The Holdovers is the latest from Oscar winning filmmaker Alexander Payne and also his first film in seven years since Downsizing in 2017. For this one the acclaimed director reteams with star Paul Giamatti, almost twenty years after the pair made the wonderful Sideways together. Their new Oscar hopeful film first premiered back at the Telluride Film Festival back in September to much rave reviews and then I was fortunate to be amongst the first audience members to catch a screening during my time at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was not only far and away the best film I saw during my time at this year’s festival, but it’s also one of the absolute best films of all of 2023 and it’s I think Payne’s best film as far back as Sideways. This is an often heartbreaking, very funny, charming, and emotionally resonating piece of work that is certain to capture the hearts of many viewers as it has mine the two times I’ve seen it so far.
Paul Giamatti has been one of our great character actors for quite a few decades now, but it’s especially always such a joy when he really gets to shine in a meaty leading role like the character of Paul Hunham. Giamatti gives one of the greatest performances of his entire career here as Hunham, a stern yet compassionate and charming teacher whose story is easy to get swept in. We’ve seen similar classic professor characters like Hunham in films before, but what Giamatti does in this role is nothing short of magnificent and with the warm sincerity he displays in this performance I never even felt like I was watching just an actor doing his job on screen. Giamatti was criminally snubbed of an Oscar nod for his great performance in Sideways, but I plea today to future Academy voters not to make that same mistake again because this is as good as a performance as I’ve seen from anyone in any film all year long. But what makes this film work so well is the equally magnificent co-stars Giamatti has alongside him. The young Dominic Sessa turns in a star making and even award worthy performance as Giamatti’s broken student Angus. Sessa is impressive in the way he’s able to go head to head with Giamatti, but this is also not an easy character to pull off yet Sessa brings all of the needed nuances to garner so much empathy from the audience. The chemistry between our two leads is so wholesome, but the film is even better when Da’Vine Joy Randolph gets to play off both of them. Randolph is also a revelation that deserves major Oscar buzz. These three form an unlikely family dynamic that made me equally smile and tear up numerous of times.
The film is set in the 1970s and right from the moment the opening credits start rolling it feels as if Payne has transported the audience back into this time period because he captures it so well. It really feels as if you just might be a fly on the wall. The cinematography work from Eigli Bryld is immersive and beautiful to behold, some of the year’s finest work in this department. The soundtrack is also addictive and wonderful with its 70s needle drops while the musical score composed from Mark Orton also wonderfully captures the 70s setting perfectly. Payne has done a lot of great work as a director throughout his impressive career, but from even just a technical standpoint this is some of his most accomplished work to date. The Best Director race is going to be very stacked at this upcoming Oscars, but I suspect Payne’s name to very much be in the running even for a film perhaps much less showy than others we’ve seen this year.
This is not necessarily the most original story that we haven’t seen similar films tackle before (think shades of Dead Poets Society, even The Breakfast Club), but Payne and especially the screenplay from writer David Hemingson just hits all of the right notes here. These characters are not only wonderfully cast, but they are fully well realized and three dimensional. They feel like real, grounded people you would easily know in your own lives and that’s precisely what got me to care so much about these characters. These are emotionally scarred individuals whom find a heartwarming connection with one another through their feelings of isolation and loneliness. From the relationships that formed, the conversation and the sincere emotions, nothing in this script ever felt manufactured. Not a single note rings hollow or unauthentic. And Payne is no stranger to emotionally resonate human drama, but this film is also exceptionally funny. These characters made me tear up and just about had me rolling on the floor in laughter in equally impressive measures. Payne’s also made some really great comedies, but this just might be his funniest film to date.
I’ve tried to think of any real criticisms to pinpoint with The Holdovers and I really can’t do it. It runs a little over two hours long, but this film is paced beautifully and quite frankly I could’ve easily spent even more time with these wonderful characters. The story is an emotionally resonate one, the performances across the board are magnificent, the humor fires on all cylinders, and this is one of my favorite screenplays of the year. With the film’s wholesome spirit and wonderful Christmas vibes, this is for sure to be a real crowd pleaser that I feel as if I could recommend to just about any person I know to go out and see it. You might just tear with these characters at one moment, but then at the very next moment you’ll be grinning and laughing with them as I certainly was. I’ve seen this film twice and I already can’t wait to see it again. I’m a huge fan of Payne’s filmography overall and I’m tempted to say this just might be my new personal favorite of his. It’s a real contender for one of my absolute favorite films of the year.
Final Grade: A+