Genre : Comedy / Drama

Runtime : 2hr 13min

Language : English

IMDb : 7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes : 96%

Letterboxd : 4.2/5

Metacritic : 82%

Wikipedia : Link

Director : Alexander Payne

Cast

Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Johanna Day, Owen Teague, Ariana DeBose

Plot

Set in December 1970 at Barton Academy, an all-male boarding school in New England, The Holdovers follows Paul Hunham, a stern classics teacher who is widely disliked for his strictness and unbending standards. As Christmas break begins, several students leave campus—but a few, including Angus Tully, remain because they have nowhere else to go. Hunham is saddled with supervising these “holdovers,” including Angus, a bright but troubled student, and Mary Lamb, the school’s cafeteria manager, who is grieving the death of her son in Vietnam. Through the frozen winter days, Hunham, Angus, and Mary form unlikely connections, confronting loneliness, loss, and the emotional scars each carries. Hunham’s rigid exterior softens through small moments—shared meals, confessions, humor, and grief—leading to unexpected compassion. The film explores themes of belonging, redemption, and human connection, using the backdrop of an institution and holiday isolation to highlight how people with very different wounds can heal together.