Review: The Holdovers (2023)

The Holdovers

Rating

Director

Alexander Payne

Screenplay

David Hemingson

Length

2h 13m

Starring

Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner, Ian Dolley, Jim Kaplan, Michael Provost, Andrew Garman, Naheem Garcia

MPAA Rating

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Review

Delving into the realm of private education, The Holdovers reminds audiences that class dynamics and struggles haven’t changed much since the time in which the film is set, 1970.

Paul Giamatti delivers his most nuanced performance to date as the seemingly aloof history teacher wanting to do what all teachers should, educate. Finding himself in the halls of elitism, he strikes out at the powerful by ensuring they receive an adequate education, not one that is plastered over a cracking foundation.

This film takes stabs at generational wealth and societal entitlement while presenting a figure who seems to be at once a part of this world of private education but ultimately reveals him to be a countercultural iconoclast doing his best to educate minds who have had their lives laid before them with silver spoons, not regretting that he subjects them to uncertain futures. In that way, he prepares them for a world that won’t be handed to them, but one which demands more of them. Of course he also knows that they will be isolated from the struggles of normal people and doesn’t care that this makes him an easy target for disdain, crass humor, and recriminations. He believes in education first and institutional wealth last.

Giamatti’s performance begins in isolation, but as he’s punished for his past actions by forcing him to watch students stuck at the school over the Christmas holiday, he ultimately bonds with his fellow internees. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is devastating as a cook whose son gave his life in Vietnam while serving lunches and dinners to the kinds of kids whose parents will ensure they never see action. Although her son had attended the school she works at, he was called to serve and he went, hoping that when he got home he would be ensured a college education. Dominic Sessa inhabits the one teen whose disinterested parents have abandoned him for the winter. His rebellious nature puts him at odds with his classmates and his teachers, masking the hurt he bears as a result of his father’s departure and his mother’s insistence on moving on and estranging herself from him.

These performances are each fleshed out in great detail by screenwriter David Hemingson whose work is embodied with perfection by the central trio. Payne rarely works on others’ scripts, but this still feels every bit a Payne film with its static shots, off-screen action, and heartbreaking interpersonal scenes. It’s a wonderful trip into a world that’s seldom so evocatively and efficiently eviscerated. This is perhaps the most detailed depiction of the dynamic between teacher and student seen in some time. There are obvious influences from the likes of Goodbye, Mr. Chips, To Sir with Love, and Dead Poets Society, but this feels far more grounded than any of those.

The character study has been around since film began, but it reached its heyday in the 1970s with filmmakers like Peter Bogdanovich and Robert Altman. Then, as the 1990s saw an increase in the number of independent studios turning out low-budget efforts, cinemas became oversaturated with them and that glut hasn’t abated since. In the last two decades, Alexander Payne has carved out a niche for himself as one of the foremost filmmakers working on such films. Often tackling small scale stories about regular folks with relatable conditions and emotions in situations both familiar and unfamiliar, Payne’s films have a polish that make them seem just a bit larger than life. Yet, that glossier sheen doesn’t undercut their salience.

The Holdovers fires on nearly all cylinders, though there are moments that drag too much, a byproduct of its unnecessarily lengthy two-hour-thirteen-minute runtime. While that allows the audience to fully explore the three main characters, there are moments that could have been excised without tampering with its evocative nature. There are few filmmakers who can remain so consistently involving and who can tackle such heady topics without becoming preachy. Payne is thankfully one of them.

Oscar Prospects

Guarantees: Picture, Supporting Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), Original Screenplay
Probables: Supporting Actor (Dominic Sessa)
Potentials: Directing, Actor (Paul Giamatti), Film Editing