Written by Dilan Fernando

Warning: The following review is of a film that is part of TIFF 2023 and may contain spoilers for The Holdovers. Reader discretion is advised.

Bruce Dern was once asked what it's like to work with Quentin Tarantino and Alexander Payne, to which he responded, "...the thing I admire most about those guys, is their reverence for what went before." Payne's new film, The Holdovers, captures the essence and feeling that made so many of the new Hollywood classics the timeless masterpieces they are. During an introduction of the film by the director, Payne mentions aside from the single-line acting debut of a liquor store clerk in the film, the goal throughout the production was to create a film that would be made in the 1970s, not a testament to that time like many other period piece films.

The film begins with shots of the scenic winterset backdrop of Massachusetts surrounding the acclaimed Barton Academy (another significant character important to the plot). It stars Paul Giamatti as Professor Paul Hunham, whose dictatorship style of teaching seeks to drill into the students the values necessary to succeed without leaning on a crutch made of chequebooks and Rolodexes. Giamatti reunites with Payne following the best film in both their filmographies, Sideways.

As the Christmas season nears, the students gather up their belongings and say their holiday farewells before returning home to celebrate with their families. Among these students is Angus, played by a newcomer to the silver screen, Dominic Sessa, whom Payne found while scouting locations for high schools to use as Barton Academy. Sessa's only acting experience was from being in the high school drama club, but his naturalism and the way he builds unique chemistry with virtually everyone proves how important acting basics are rather than the degree from where they come from.

Every year, one teacher is tasked with being the babysitter of those students who are left behind and must stay at Barton until the new year when the new semester begins. Being despised by many of the staff that comprise Barton's academics department for being a dinosaur in appearance and teaching methods, the task has been attributed to Paul. Also present in the film is a seemingly unimportant but the tissue that connects both Angus and Paul is the school's kitchen manager, Mary played by Da'Vine Joy Randolph whom Payne cast after her incredible performance as sidekick Lady Reed in Dolemite Is My Name, who will be celebrating her first Christmas alone.

Once the students and staff leave, a few are held over with Angus and Prof. Hunham, because their parents aren't able to have them return home for the holidays. What begins is Prof. Hunham as their drill sergeant and the students his POWs. Finally, a saving grace for the students is when one of their wealthy fathers flies in a helicopter to take his son on a skiing trip, to which he asks the rest of them if they'd like to join. After receiving permission from each of their parents (everyone except for Angus) they all depart while he is left behind with Paul. The film really takes its footing ebbing and flowing through the different things that separate people but have them eventually connect. What begins is a journey for the trio of Angus, Mary and Paul, leaving their proverbial inns and searching for a family to welcome them.

Payne, directing from a script not written by himself as he did with Nebraska, takes writer David Hemingson's once-proposed television series script and instead creates characters who are acidulous at first and develop a sweetness like the protagonists of 1970s cinema. There's an essence of the timelessness that is present in the films of Bogdanovich, the critique of heavy topics in those of Altman, and the forging of connections found in Ashby. Payne is able to take this melange of influence and create something completely unique without deviating from this melancholy of great cinema.

The film is meticulously crafted with every aspect, writing, casting, music, cinematography, and editing. During the Q&A following the screening, a question from the audience on the use of dissolves in the film to which Payne responded, "I don't know why they aren't ever used anymore?" It may be a stylistic choice but they are effectively used and help add to the subtext of longing and warmth that the film provides.

Viewing his filmography similar to Walter Hill who's mentioned every film he makes is a Western, Payne has been making 1970s comedies his entire career. Blending genres especially ones as distinct in their elements like comedy and drama is like preparing a soufflé: it takes a delicate hand and patience to develop, and without it, the final product becomes lopsided. With The Holdovers, Payne creates a well-balanced and exquisite experience, like a master pastry chef.

Dilan Fernando graduated with a degree in Communications from Brock University. ”Written sentiments are more poetic than spoken word. Film will always preserve more than digital could ever. Only after a great film experience can one begin to see all that life has to offer. “