Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Payne's 1970-set comedy has swearing, drinking, pot use.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Holdovers
What's the Story?
It's winter break in 1970 at Barton Academy, but the elite boarding school has a handful of students who are unable to return home for the holidays. Assigned to supervise THE HOLDOVERS is the biggest lump of coal in the school: despised history instructor Mr. Hunham (Paul Giamatti). But as the long break drags on, Hunham starts to form an unexpected bond with troublemaking student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and the school's kitchen manager, Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).
Is It Any Good?
The Holdovers is the most pitiful Christmas movie ever, and that's the point. There's no Santa Claus or seasonal revelry in Payne's character study of three dissimilar people forced to spend the holidays together. It intentionally lacks the joy, sparkle, and pizzazz of what we've come to expect from a "Christmas movie," with the drab 1970 aesthetic matching the characters' bitter mood.
Christmas films often deal in the joy/annoyance of family during the holidays, but Payne takes viewers in an entirely different direction in tone and spirit. Aside from Mary, who's experiencing her first Christmas without her late son, you might not have much empathy for the rest of the characters -- including the students who are stuck at school together. But, over the course of the film, the characters learn to empathize with each other, seeing one another wholly and understanding the pain and difficulty that lies beneath their aggravating behavior. The film nudges us to realize that amid present shopping, parties, travel plans, and other holiday festivities, that time of year can be particularly painful for those who are missing loved ones. Payne uses a story set in the past to show viewers why it's important to give grace to even the Grinchiest among us.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about integrity and how it's discussed and demonstrated in The Holdovers. How would you have handled the situations Mr. Hunham faces at the end of the film? Why is integrity an important character strength?
Payne and cinematographer Eigil Bryld strove to create a film that looks like it was made in 1970. Did they succeed? What other movies have you seen from that era, and what similar elements and characteristics of that decade's filmmaking did you recognize?
Would you call this a Christmas movie? Why, or why not? Compare this to other holiday movies you've seen.
Are smoking, drinking, and pot use glamorized or used to establish the era and the characters? Why does it matter?
Discuss the economic divide between the school's employees and the faculty and students. What do you think it would be like to teach and be responsible for the character development of children whose parents are some of the most powerful and influential people in the country? Would it affect the way you treated them?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 27, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : January 2, 2024
- Cast : Paul Giamatti , Da'Vine Joy Randolph , Dominic Sessa
- Director : Alexander Payne
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Focus Features
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Integrity
- Run time : 133 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, some drug use and brief sexual material
- Awards : BAFTA - BAFTA Winner , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner , NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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