite films of his to date. With these features, I feel Payne finds a perfect balance with his morally questionable central protagonists, making them likeable enough to keep us as the viewer invested without ever fully condoning their occasionally suspect behaviour.

As Payne’s career has progressed, I have found that he has struggled recapture that balance, veering too far into sentimentality in films such as The Descendants (2011) or Nebraska (2013), or being overly cynical with his shambolic sci-fi comedy Downsizing (2017). Despite being disappointed by Payne’s last few releases, I found myself eagerly awaiting the release of his latest project ‘The Holdovers’, not only because it sees Payne reunite with Sideways star Paul Giamatti, but it also only the second time in which Payne does not have a writing credit. There is no questioning that Payne is a talented writer, particularly when it comes to his character developments but after a couple lacklustre outings, handing over writing duties to David Hemingson in what is his first feature could give Payne the fresh start he needs.

The success behind Payne’s latest directorial outing is its simplicity, especially following on from the uncharacteristically high concept premise of Downsizing. ‘The Holdovers’ is a melancholic throwback to 1970s cinema, complete with a sombre period soundtrack and a 35mm film stock aesthetic. This distinct visual style is reminiscent of the character driven dramedies of the time, such as Hal Ashby’s brilliant dark-comedy Harold and Maude (1971), something I thought I would never see on the big screen in 2024.

Giamatti has been criminally overlooked for years and it is great to see him finally get recognition for his work over the course of this current award season. Reuniting with Payne after 20 years, Giamatti stars as brutal history professor Paul Hunham, undoubtedly his richest role since Ron Howard‘s Cinderella Man in 2005. Paul is generally disliked by the students and staff at the prestigious Barton Academy due to his strict demeanour, which is also left him without much of a social life away from campus.

When it comes to the festive holiday break, most of the pupils are able to return home to see their loved ones after months of being cooped up at the boarding school. However, there are always a handful of unfortunate individuals who, for one reason or another, have nowhere to spend the Christmas break and are forced to remain on campus under supervision. With the break also allowing the staff to return to their own personal lives, it requires a lonely individual, such as Paul, to willingly accept the responsibility of staying behind to take care of the ‘holdovers’. Through a series of events over the winter of 1970, the only ‘holdovers’ to remain are Paul, his intelligent but troubled student Angus (Dominic Sessa) and bereaved mother and head cook Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). Three vastly different individuals who are at three distinct moments in their lives but still manage to reach out and influence each other in a heart-warming, albeit predictable, festive way.

While Hemingson’s script is fairly derivative of countless feel-good festive dramedies of the past, his grounded and well-rendered characters conclude their predictable arcs in a organic manner. This is only further enhanced by three truly outstanding central performances, without the need to monologue their inner complexities. They fully embody these characters without ever drifting into the over sentimental territory akin to some of Payne’s earlier works. It truly is career best work from Giamatti and Randolph, the latter having impressed in a handful of supporting roles since her breakout in another 70s set romp Dolemite is My Name (2019). Mary is the heart of the film, serving as the mother figure at this makeshift family Christmas and is symbolic of the sadness the holiday season can bring to those in bereavement.

Dominic Sessa in his breakout role as the reckless but endearing Angus, has seen less award fanfare than Giamatti and Randolph but he easily stands toe-to-toe with his more experienced co-stars. Angus is definitely the most volatile of the three characters, continuously shifting from the aggressor to the victim in his social interactions. Whether this be with the bullyish “banter” with his fellow students or his constant disobedience towards Paul, who belittles a clearly upset Angus at every turn despite his glaringly obvious distain towards his mother and stepfather for abandoning him during the holidays.

This may easily be my favourite film of Payne’s for two decades and is definitely a vast improvement on his last feature, but I still found myself not as emotionally invested as I ought to be. Despite the performances and characters keeping me engaged I think ultimately the film runs out of steam due to the runtime. At 140 minutes, the comedy-drama does slightly outstay its welcome as any emotional climax or highpoint is left to linger for too long and eventually fizzles out, occasionally leaving me as cold as the snowy New England backdrop. While it does not quite become a cliché and I respect the lack of dramatic shifts in tone or story, I was fully aware from the opening interactions as to how the film would play out, leading to a somewhat expected finale.

While it may not reach the heights of his earlier work, ‘The Holdovers‘ is by and large a return to form for Alexander Payne. Thanks to some solid character work, realised by the three outstanding performances it makes for a bittersweet throwback to the classic holiday movies of old.

The Holdovers is now showing in UK Cinemas