"Discomfort and joy."
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.
Paul Giamatti
Paul Hunham
Dominic Sessa
Angus Tully
Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Mary Lamb
Carrie Preston
Miss Lydia Crane
Brady Hepner
Teddy Kountze
Ian Dolley
Alex Ollerman
Jim Kaplan
Ye-Joon Park
Michael Provost
Jason Smith
Andrew Garman
Dr. Hardy Woodrup
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.
The Holdovers is a thoughtful, sweet and pleasantly heartwarming film which feels like an old warm hug My Score : 92/100 "The Holdovers" is heartwarming tale of unlikely friendships. It's the kind of movie that lingers with you, gently nudging your conscience and leaving your heart a little fuller than before. The storyline is relatively straightforward, yet it's beautifully executed in a way that breathes a palpable life into each character and every scene.The film's setting, the 1970s, is captured with a sense of brilliance and authenticity that transport you back in time. The arcs of sensibility and chemistry between the characters grow on you as you watch their journey unfold. The film's runtime of 133 minutes feels like a swift, captivating journey rather than a drawn-out narrative. The powerful performances by the central leads, storytelling that feels personal, and the charming chemistry between the characters make this a wonderful Christmas film. 1. Heartwarming 1970s film: The film's setting, the 1970s, is captured with a sense of brilliance , subtlety and authenticity that transport you back in time. The film doesn't claim to be a comedy, but the subtle humour injected into the narrative adds a layer of charm and depth. 2. Compelling characters: The plot revolves around a cranky history teacher (Paul Giamatti), a troubled student, and a grieving cook. What starts as a friction-filled teacher-student relationship gradually evolves into an endearing friendship. The arcs of sensibility and chemistry between the characters grow on you as you watch their journey unfold. 3. Thoughtful Narrative : Holdovers is an heartwarming tale of unlikely friendship which carefully takes its characters and give them their own arcs. Its so sensible yet cheerful that you fall for the characters instantly as you spend some time with them. 4. Swift and engaging: The film's runtime of 133 minutes feels like a swift, captivating journey rather than a drawn-out narrative. Feels like a smooth buttery screenplay transporting you in the 1970s and you dont need to exercise your brains and enjoy a film. 5. Oscar-worthy performances: Paul Giamatti, in his portrayal of Paul Hunham, delivers a performance that is nothing short of magnetic. His brilliant acting justifies why he is often termed ingenious. He brings a depth to his character that feels authentic and relatable, making it easy for the audience to root for him. Dominic Tessa, as Angus Tully, encapsulates his character's loneliness, frustration, and excitement with a performance that is exceptional. He is a bright star in the making. Instagram and X : @streamgenx
Anyone remember John Houseman's professor "Kingsfield" in "The Paper Chase" (1973)? Well, that's who Paul Giamatti reminded me of here with his portrayal of the acerbic, no-nonsense, ancient civilisations lecturer "Hunham". It's the last day of term and he hands out examination results that persist at the lower end of the A-F scale! This causes quite a bit of consternation amongst the silver-spooned students who fear their wealthy parents more than him. He agrees to try and mitigate these impending disasters by giving them extra work but that just irritates the B+ student "Tully" (Dominic Sessa) whose intervention doesn't exactly make him any friends! Anyway, serendipity takes her revenge now and this lad's planned Christmas in St. Kitts is kiboshed and he finds himself stuck at school over the holidays with his least favourite school colleague "Kountze" (Brady Hepner) and his teaching nemesis all sleeping in the infirmary! Drawbridges are up and battle lines drawn right from the outset, and are only exacerbated when the other kids are whisked off skiing leaving just the two and their long-suffering cook "Mary" (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) - a lady who also happens to be grieving for her son who has been killed in action before his twentieth birthday. Not the makings for much festivities, but gradually the three begin to bond a little, the ice begins to thaw and - well I suppose the rest isn't really too hard to guess. It's not really the story that makes this work - that's not especially unique. It's the three characterful performances - especially from the young Sessa - peppered with a wonderful selection of perfectly delivered sarcastic humour, temper tantrums, a little slapstick and an increasingly engaging rapport between the two men who must learn to overcome their differences - some serious, some trivial, some completely non-existent - so that maybe, just maybe, they will be able to resume after the New Year on less openly hostile terms. To that end, our trio take a trip to Boston - but will that help? It does rather run out of steam towards the predicable ending but the first forty minutes are genuinely laugh out loud at times. Giamatti and Randolph are naturals with Sessa looking like a man we will see again. Good fun with messages of humanity and reconciliation that are delivered using comedy rather than too much sentiment.
I didn't care for The Holdovers. It was funny at times, and it was a good film, just not my cup of tea. But because it wasn't my cup of tea, I don't really have much to say about it. So I'll sum up a review that hasn't been written yet. TL;DR The movie was fine, not my favorite, and too slow for my liking. The actors did a great job, and... that's it, I think.
Never finished it. Really disappointing compared to the hype.
8/10 Excellent. All three main protagonists in top form. Funny and poignant in equal measure. The emotions rang true as I have recently read Richard Beard's "Sad Little Men" about British private schools.
'The Holdovers' is one that I had heard was a great movie and it most certainly is! The performances of Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph are absolutely stellar. Dominic Sessa (film debut?!) impresses too, even if his character looked older than intended to me (no biggie). A charming movie, no doubt. The story is actually rather simple but is one that makes an impact. It is wonderfully shot, as well. I can fully understand why this received such a high praise, it's totally merited.
Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future.
At an exclusive boys' school, a new gym teacher is drawn into a feud between two older instructors, and he discovers that everything at the school is not quite as staid, tranquil and harmless as it seems.
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised.
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.
To get to know his girlfriend's son, a man volunteers to pick him up from a prep school... only to learn that her son's not the nicest kid.
A chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of substitute teacher, Henry Barthes. Henry roams from school to school, imparting modes of knowledge, but never staying long enough to form any semblance of sentient attachment.
Inspired by a true story, “Beyond the Blackboard” is about a 24-year-old first-time teacher who makes a difference in the lives of the homeless children she teaches in a shelter’s makeshift classroom. Set in 1987 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this movie tells the story a brand-new teacher and Mom who is given a tougher than expected teaching job and winds up teaching homeless children in a school that is housed in a room and called, literally, The School with No Name. She has some personal prejudicial hurdles to cross before she is able to be a true teacher for these children and of course there are hurdles like the lack of books and supplies.
A privileged rich debutante and a cynical struggling entertainer share a turbulent, but strong childhood friendship over the years.
An advertising man is slowly sliding downhill. When he is fired from his job in Detroit, he signs up for unemployment. One day they find him a job: teaching thinking skills to Army recruits. He arrives on base to find that there is no structure set up for the class.