'The Holdovers' Is a Heartwarming Holiday Tale
As the temperatures dip, there's a new movie warming hearts this holiday season. The Holdovers, which screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, has earned rave reviews with some calling the film an "instant classic." Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti reunited with Sideways director Alexander Payne for the movie about three lonely individuals spending their winter break at an empty boarding school.
“The Holdovers is ultimately about three characters in search of a family,” producer Mark Johnson has said, noting it "is the story of the ragtag family they form during the holidays, a time when our natural inclination is to be a part of something greater.”
Here is everything to know about The Holdovers.
Focus Features
How to watch The Holdovers
The Focus Features movie will be released in theaters.
What is The Holdovers release date?
In time for the holidays, The Holdovers will be released in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 27 and nationwide on Nov. 10.
Who is in The Holdovers cast?
The film stars:
Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham
Giamatti plays a professor of ancient history.
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Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully
Sessa is a student at Barton Academy.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb
Joy portrays the head cook of the school, whose son died in Vietnam.
Carrie Preston as Miss Lydia Crane
Preston is an administrator at the school.
Brady Hepner as Teddy Kountze
Hepner plays a student bully.
Ian Dolley as Alex Ollerman
Dolley is another student at the school.
The cast also includes Jim Kaplan, Michael Provost, Andrew Garman and Tate Donovan.
Focus Features
What is The Holdovers about?
The Holdovers, which is set in 1970 New England, follows a disliked professor named Paul Hunham "who gets stuck holding over at Barton Academy with the kids who can’t go home for the holidays." Giamatti's character ends up forming "an unlikely bond" with one of the students as well as with the school's head cook, whose son was killed in Vietnam. According to Focus Features, "Left to their own devices in the empty school, this unlikely trio finds adventure, calamity, and finally, some semblance of family."
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Is there a trailer for The Holdovers?
Yes! On July 17, Focus Features released the official trailer that pulled at our heartstrings. "I find the world a bitter and complicated place and it seems to feel the same way about me," Professor Hunham tells Angus in the trailer. "I think you and I have this in common."
Watch the official trailer for the film below:
