“The Holdovers” (2023)- Movie Review

Director: Alexander Payne

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’ Vine Joy Randolph

                                                                                                                 ‘Powerful Drama’

Teachers are strong figures shaping students’ futures. Everyone recalls joyous relationships with whip-smart teachers they grew up to worship. As inspiring mentors, professors with goodwill incite us to accomplish goals we are hunting. It’s hard to forget the way poetic professors inspire us to seize the day. From a personal point-of-view, teachers made my dreams come true. During 10th grade, I made contact with a professor which left students afraid. A curmudgeon, he criticized students in elections. He found morbid enjoyment in giving breakfast club detentions to students. Drawn to scent of a woman, he bullied students unable to solve an equation. Willing to yell, he rarely got along well with pupils whose lives he made a hell. Students that took his classes were guaranteed to fail rather than succeed. As cold as Severus Snape, he would scold naughty students which didn’t do as they were told. Nevertheless, I bonded with my teacher. To my surprise, there was more than met eyes to a teacher students came to despise. A guide, he became a person in whom I could confide. Since I was a wallflower teenager, he treated me with kind manners. However, choice to graduate forced us to separate. Goodbye to teachers I grew to idolize brought tears to eyes. Parting ways turned life sideways. I mourned absence of a with huge influence. In seas of grief, I couldn’t find relief. I’m grateful to an extraordinary role model impacting ordinary people.  Today, I remind myself about a teacher with a beautiful mind.

As someone impacted by long-lasting schoolteachers’ relationships, I connected to Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers”. Intimate, heartwarming and thoughtful, it’s a powerful tribute towards teachers keeping hold over students’ futures. Payne paints phenomenal portraits of professors influencing teenagers’ fates. Boasting gorgeous production-design, sharp storytelling and fantastic performances, it’s a powerful drama. Although “The Holdovers” is unforgettable, it’s problematic. Its uneven pacing doesn’t maintain hold over viewers’ attention. Nevertheless, it provides heartfelt entertainment for fans of period pieces. 

Amidst 1970’s New England, “The Holdovers” follows determined students chaperoning abandoned students. Paul Giamatti embodies Mr. Hunham, a teacher treating students poorly with cruelty. However, Hunham is forced to make changes to his behavior when he cares for children during Christmas break. Hunham develops bonds of commitment with Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), an anxiety-ridden student. Facing a sudden change of heart, Hunham discovers teachers assist teenagers torn apart. 

Alexander Payne is fascinated with curmudgeons. Whether its teachers supervising institutionalization elections, booze-addled writers or seniors, his movies encapsulate pessimistic characters. With “The Holdovers”, however, Payne manufactures period pieces. It’s Payne’s first attempt documenting teachers, but he succeeds. Through captivating cinematography, Panye captures teachers’ journey demonstrating self-discovery. Commemorating Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash”, Payne captures teachers through montages. Like Fletcher’s tendency throwing chairs at students without tempo, Mr. Hunham acknowledges students with sorrow. It reminded me of my teacher’s bullying. Montages are complicated. As John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club” demonstrated, montages elevate 1980’s coming-of-age blockbusters. “Nebraska” suggested montages elevate road-trip movies. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Alongside cinematographer Eigil Bryld, Payne gives teachers acknowledgements. Payne celebrates teachers, manufacturing theatrical viewing. 

If teachers don’t attract you towards theaters, however, there’s reasons to see “The Holdovers”. Accompanied by production-designer Ryan Smith, Payne scouts boarding schools showing teacher-student bonds. For instance, production-design elevates the Christmas dinner scene. During this unforgettable scene, Mr. Hunham shares heart-to-heart conversations with Angus about his estranged father over Christmas dinner. One appreciates production-design commemorating Gus Van Sant’s “Good Will Hunting”. Like offices where Will Hunting’s told by therapists it’s not his fault, Mr. Hunham consoles Angus. It sparked memories of relationships with teachers in classrooms shaping identity. Boarding schools are tricky. As Martin Brest’s “Scent of a Woman” suggested, schools elevated 1990’s dramas. However, it succeeds. Moreover, music is magnificent. Celebrating Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, it commemorates wallflower teenagers. Through phenomenal production-design, Payne crafts realistic teacher-student relationships. 

Another extraordinary “The Holdovers” aspect is storytelling. David Hemingson’s screenwriting strength is demonstrating teacher-student relationships by minimal dialogue. In Hollywood, movies infrequently address stress impacting teachers’ success. As case in exemplar: Richard Linklater’s “School of Rock” depicted teachers as heroes impacting students without experiencing debilitating issues. Fortunately, though, “The Holdovers” avoids problems. Hemingson addresses troubled teachers ensuring students’ success. Evoking Peter Weir’s “Dead Poet’s Society”, Hemingson successfully employs silence showcasing teachers’ influence. Like John Keating’s stares at students atop chairs, Mr. Hunham’s farewell demonstrates tears. Silence elevates scenes where Mr. Hunham bids goodbyes towards Angus with tearful eyes. It reminded me of grief bidding goodbyes towards teachers whose brief presence cultivated relief. Minimal dialogue is complicated. As Ryan Fleck’s “Half Nelson” suggested, silence elevates addiction movies. “The Descendants” demonstrated silence elevates tragicomedies. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Through soul-stirring storytelling, Payne commemorates professors. 

One appreciates astonishing performances.

Paul Giamatti delivers a career-defining performance as Mr. Hunham. Giamatti accomplished praise portraying alcoholics in “Sideways”. Known for playing likeable heroes, Giamatti steps out of his comfort zone to portray a teacher feeling alone. It’s challenging portraying a teacher treating students poorly, but Giamatti succeeds. Evoking Alan Rickman in The Harry Potter franchise, Giamatti embodies a teacher scarcely getting along well with students casting a magical spell. With mesmerizing expressions, he captures a schoolteacher’s angst, compassion and resentment. It’s an Oscar-worthy performance. 

Dominic Sessa is sensational as a tormented teenager grieving loss of his father. Evoking Lucas Hedges in Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea”, Sessa embodies adolescents experiencing seas of grief. In breakthrough debut roles, Sessa uses voice capturing souls of adolescents experiencing emotional tolls. Whether he’s loudly conversing with inspiring teachers or silently mourning illnesses of fathers, Sessa embodies teenagers’ acknowledgements through voice pitch. Sessa demonstrates such extraordinary control it’s hard to believe this is his first role. It’s a star-making performance.

Lastly, Da’ Vine Joy Randolph dazzles. As a grief-stricken cafeteria lady, she’s heartbreaking.

Finally, “The Holdovers” earns appreciation for commemorating one-of-a-kind teachers with a beautiful mind. Evoking Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind”, the movie commemorates teachers with beautiful minds. It discusses themes including adolescence, family and resentments. Despite documenting 1970’s boarding schools, its themes impact everybody. Its message impacts everyone following mentors at an early age. Therefore, “The Holdovers” is a movie everyone will adore. 

Despite universal themes, however, “The Holdovers” can’t maintain hold over movie-goers. Accompanied by Mark Orton’s heartwarming score, Payne keeps the movie moving at an engrossing pace during the first hour. However, once the film enters finales, it loses momentum. Scenes showcasing Angus’ interactions with rebellious students are less entertaining than his bond with Mr. Hunham. As “Election” suggested, students’ subplots elevate teenage movies. Donald Sutherland’s “Ordinary People” suggested rebellious teenagers elevated 1980’s dramas. Consequently, “The Holdovers” falters.

Nevertheless, fans of period pieces will definitely enjoy “The Holdovers” and so will moviegoers giving acknowledgements to teachers. A powerful drama, it celebrates teachers that shape identities of teenagers in breakfast club societies. An honorable tribute towards teachers maintaining hold over students crossing Rubicon institutionalizations during snowy winters, it could lead adolescents parting ways with professors given acknowledgements to recover.

A dazzling depiction of drastic roles professors play inspiring students in boarding schools today, it’s a strong reminder of teachers shining bright ray of light into pitch-black lives of students inspired to seize the day.

Like park benches where janitors create bonds with therapists which are lasting, it’s a grand reminder of positive impact professors with goodwill have on well-being of teens seeking goals worth hunting. 

If movies inspire students parting ways with whip-smart teachers they worship to beat hardship, hopefully it causes teens to come to grips with loss of teachers with whom they formed lasting relationships. 

As powerful as Mr. Hunham’s bonds with Angus in Christmas, it has motivated me to move on several years after parting way with teachers throwing fuss at children making a ruckus whose precious words of wisdom gave my aimless life focus.

4.5/5 stars