‘The Holdovers’ is a pleasant surprise this holiday season. Alexander Payne is a gifted director. He has the talent to get nuanced performances from his actors. Set in the 1970s, the story transports us back to a time when people smoked indoors. You can taste the cigarette smell on the celluloid. David Heminston writes a sharp screenplay based on his memories of attending an all-boys prep school. Payne reunites with his costar Paul Giamatti from the 2004 film ‘Sideways.’ Who could ever forget that character not wanting to drink Merlot? ‘The Holdovers’ is a fascinating coming-of-age tale of three characters finding understanding and compassion for one another.
Paul Hunham (Giamatti) is a grumpy professor of ancient history at Barton Academy, a fictional New England boarding school. From the get-go, Payne propels the audience back to 1970. The school winter break is fast approaching when the privileged students head off to warmer climates. Hunham gets the short end of the stick when he is chosen to babysit a handful of students that have nowhere to go during the Christmas break. The cranky professor takes refuge with his only friend, a bottle of Jim Beam whiskey.
When the rest of the holdovers are helicoptered away for a ski trip, there is only one student who remains on campus. Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), whose mom abandoned their plans to spend time with her new husband. Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) is the head cook and mourning her son’s death in Vietnam. These three characters are thrown together in unfortunate circumstances. You have Giamatti’s cranky teacher, Randolph’s the depressed cook and Sessa’s the privileged jerk. The revelation of this film is that Payne lets them thoroughly explore these characters.
There are some comical and dark moments in the film. The characters butt heads. The gift of this film is how they begin to understand each other. They look outside of their own problems to care about another’s plight. There are no simple answers presented here. Real life is not always a happy ending. In this case, it is more of an awakening. It’s the simple fact that they become friends and want to help each other during this sad time in their lives. You see a change in the characters as they come together as a found family during the holidays.
The performances are first-rate among the three actors. Giamatti is spot on with his “bah, humbug” persona. His character’s disdain for the privileged Angus eventually melts away. They become unlikely friends. Sessa is a newcomer to acting. He goes toe to toe with his costars. He brings just the right balance of humor and wit to his character. Another solid performance comes from Randolph. She is grieving her son’s loss in the Vietnam war. They all connect with each other in heartwarming and bittersweet ways. That’s the way it should be. Life is complicated and Payne never makes the proceedings feel like saccharine.
When I was watching ‘The Holdovers,’ I kept thinking they don’t make them like this anymore. One of the main themes is about opportunity and entitlement. There is a sharp bite throughout this comedy. ‘The Holdovers’ reminds us that life is messy. There are no simple answers but a little understanding goes a long way. In one word, ‘The Holdovers’ is a wistful art film. Thanks to directors like Payne, they are not a dying breed.
