The Holdovers

Alexander Payne’s new movie is “The Holdovers”. It’s the story of three lonely people who are thrown together at a prep school during winter vacation. Paul Giamati plays the teacher forced to chaperone the student who has no place to go. The latter is played by Dominic Tessa, a newcomer, and he gives a great performance. Finally the head cook is at the school. Da’Vine Joy Randolph deserves the Oscar buzz she is getting for her role. She is the heart of this movie. Unlike most of Payne’s movies the characters aren’t aloof or hard to relate to. Giamati gives his least affected performance. I liked this film a lot. Getting to know the back stories was interesting and entertaining. Definitely worth seeing.