The Holdovers is a modern classic

The truly great films feel like they could have been made in any generation or era, and The Holdovers is one of those films.

The new comedy from Alexander Payne tells the story of those left behind at a boarding school in New England during the Christmas break and how friendship is forged in the most unusual of circumstances. 

The idea at the centre of the film – a grumpy teacher has to look after the students left behind during Christmas break – is comedy gold, but the genius of the film is how it fleshes out the characters.

Paul Giamatti has never been better as said grumpy teacher, an eccentric man who tries to relate the problems of the modern day to the Roman Empire.

Giamatti has drawn the short straw and has to look after the students over Christmas break and as the film progresses, we find there is more than meets the eye with this man.

It cannot be understated just how brilliant Giamatti is in this film.

It is a crying shame that there has to be a loser in the Oscar race; Giamatti is as brilliant here as Cillian Murphy is in Oppenheimer. In an ideal world, both men would be walking away with the Oscar.

The Holdovers reunites Giamatti with director Alexander Payne, with the duo recreating their partnership from the 2004 comedy-drama Sideways.

The Holdovers does for boarding schools what Sideways did for wine. 

There are few pleasures greater in cinema than knowing that a director and actor are on the same wavelength.

Perhaps the greatest trick The Holdovers pulls is conditioning the viewer into thinking this is a film from the 1970s, and feeds into the timeless feel of the film.

The Universal logo appears as it was in the 1970s, every single member of the cast and crew is credited in the opening titles, the era-appropriate music and the fashion is spot-on, and all these details combine to create this sense that The Holdovers is a film from an alternate version of 1974. 

If The Holdovers actually came out in 1974, it would have been directed by Mike Nichols and would have starred someone like Gene Hackman or Gene Wilder.

The screenplay is a gem, with TV veteran David Hemingson knocking it out of the park on his first attempt at writing a film.

The film is elevated by the cast and direction, but we’d like to specifically shout out Hemingson’s script; it is one of the funniest, bittersweet and brilliantly structured scripts that Hollywood has produced in quite some time.

Of course, while the film is advertised as a classic Payne/Giamatti comedy, the film boasts remarkable performances from the rest of the cast.

Newcomer Dominic Sessa, in his first-ever screen role, proves to be a natural in front of the camera.

Sessa was plucked from obscurity to star in the film and it is remarkable how effortlessly he bounces off Giamatti.

There is always a cheeky glint in his eye, and there is a sense that he is a kid who read Catcher In The Rye one too many times and tried to make himself like Holden Caulfield. 

We can foresee Sessa going on to have a long and illustrious career off the back of this film, and you can’t beat the sensation of knowing that you are watching a movie star form before your very eyes.

Just when you think The Holdovers can’t pull another rabbit out of the hat, it has Da’Vine Joy Randolph give one of the most heartfelt, soulful performances in recent memory.

Randolph plays the head book at the boarding school, who is grieving the loss of her son during the Vietnam War.

Randolph has won every award going for her performance in this film, and rightfully so.

Every awards season has a performance that within 5 minutes of them appearing on screen, you realise that you are watching that year’s Oscar winner.

The film really sings when she, Giamatti and Sessa share scenes together, with Randolph attempting to coax Giamatti and Sessa out of their shells.

One brilliant scene has Giamatti attempting to create an impromptu Christmas celebration, and the reaction of Randolph and Sessa when they see the ramshackle tree and ornaments is priceless.

The Holdovers is a film that will only grow in stature over the years, and it is easy to see the film becoming an alternative Christmas classic like Scrooged or Trading Places.

Last week, we recommended Poor Things with the caveat that the film may not be to everyone’s tastes and is very esoteric as far as Hollywood gets.

We have absolutely no problem recommending The Holdovers to anyone with even a passing interest in entertainment and it can be assured a slot on our year-end best list.

This is a film that pretty much anyone can relate to on some level, and the truly great films are something that captures a universal experience.

Films like this don’t come along very often, and you should consider The Holdovers a late Christmas present from a friend you haven’t seen in years.

It is not unreasonable to suggest that in the years to come, The Holdovers has a similar reception as The Shawshank Redemption, a film that comes up on streaming or television and you go “you know, I’ve seen this a dozen times, but what harm is there in giving it another watch?”