What a great movie to watch! Watched it with family recently and it was such a feel good movie. Good comedy portions and amazing acting.

I thought this movie was a comedy....it was not! Considering the talent of the cast.....l expected more 😞

an excellent movie

Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers unfolds like a long, snowbound holiday—unhurried, introspective, quietly affecting. Set in a 1970s New England boarding school, it draws together three people left behind: a gruff teacher, a grieving cook, and a student with nowhere to go. What could have been a familiar tale of mismatched souls becomes a tender meditation on grief, guilt, and the fragile warmth of unexpected connection. Payne’s restraint gives the film room to breathe, letting its silences speak. Framed in soft, muted tones, it carries the texture of memory. Giamatti is sharp yet aching; Randolph and Sessa bring quiet depth. At its core, The Holdovers is about lives paused in their own emotional winters—and how, in the stillness, kindness begins to thaw what’s frozen. It doesn’t demand attention; it earns it, gently.

I totally expected this to be a modern day Breakfast Club type of movie but, to me, this was even better. The actors and actresses are excellent, the story is very good, and the movie was heartwarming.

There's just something so classic about the way this tells its story, and all the performances are on-point - still can't believe this is Dominic Sessa's first acting role because he's so natural here.

60’s holidays, schooling, hostel connected me well

Bittersweet and understated but no less wonderful. You could even cue it up for Christmas!

This original screenplay feels like a true story. The characters are relatable. The dialogue is natural. The unfolding of events that move the story along is engaging. Comedy and drama, emotion and conflict, tragedy and restoration are all woven together in a deeply human story. The Holdovers is one of those, ‘peel back the layers of the characters’ movies. As the days of ‘holding-over’ progress, each character’s shell begins to crack and we begin seeing deeper into each of them. This is done masterfully in both writing and acting. The small cast enables the story to develop each of the three main characters, and you feel connected to them by the end of the film. This had to have been written based on some real-life experiences. Paul Giamatti’s work in the development of Paul’s character is complex. Worthy of his Oscar nominee, Giamatti is skillful and carries the film on his shoulders. Dominic Sessa (Angus Tully) rises to the occasion, and alongside Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Mary Lamb) the trio makes a powerful cast. The film stands out from the usual movies people go to watch. And that’s a good thing. We need more original stories like this one, that speak to the realities of life and the many layers underneath our masks that make us human. The Holdovers is a simple a solid film, not designed to keep you on the edge of your seat or in shock and awe… just a great film. About an hour in, you suddenly realize how much you actually are enjoying this sort of obscure and random film. By the end, you are pleasantly surprised at the quality of filmmaking you experienced.

It's good that movies like this are still being made. Great movie!

Possessed by a spectacular and sensitive cast at the same time, The Holdovers is a journey that is still, but that seems to move throughout the body and gently and aggressively touches every corner of the soft skin. Its way of guiding our gaze to the simple, yet difficult, situations that are shown on the screen is of an arrogant clarity and subtlety. I swear I could watch it in cycles, and yet, every time, every ending, I would always cry and remember the feeling of eating a warm apple pie by a lake at five in the afternoon.

Some may find the movie boring and long winded. But that's the character Giamatti is playing. A celibate and strict teacher at a remote boarding school who gets stuck with a troubled but smart student during the Christmas break. Together with the school cook they form a friendship and help each other through their struggles. What little drama there is happens at the end when they all have to find a resolution. The rest of the movie is a realistic journey through their every day life, highlighted with a few meaningful events and some harmless humor. This is not a complicated movie that is going to effect you profoundly but it will touch your heart and leaves you satisfied.

Don't get me wrong - much if not most of 'The Holdovers' is great. From the retro titles cards to the pitch-perfect soundtrack to the always-great Giamatti to the crackling, naturalistic dialogue, it is a film worth a watch, reminiscent of Payne's bittersweet comedy of 'Sideways' as well as some notes of Wes Anderson. But the movie never seems to transcend the premises it introduces - by the end, Giamatti's character isn't so curmudgeonly, the acid-tongued yet goodhearted teen accepts himself a little more, the grieving mother of the fallen soldier transfers her hope to a potential nephew that might bear her dead son's name...? Life is a little better at the end than at the beginning, but as a viewer I'm not sure how much the richer I am for this. Payne's films are marked by crisp, thoughtful, funny screenplays, characters whose desires are simultaneously humble and anguishing, but I find their endings so unsatisfying, like for all the great things Payne offers, they never really get off the ground.

Funny, moving, clever, and really well acted, this is a dark/grownup Christmas movie for the ages.

'The Holdovers' is one that I had heard was a great movie and it most certainly is! The performances of Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph are absolutely stellar. Dominic Sessa (film debut?!) impresses too, even if his character looked older than intended to me (no biggie). A charming movie, no doubt. The story is actually rather simple but is one that makes an impact. It is wonderfully shot, as well. I can fully understand why this received such a high praise, it's totally merited.

Alex Payne does it again. Rest assured the plot is so different yet so entirely fascinating that you’ll be on the edge of seat all while relating to the authentic characters. You’ll feel nourished…laughing hysterically, feeling vulnerable, and reminiscing for high school highjinx, in a perfect blend.

In 2005, I happened to Watch Spielberg's War of the Worlds on the same weekend that I watched The Station Agent. A little bit of math revealed that for the cost of one War of the Worlds, we could have over 200 Station Agents. That sounded like a bargain. I'm pleased that 20 years later, character-driven films like the Station Agent are not only still being made, but have appeal and are getting recognition. This is a fantastic film. It's amazing, no, that if you writer a great script, hire talented actors, do a nice job with production design and hire a great cinematographer, the results are extremely satisfying. No CGI, no squibs, no car chases, no fight scenes, just complex, three dimensional characters acting like real people might. #456 in my "Watch every best picture nominee bucket list."

A Modern Classic! 10/10

Uplifting funny bittersweet dramedy coming of age film that feels like a great homage to timeless young adult dramas from the 70’s and 80’s with terrific performances all across the 3 main leads.

A modern classic. Fantastic movie.