The Holdovers (2023)    Focus/Comedy-Drama    RT: 133 minutes    Rated R (language, some drug use, brief sexual material)    Director: Alexander Payne    Screenplay: David Hemingson    Music: Mark Orton    Cinematography: Eigil Bryld    Release date: October 27, 2023 (US, limited)/November 10, 2023 (US, wide)    Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner, Ian Dolley, Jim Kaplan, Michael Provost, Andrew Garman, Naheem Garcia, Stephen Thorne, Gillian Vigman, Tate Donovan, Darby Lily Lee-Stack, Bill Mootos, Dustin Tucker, Juanita Pearl.    Box Office: $20.4M (US)/$45.4M (World)

Rating: ****

 I’ve watched Alexander Payne’s career ever since I saw his debut film Citizen Ruth way back in early 1997. He’s been pretty consistent in terms of quality. His only misstep (so far) is his uneven 2017 satire Downsizing. He more than makes up for it with his latest film The Holdovers, a sharp and moving comedy-drama about three lost and lonely souls who connect over one fateful holiday season. In my opinion, it’s Payne’s second best film, the first being 2013’s Nebraska.

 The Holdovers is set at a private boarding school circa Christmas 1970. Almost everybody has gone home to their families for the holidays. As always, there are a few students (aka “holdovers”) left behind for one reason or another. Somebody has to be there to supervise them. This year, it’s Paul Hunham (Giamatti, Sideways), the Ancient History professor nobody likes. Belligerent and condescending, he isn’t afraid to give failing grades to those who richly deserve it, no matter how much money their families donate to the school.

 Angus Tully (newcomer Sessa) is a late addition to the holdover group. He was supposed to go home, but his mother cancels at the last minute, deciding instead to go on a honeymoon with her new husband. Needless to say, he’s extremely unhappy about having to spend Christmas with people he doesn’t like, especially Hunham. He becomes more miserable when he’s the only student left on campus after the others get taken on a ski trip by one of the fathers. That leaves him and his most despised teacher to engage in a battle of wills.

 The third member of the trio is Mary Lamb (Randolph, The Lost City), the cafeteria supervisor who’s deep in throes of grief for her son who was recently killed in Vietnam. When she’s not providing nourishment for her charges, she’s smoking and watching Newlywed Game reruns. She’s the sole voice of reason.

 It goes without saying that the three form a makeshift family as they come to understand they’re all going through something. Even more, Angus and Hunham start to bond upon realizing they’re not that different from one another. Angus is a smart kid whose mouth tends to get him in trouble with his peers and teachers. He’s like the teenage version of Hunham. The teacher is a brilliant man who fights his feelings of powerlessness by abusing what little power he has, antagonizing everybody around him. Is this the future that awaits Angus?

 I don’t want to give too much of The Holdovers away. Instead, I’d like to praise it to the skies. It’s an outstanding film. It’s the kind of character-driven drama that directors like Hal Ashby and Bob Rafelson used to make in the 70s. Films like this have largely become extinct these days with audiences flocking to megabudget, CGI-driven spectacles en masse while basically ignoring more serious films (although to be fair, Martin Scorsese’s epic drama Killers of the Flower Moon is doing surprising well). A lot of Payne’s films look and feel like they were made in the 70s. Ironically, The Holdovers is the first time one of them is set in that decade. Another way in which it’s different is that Payne isn’t mocking the characters this time. He seems to have a genuine affection for Hunham, Mary and Angus, faults and shortcomings included.

 The acting in The Holdovers is top-notch, A1, award-worthy stuff. I see Oscar nominations for Giamatti and Randolph. She’s definitely going to give Lily Gladstone a run for her money. One scene in particular will have you reaching for tissue. This could be the year Giamatti finally takes home a golden statuette. He knocks it out of the park as a grumpy, curmudgeonly sort who finally lets down his guard a little bit. As for Sessa, he delivers an unforgettable debut performance. I see a star in the making. The three actors work extremely well with each other. Of course, one must take into consideration what they had to work with. In this case, it’s an intelligent and sometimes witty screenplay by David Hemingson. His dialogue is sharp, truthful and often biting. The actors bring it to life in the best way possible.

 The cinematography by Eigil Bryld (Kinky Boots) is strikingly gorgeous. The bleak wintry surroundings perfectly mirror the internal landscapes of the main characters. In addition, The Holdovers looks very much like a movie made in the 70s right down to the opening and closing credits. He’s another one that deserves an Oscar nomination.

 Here’s the bottom line. The Holdovers is one of the year’s best films. I’m pleased not only to say this, but that I’ve said it about two other films in recent weeks- Killers of the Flower Moon and Priscilla. This is one of things I like best about year’s end, the quality films vying for awards. Here’s hoping we get a few more by January. We need it.