The Holdovers (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa

Release Date: January 2, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9.5/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, The Holdovers follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

Please Note: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

THE MOVIE / REVIEW:

‘The Holdovers’ follows a bitter and disliked instructor at a New England boarding school who is forced to stay on campus during the Holiday break in order to watch over the students that don’t have anywhere to go. As he settles in for the break, the instructor begins to form a bond with a brilliant, yet troublemaking student who had his plans cancelled unexpectedly, along with the school’s head chef who is suffering from the recent loss of her son in Vietnam. With each already set in their expectations of the timeframe, they soon find themselves experiencing a much different break than they anticipated.

Directed by talented filmmaker Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants) from a screenplay written by David Hemingson (TV’s Whiskey Cavalier), Payne does a marvelous job at the helm of ‘The Holdovers’ guiding along this touching and hilarious tale with the utmost heart and care. The film’s cast includes Paul Giamatti (TV’s Billions), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (TV’s Only Murders in the Building) and notable newcomer Dominic Sessa, with each providing noteworthy performances in their respective roles that help this moving story to become something truly special.

‘The Holdovers’ is a charming, heartfelt and hilarious tale of three drastically different people who find clashes and kindness from each other once forced to spend a winter break together at a deserted boarding school while everyone else is away with their loved ones. It’s a beautiful, kind hearted and at times somewhat bittersweet story that shows how sometimes the most memorable and rewarding experiences can arise from entirely unexpected situations and circumstances, while friends and comfort can also be found from the places and people you would least expect. The film takes place in 1970 and the manner in which it’s approached pays homage to the films of that era from the old school Universal Pictures logo that opens the movie to the almost forgotten MPAA rating introduction that used to precede films, as well as various pops and filmic tidbits that were added in post-production.

The touching tale is carefully guided along by talented director Alexander Payne whose work in the director’s seat is perfectly complemented by a talented cast including Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Sessa who each help tremendously to make this incredibly human story work as beautifully as it does. ‘The Holdovers’ is definitely well worth taking the time to give a chance and it’s not only marvelous and moving, but one of the best films of 2023 as well; while it wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprising to additionally see this gem become a cult classic in the years to come.

OVERALL:

‘The Holdovers’ is a beautiful, touching and incredibly funny tale that’s also one of the best films of 2023. Featuring a limited, yet remarkably talented cast led by Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Sessa that helps this kindhearted tale to work splendidly and it’s only further complemented by the capable guidance of director Alexander Payne. ‘The Holdovers’ is an emotional and rewarding movie boosted by countless laughs and is one that I certainly wouldn’t suggest overlooking. ‘The Holdovers’ earns one of my highest recommendations, and even more so for fans of filmmaker Alexander Payne or any of the talented cast members featured within. It should definitely be worth your time and the price of a rental at the absolute least and is also available to stream on Peacock at no extra cost to subscribers as of the time of this writing.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘The Holdovers’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 1.66:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks great as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any issues or troubles to be uncovered throughout. While the film appears to be shot digitally on an ARRI Alexa Mini, various pops and other filmic tidbits seem to have been added in post-production which contribute to the 1970’s tone and style and perfectly match the film’s timeline, while everything from character specifics to backgrounds and exterior shots look sharp and pristine every step of the way. Overall, this is a wonderful High Definition video presentation that looks solid throughout and should easily please fans and newcomers alike.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 3.0 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack although it curiously still reads as a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track on my system while playing, although no noticeable sound is ever evident from the rear channels. This multichannel soundtrack does its job well and offers a clean, crisp and nicely balanced audio presentation throughout. The dialogue, music and other minor tidbits all sound clean and sharp while balancing between the three channels effortlessly; never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously with one another to become distorted or rendered problematic along the way. Overall, this is a fully capable 3.0 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of ‘The Holdovers’ features a few enjoyable extras. Included on the release are some ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the movie with a written introduction by Alexander Payne (running approximately 6 minutes in length altogether), along with the ‘Alternate Ending – “Mary Continues On” (running approximately 2 minutes) and a couple Behind the Scenes Featurettes that feature interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are ‘The Cast of The Holdovers’ (approximately 10 minutes) and ‘Working with Alexander’ (approximately 8 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 9.5/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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‘The Holdovers: Collector’s Edition’ Arrives on Blu-ray & DVD January 2, 2024 & is Now Available on Digital from Miramax, Focus Features & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

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Buy ‘The Holdovers’ Blu-ray On Amazon Right Here!