---
title: "The Holdovers"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-holdovers"
fi1m_id: "the-holdovers"
imdb_id: "tt14849194"
tmdb_id: 840430
wikidata_id: "Q112114745"
fi1m_score: 81
critics_score: 84
critics_reviews: 18
published: "2026-09-10"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:41.406186+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Holdovers (2023)

Directed by Alexander Payne · 2h 13m · MPA R · Drama, Comedy

## Identity

The Holdovers

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-holdovers
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-holdovers
- **IMDb ID:** tt14849194
- **TMDB ID:** 840430
- **Wikidata ID:** Q112114745
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849194/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/840430, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112114745

**Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 84 from 18 reviews

*In a sentence:* The teacher nobody wanted, the boy nobody collected, and the cook who has to feed them both

> Alexander Payne’s snowbound school comedy is warm, funny and better acted than it is written. Giamatti and Randolph carry it; David Hemingson’s script says its lesson out loud once or twice too often, and at 133 minutes it dawdles. We recommend it anyway.

## Synopsis

It is December 1970 at a boys’ boarding school, and the term is over. Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), a teacher disliked by pupils and staff in roughly equal measure, is told he will stay on to supervise the handful of boys nobody is collecting for Christmas. Among them is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), clever, mouthy and furious that his mother has changed her plans at the last minute. The school’s cook, Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), stays too; her son has recently died and she has nowhere she would rather be. Alexander Payne directs, from a script by David Hemingson, and the three of them are left with the snow, the empty dining hall and each other.

## Review

Alexander Payne has made this sort of film before: a sour man, a stretch of time he does not want to spend, a small decency arriving late. *The Holdovers* puts the sour man in a school, gives him Paul Giamatti’s face, and sets the whole thing in the winter of 1970, shot and cut and scored as if it had been sitting in a vault since then. It is a good film, warmer than it first lets on, and it is carried by its actors more than its script. We recommend it, with the caveat that it is a quarter of an hour longer than it needs to be and tells you what it means more than once.

Giamatti plays Paul Hunham as a man who has decided that being right will do instead of being liked. He fails boys for sport, quotes the ancients at them, smells faintly of the drink he keeps in his desk, and cannot look anyone straight in the eye because one of his eyes will not cooperate. It would be an easy part to make hateful. Giamatti does not, and the trick is that Hunham enjoys himself. His first address to the boys in the dormitory, a list of rules delivered as if to a jury, made us laugh out loud, and we went on laughing at him for an hour before we noticed we had started to mind what happened to him.

The boys start as a group and thin out for reasons we will leave to the film. Brady Hepner’s Teddy Kountze is the bully, Ian Dolley, Jim Kaplan and Michael Provost fill out the dormitory, and then it is Angus. Dominic Sessa has a long, wary face that can go from insolent to stricken without a cut, and he uses it sparingly. Angus is rich and clever and has worked out that neither is going to save him from his family. Sessa never asks us to like him. He lets Hunham do that, slowly, and the film is at its best when the two of them are trading insults across an empty refectory and both are enjoying it more than they will admit.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph moved us more than anyone else on screen, and she does it by refusing to perform grief. Mary sits in the kitchen with the television and a drink, snaps at Hunham about his manners, and lets the loss show only at the edges: a pause before she answers, a look at the door when someone comes in who is not her son. Then, in a scene we will not describe, it stops staying at the edges. Randolph plays it with her back half-turned to the camera and it is the moment we will keep.

The period is done properly. Eigil Bryld shoots in soft brown light with visible grain, the snow outside grey rather than white, the corridors lit by whatever comes through the windows. Ryan Warren Smith’s production design and Wendy Chuck’s costumes keep to corduroy, wool and mustard, and nothing looks new. Mark Orton’s score is guitar and piano, quiet enough to forget. Kevin Tent cuts slowly and fades scenes out rather than snapping them shut, which suits the era and does not help the running time.

Hemingson’s script is the weak part. Its shape is a diagram: the man who never left teaches the boy, the boy teaches the man, and Mary is there to remind them both what real trouble looks like. Randolph makes her a person; the writing does not always. And when the film has made a point with a look, it tends to make it again with a speech. The reviews so far have been warm, and we mostly agree with them. We just wish Payne had trusted his cast to say less.

It is his best film since [*Sideways*](https://film.one/film/sideways) (2004), which also had Giamatti in it, and it shares that film’s fondness for a man who has wasted himself. Payne has never been sentimental about such men. He is kind to them, which is different, and this time the kindness is spread three ways.

It is a 15. Watch it in the week before Christmas, when the house is quiet and nobody is coming.

*Fi1m score 81, published 10 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The critics are close to unanimous about The Holdovers, and the spread is narrow: almost every review lands as a warm four stars or thereabouts, with a handful pushing higher and a few festival notices holding back a little. The praise clusters on the acting. Paul Giamatti’s prickly teacher is singled out in nearly every piece, with Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s grieving cook close behind; a few reviews prefer her. Nearly as often mentioned is the period style, which most critics read as a convincing return to mid-1970s American cinema, and many call it Alexander Payne’s strongest work since Sideways.

Reservations are mild and mostly about sentiment: The Hollywood Reporter finds it uneven before a strong final third, while The Playlist and The Wrap find it familiar and occasionally schmaltzy. The one real dissent is the Los Angeles Times, where Justin Chang calls the film phony and diagrammatic and objects to its handling of Randolph’s character.

## Straight answers

**Is The Holdovers worth watching?**

*The Holdovers* is worth watching for anyone who likes a slow, sour-then-warm comedy carried by its actors, and we scored it 81. Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph are the reason to see it; David Hemingson's script states its lesson out loud once or twice too often, and at 133 minutes it dawdles. We recommend it anyway.

**How long is The Holdovers, and what is it rated?**

*The Holdovers* runs 2h 13m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and comedy film.

**Where can I watch The Holdovers in the US?**

*The Holdovers* is streaming on Peacock, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Holdovers, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Holdovers* is a 15 in the UK and R in the US, for language and adult themes rather than violence; there is nothing frightening in it. It concerns a bereaved cook, a drinking teacher and a boy abandoned at Christmas, so the sadness is real, but it is not a film to shield teenagers from. Younger children would simply be bored.

**How does The Holdovers compare to Au Revoir les Enfants?**

[*Au Revoir les Enfants*](https://film.one/film/au-revoir-les-enfants) is the better and the graver film; *The Holdovers* is the warmer and funnier one. Both put boys in a boarding school in winter and watch adults fail them, but Malle's wartime drama carries a weight Payne's Christmas comedy never reaches for. Choose Payne for an evening you want to enjoy, Malle for one you will remember.

**What should I watch after The Holdovers?**

After *The Holdovers*, try [*Au revoir les enfants*](https://film.one/film/au-revoir-les-enfants) (1987, Fi1m 90): A French boarding school in wartime, watched by a boy who does not understand yet. Then [*Paper Moon*](https://film.one/film/paper-moon) (1973, Fi1m 86): A con man and a child who is better at it, in black and white; and [*Election*](https://film.one/film/election) (1999, Fi1m 86): Payne’s earlier school film, with a teacher who is far less forgivable.

### Reviews we read (29)

- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (5/5): Alexander Payne’s period piece is a profoundly nourishingly funny and moving film, his best since Sideways. The critic praises Paul Giamatti’s awards-worthy performance as the curmudgeonly teacher and the impeccable period style that feels like a dispatch from 1970s cinema. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2023/10/11/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne/)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critics Pick): The review hails the film as feeling like a lost ’70s classic that reunites Payne with Giamatti for a generous portrait of flawed characters. It singles out the humane exploration of class, race, grief and the lead performances for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne-paul-giamatti-1235709680/)
- **The AV Club**, Manuel Betancourt (B+): The film is described as a warm, humanist portrait of the need for gentleness that mellows from a grating start into nuanced explorations of trauma, privilege, and connection. The central trio's layered performances and Payne's avoidance of sentimentality are highlighted as strengths. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-holdovers-movie-review-1850958726)
- **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (4/5): Alexander Payne’s bittersweet nostalgia trip is a highly skilled, sharply intelligent comic drama dressed up as a gooey heartwarmer. The critic singles out Paul Giamatti’s standout performance as the grouchy teacher who makes an old lesson feel new. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/ca1c19d1-a3fc-47ed-ae75-edc0e214e4ff)
- **Little White Lies**, Lillian Crawford (3/4/4): An excellent Christmassy dramedy with witty repartee and strong turns from the leads in a boarding-school holiday lock-in. It avoids saccharine excess thanks to Randolph’s grounded presence amid the privileged setting. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-holdovers)
- **Radio Times**, Emma Simmonds (4/5): The spirit of the American New Wave lives on in this curmudgeonly Christmas drama with a big heart. Giamatti, Sessa and Randolph complement each other wonderfully in a slow-burn charmer channeling Hal Ashby and Bob Rafelson. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-h3p4px/the-holdovers/)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (80/100, inferred): The review praises the finely tuned tale of misfits stranded over the holidays and the force and grace brought by the leading players. It singles out the director’s conclusion of the fable with a handshake rather than a hug. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/11/06/the-killer-movie-review-the-holdovers)
- **The Times**, Tom Shone (4/5): Payne has directed his strongest movie since Sideways, a funny and moving tale of a cranky teacher and pupils marooned over the holidays. The critic calls it a great big warm hug of a movie, immaculately executed and worthy of awards, anchored by Paul Giamatti’s never-better performance. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-holdovers-review-a-warm-hug-from-the-team-behind-sideways-06q6twsdr)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): A delightful, loveable answer to The Breakfast Club and an unexpected Christmas gem with a genuine glow. The review singles out Giamatti’s curmudgeonly yet rootable performance and the film’s jaded hopefulness and 1970s texture. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-holdovers-2023)
- **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Giamatti's standout performance as a prickly teacher whose vulnerabilities and compassion emerge over time. They highlight the film's generous portrayal of its characters without sentimentality. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-holdovers-review-paul-giamatti-is-at-his-best.html)
- **Empire**, Nick de Semlyen: The critic praises the reunion of Payne and Giamatti as a hilarious yet melancholy return to form and a new Christmas classic. The performances, especially Giamatti's, and the finely tuned 1970s period detail are singled out for their charm and engagement. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-holdovers/)
- **Evening Standard**, Tom Davidson: The critic describes the film as a charming and disarming heart-warming dramedy that works brilliantly as comedy while offering subtle social commentary. Giamatti's unlikeable-yet-engaging teacher and Randolph's soulful performance are highlighted as the heart and soul of the story. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne-paul-giamatti-b1112868.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang: The critic calls the film a clunky, phony white-elephant gift that feels diagrammatic and self-satisfied. He singles out the patronizing treatment of the Mary character and the script’s overstatement for complaint. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-10-26/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne-paul-giamatti)
- **Screen Daily**: A wistful 1970-set character study that reunites Payne with Giamatti for a crushingly wistful tale of unhappy characters forming uneasy bonds. It praises the lead performance and the bittersweet tone familiar from the director’s best work. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-holdovers-toronto-review/5185815.article)
- **Sight and Sound**: The critic calls it a nostalgic, funny, moving and thought-provoking film that evokes mid-1970s Hollywood cinema and may be Payne’s finest. Strong praise goes to the lead performances, especially Giamatti’s, and the warm yet bittersweet tone. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/holdovers-this-high-school-heartwarmer-no-ordinary-throwback)
- **Slant Magazine**, Mark Hanson: A warmhearted throwback and leisurely character study saved by strong performances that prevent pure sentimentality. Giamatti, Sessa, and Randolph are praised for their chemistry and insights, with the film attuned to class constraints on its outsiders. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne-paul-giamatti/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: Alexander Payne delivers a terrific, bittersweet throwback to 1970s American cinema about misfits stranded together over Christmas at a boarding school. The critic highlights the achingly sharp performances, especially Da’Vine Joy Randolph as the grieving cook, and the film’s bracing astringency beneath its melancholy humour. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/21/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne-paul-giamatti-da-vine-joy-randolph)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Stephen Farber: The critic finds the film an engaging but uneven comic drama that builds to a satisfying conclusion. They praise the strong performances, especially Giamatti's, and the understated emotional depth in the final third. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne-paul-giamatti-1235579735/)
- **The i Paper**, Geoffrey Macnab: The review highlights Giamatti's magnetic performance as making audiences love an obnoxious character and calls the film magical and affecting. Payne's deft blend of comedy, pathos and meticulous 1970s recreation is praised as awards-worthy. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-holdovers-review-paul-giamatti-oscar-2859196)
- **The New York Times**, Wesley Morris (Critic's Pick): The critic finds Alexander Payne’s film crackling with pungent life as it strands three sad souls at a 1970s boarding school over Christmas. He singles out the director’s emotional finesse and the sharpness of the comedy and characterizations. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/movies/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne.html)
- **HeyUGuys**, Linda Marric (5/5): The critic finds it a delightful, redemptive story of personal growth, friendship and sacrifice that skilfully navigates the human condition. They single out Paul Giamatti's career-defining, cantankerous performance as a man hiding from his feelings. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-holdovers-review/)
- **/Film**, Barry Levitt (9.5/10): The critic calls it a marvellous, wonderful movie with perfect performances and a brilliantly layered script. They single out the gorgeous period-accurate look and Giamatti's outstanding lead turn. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1390902/the-holdovers-review-tiff-2023/)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (9/10): The Holdovers is one of Alexander Payne's warmest and most big-hearted films, a charming yet melancholy Christmas tale with a great trio of performances. The critic singles out Paul Giamatti's brilliant, deeply felt portrayal of the cantankerous teacher as perhaps his best yet. [Read](https://collider.com/the-holdovers-review/)
- **Film Stories**, James Harvey (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it the best film of the year and a huge, sweeping waft of cinema. They single out the achingly good story, three standout performances, and how it feels like a nostalgic, unapologetically cinematic movie from another era. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-holdovers-review-pure-cinematic-soup-for-the-soul/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (85/100, inferred): Payne delivers one of his best with this warm, funny and poignant story of three lonely people forming an unlikely family over Christmas break at a boarding school. The critic singles out Paul Giamatti’s perfectly cast, brilliantly delivered lead performance as the curmudgeonly teacher. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/09/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne-paul-giamatti-family-telluride-film-festival-1235534101/)
- **The Skinny**, Zoe Crombie (★★★★): The film balances retro fun with harsh emotional realism and succeeds while critiquing privilege. It centers on the relationship between a sarcastic teacher and a troubled student, with standout performances from Giamatti, Sessa, and especially Randolph as the grieving cook. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-holdovers)
- **The Playlist**, Gregory Ellwood (B-): The critic sees it as prestige comfort food that is genuinely funny with well-rounded characters and spot-on '70s nostalgia. They single out the aesthetic collaboration evoking a lost relic from the decade. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/the-holdovers-telluride-review-alexander-payne-paul-giamatti-reunite-for-a-70s-nostalgia-dramedy-20230902/)
- **The Wrap** (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film a sweet, good-looking throwback that is familiar and occasionally schmaltzy but wistful and heartwarming, with a pleasingly inviting period style and strong emotional arcs. It singles out Randolph's stirring performance as the film's best element and the cozy, grainy 1970s aesthetic. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-holdovers-review-alexander-payne/)
- **Paste**, Katarina Docalovich (9.0): The critic praises the film's shift toward sincere, nuanced nostalgia and its well-developed screenplay that balances comedy and drama. Strong performances from the lead trio, especially the natural bond between the jaded professor and the troubled student, are highlighted as making the story feel earned and cozy. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/alexander-payne/the-holdovers-review)

## Details

- **Director:** Alexander Payne
- **Director:** Alexander Payne
- **Writer:** David Hemingson
- **Cinematography:** Eigil Bryld
- **Editor:** Kevin Tent
- **Music:** Mark Orton
- **Production design:** Ryan Warren Smith
- **Costume design:** Wendy Chuck
- **Producer:** Mark Johnson, Bill Block, David Hemingson
- **Cast:** Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham; Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully; Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb; Carrie Preston as Miss Lydia Crane; Brady Hepner as Teddy Kountze; Ian Dolley as Alex Ollerman; Jim Kaplan as Ye-Joon Park; Michael Provost as Jason Smith
- **Runtime:** 2h 13m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 10 November 2023
- **Genres:** Drama, Comedy
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2023); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2023); [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 2023)
- **Budget:** $13 million
- **Box office:** $43 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhKLpJmHhIg

## Where to watch in the US

- Peacock: streaming, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Last Detail* (1973): Two sailors, one prisoner, a cold road trip; the film this one is dressed as
- *The Browning Version* (1951): Michael Redgrave as the schoolmaster nobody loved, and the day he finds out
- *Au revoir les enfants* (1987), Fi1m 90: A French boarding school in wartime, watched by a boy who does not understand yet — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/au-revoir-les-enfants.md)
- *Paper Moon* (1973), Fi1m 86: A con man and a child who is better at it, in black and white — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md)
- *Election* (1999), Fi1m 86: Payne’s earlier school film, with a teacher who is far less forgivable — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/election.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-holdovers