"The Holdovers" is a 2023 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson.
The film stars Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, a grumpy classics teacher at a prestigious New England boarding school who is forced to stay on campus over the Christmas break because he has nowhere else to go. He ends up reluctantly supervising a handful of students who also have nowhere to go, including Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a troubled but intelligent student.
The film also stars Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary, the school's head cook, who is grieving the loss of her son in the Vietnam War. As Paul, Angus, and Mary spend time together over the holidays, they begin to form unlikely bonds and learn to deal with their own personal challenges.
The Holdovers was released to critical acclaim, with praise for its performances, writing, and direction. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress for Randolph, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
Even though everyone in the playbill looks rather grumpy or, at least, out-of-sorts, I wasn't expecting this to be a sad and sombre movie (albeit with some very funny bits). So that took me by surprise, but once I got over that, I really loved it.
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