Alexander Payne, director and screenwriter of award-winning films such as “The Descendants,” “Nebraska” and “Sideways,” has just released the next winter classic in “The Holdovers.”
With a budget of 16 million dollars, Payne and the film's cast blew away viewers at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Securing a 30 million dollar deal with the Universal Pictures distribution company Focus Features and marking the largest public deal ever made at the TIFF.
The film was written by David Hemingson and set during Christmas break in 1970 at the fictional New England all-boys boarding school Barton Academy. The film sees Paul Hunham, a professor universally disliked by students and staff, being stuck babysitting the holdover students with no home for Christmas. Hunham isn't alone in the endeavor. Mary Lamb, head cook at Barton, also stayed behind to grieve the death of her son and one-time Barton student Curtis, who was killed in Vietnam. Finally, Angus Tully, a Barton student with no home for Christmas, has to come to terms with this reality while having some fun and growing as a person along the way.
The film's leading cast consists of Paul Giamatti, starring in his second film directed by Alexander Payne, playing Hunham. Da'Vine Joy Randolph of “Only Murders In The Building” and the Hulu series “High Fidelity” plays Lamb and Dominic Sessa in his first film role playing Tully.
This isn't the first time that Payne and Giamatti have worked together. The last time these two worked together was on the 2004 film “Sideways,” which saw Payne win two Academy Awards and Giamatti win a Golden Globe, along with many other accolades for both them, the cast and crew.
Randolph, a relatively new name in acting, starred opposite Eddie Murphy in the 2019 comedy film “Dolemite Is My Name,” for which she won a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. "I had seen Da'Vine Joy Randolph and enjoyed her immensely in Dolemite Is My Name," said Payne in an interview with Greenlight.
Unlike Randolph or Giamatti, Sessa is making his acting debut as Tully. When asked how he landed on Sessa for the role, Payne said, "So we know it's going to be Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Randolph. Who's going to play the boy? The casting director Sussan Shopmaker and I said, well, let's call up the drama departments of the schools where we're actually going to be shooting — and damn, that's where we found him."
“The Holdovers” captures the coming-of-age story very well. It reminds me of films like “Remember The Titans” or “Dead Poets Society.” In the age of epic Marvel action sagas and fun but forgettable meme movies like “80 For Brady” and “Cocaine Bear,” “The Holdovers” is a breath of fresh air into a style of movie that hasn't been seen in a while. The film also talks about heavy subjects like grief, mental illness and wanting to be wanted. That said, I would give “The Holdovers” a 4.5 out of 5. “The Holdovers” holds a mirror up to reality and shows that even in the best stories there isn't always a happy ending. Overall, the film is a masterpiece, and it is in my holiday movie rotation.
Paul Giamatti for 'The Holdovers'Courtesy of Slate
