The Holdovers: Finding Family in the Unlikeliest of Places

Keeping with holiday tradition, I set out to find a movie to watch with my family. For us, it’s a ritual to watch Klaus—honestly the best Christmas movie ever made—but this time we wanted something different. We were looking for something that wasn’t the same old "save Christmas" trope or a cliché Santa story; we wanted something deeper with a real message. That’s how we stumbled upon The Holdovers.

The first thing that caught my eye was the runtime. It’s over two hours long, and given the style, I wasn't sure my kids would sit through it. About an hour in, my oldest said he was bored, but a few minutes later, the story started to take a turn. It got to the point where even my youngest daughter stayed with us until the very end.

The Setting

The story takes place during Christmas 1970 at a boys' boarding school called Barton Academy. As winter break approaches, the students are desperate to head home to their families, but a few unlucky ones have to stay behind because their parents are busy elsewhere. Initially, there are a handful of boys staying, but at the last minute, Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) gets a call from his mom saying she’s going on a honeymoon with her new husband and leaving him at school.

The Characters

The "holdovers" are supervised by the academy's strictest teacher, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), a bitter man who was assigned "babysitting" duty as punishment for failing a senator’s son. Joining them is the school’s head cook, Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). Through her hard work, her son was able to attend the prestigious school on a scholarship, but because they couldn't afford college afterward, he joined the military to earn a grant and was tragically killed in the Vietnam War.

Eventually, most of the boys manage to leave when one of their fathers shows up in a helicopter, taking everyone whose parents gave permission. Tully, however, can't get ahold of his mother, so he's stuck. This leaves the young student, the prickly professor, and a grieving mother forced to spend the holidays together, each carrying their own burdens.

A Story of Empathy

Together, they learn the true meaning of empathy for people they once looked down on. For instance, Professor Hunham always treated his students poorly because they were "rich kids." He believed that by being incredibly harsh, he was teaching them about the "real world"—something he felt their privileged lives shielded them from. But after spending time with Tully, he realizes the boy’s arrogant, rebellious attitude is actually a cry for the affection and understanding he lacks at home.

Final Thoughts

The film follows the evolving bond between these three characters during that 1970s winter break. The period setting is spot-on from the very start—even the Universal logo is the vintage version, and the typography and film grain make it look exactly like a movie shot in that decade. Those stylistic details, combined with a simple yet deeply human story, make this a truly great Christmas special.

_{All media from https://www.universalpictures.co.uk/micro/holdovers}