Tropic Sprockets / The Holdovers

By Ian Brockway

Alexander Payne’s latest film “The Holdovers” (loosely based on the French comedy Merlusse), is a coming-of-age crowd-pleaser in the tone of other films like “The Dead Poet’s Society” and Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” though it is no stretch for Paul Giamatti to act as the curmudgeon, the film goes down easy, boasting a solid cast with some memorable one liners.

Paul Hunham (Giamatti) is a classics teacher at Barton Academy boarding school. He was once driven and idealistic with his studies, but now he is beaten down by the grind of academia. When the film begins, Hunham is called into the office and told he has to stay with a group of unruly students who have nowhere to go for the Christmas break. The teacher is floored, but reluctantly agrees, since he has no other choice.

After all but one of the students get approval to leave the school by way of helicopter, Hunham is left with Angus (Dominic Sessa), a volatile but sarcastic teen. A grieving Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who lost her Barton son to Vietnam is also in residence.

Hunham spends a lot of time stressing education and manners to Angus, and they develop a mercurial push me-pull you relationship a bit like “The Odd Couple.” After Angus endures an accident in the school gym, the student and teacher form a bond, each noticing a shared vulnerability with each other, not to mention the use of the same medication. Hunham is clearly miserable, and his reveal of a Christmas tree makes him a Scrooge character, which seems a bit like a Hallmark serial. Still, there is enough wildness in Giamatti to make him watchable.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mary has some fine moments showing her grief and regret as does Dominic Sessa in his portrayal of the wild youth.

“The Holdovers” hits all the appropriate expected notes of the poignant and the pensive, despite the film seeming a bit sentimental and reminiscent of other coming of age films, even having a slight echo of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

This is a film that is easily digestible. It is well acted and pleasant. Giamatti remains in fine form and once again, the actor displays his eye-rolling and his huff-puffing to great effect.

Write Ian at [email protected]

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