Hello Readers,
My review today is about the critically-acclaimed, Award Season darling with hit performances from Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer, Dominic Sessa, it is of course, The Holdovers. From the outside, this film may seem simple: set in the winter holidays of an elite boarding school in Massachusetts in 1970. Most of the students have homes to go to but for a select few they have to ‘hold over’ until the term starts again.
The film has a very Seventies feel with the clothes, props and even the overall look that makes it appear to have been shot on film given the texture and the aspect ratio. This was in fact a technique used by the director and cinematographer.
I chose to watch this film due to its acclaim with several nominations and wins for its cast and crew and also after watching the trailer I thought the concept sounded fun, maybe with Dead Poet’s Society connotations of the student/teacher bond.
The Holdovers (2023)
What helped the audience settle into the film was the fact that we picked up just as students are going home for Christmas. We see some of the life of the Barton Academy, where the privileged and largely white send their boys, before the school empties out. We are left with Angus Tully, a clever yet quiet boy who has a penchant for bending the rules, two younger lads, a rebel whose father has refused to pick him up unless he cuts his long hair and Teddy who is an antagonist of Angus. Left to look after them are the unpopular and unfortunately pungent Mr. Hunham, a Classics teacher and the school cook, Mary.
Over the course of the film, you discover the secrets and hidden parts of their personalities although the group shrinks smaller again when Angus becomes the last boy standing. With a Christmas party, meals at the local diner and a trip to Boston, Angus and Mr. Hunham along with Mary when she is not visiting her sister, form a unique bond that transcends genetics.
Angus begins to understand why Mr Hunham is so grouchy and Mr Hunham learns things about Angus that help him understand that everyone has their own problems going on under the surface.
The highlights of the film included the cinematography, capturing the beautiful countryside scenery surrounding the school campus and the bustling Boston complete with ice skating rink and street book fairs. I also enjoyed the acting of Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa as their characters were both in a place of needing a supportive bond. You could see the emotion behind their faces and even with them both being in a privileged position, it was clear that life had not treated them well with personal/family issues.
Even though Da’Vine Joy Randolph is a great actress and has been nominated (and won) awards for her role of Mary, I don’t think the material she was given did do her justice and I think with more scenes, her role would have felt more pivotal as the only featured female role. Her character was in grief over the death of her son in the Vietnam War but apart from a couple of moments, this was not immediately apparent.
Overall, I enjoyed the film and the story. It was a world that is unfamiliar to myself and I am sure many people. The setting of 1970 almost didn’t factor in apart from references to the Moon Landing or other cultural moments. It was definitely a character driven film but the backdrop of the snow and Northwestern USA in an almost forgotten decade lifted it up to award status. I would be surprised but not disappointed if this film won Best Picture at the Academy Awards
Happy Watching,
Robyn
