Nearly 20 years after the critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning Sideways, Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti are reuniting with a brand new movie in 2023, The Holdovers.
It's actually been six years since we have seen an Alexander Payne movie (2017's Downsizing), so it's exciting to have a new entry from the filmmaker who has made some fan-favorite films in the past. Not to mention that at least ahead of its premiere, there is probably going to be some strong speculation for The Holdovers as another Oscar contender for Payne.
With that in mind, here is everything that we know right now about The Holdovers.
How to watch The Holdovers
The Holdovers is streaming on Peacock in the US, as well as being available via digital on-demand in the US and UK.
The Holdovers plot
In a rare occurrence for Payne, he did not write The Holdovers. Instead, the movie was penned as an original screenplay by David Hemingson, whose most notable previous credits are Kitchen Confidential and Whiskey Cavalier.
Here is the official synopsis for The Holdovers:
"From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, The Holdovers follows a curmudgeonly instructor 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 — and with the school's head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam."
Read our interview with The Holdovers writer David Hemingson on how the story came to be, movies that inspired him, working with Alexander Payne and what adult dramas like The Holdovers offer that superhero movies don't right now.
The Holdovers cast
Paul Giamatti headlines The Holdovers cast, playing the disliked professor Paul Hunham. Giamatti is an Oscar-nominated actor for Cinderella Man, though many thought he was snubbed for a nomination the last time he worked with Payne on Sideways. Other notable recent Giamatti roles include Gunpowder Milkshake, Jungle Cruise and his role on the hit series Billions, which he returns to with the upcoming Billions season 7.
Also starring in the movie is Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary and Dominic Sessa as Angus. Randolph is best known for her roles in The Idol, Only Murders in the Building and The Lost City. Sessa, meanwhile, is making his movie debut with the role.
According to IMDb, Tate Donovan (Ghosted), Carrie Preston (Claws), Gillian Vigman (Star Trek: Lower Decks), Michael Provost (Fear Street: Part Two — 1978), Brady Hepner (The Black Phone) and Colleen Clinton (Blue Bloods) are among the other cast members of the film.
The Holdovers trailer
The Holdovers trailer is here, rocking an old school vibe. Give it a watch right here:
The Holdovers reviews
WTW's The Holdovers review calls the Paul Giamatti/Alexander Payne dramedy "one of the best movies of the year." We're not alone in loving this movie, as The Holdovers is officially "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, with a positive score of 97%.
The Holdovers awards
We're keeping track of the major end-of-the-year nominations and awards that The Holdovers racks up. Here is what the movie has pulled in so far:
Oscars
- Best Picture (nominee)
- Best Actor — Paul Giamatti (nominee)
- Best Supporting Actress — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (winner)
- Best Original Screenplay (nominee)
- Best Editing (nominee)
BAFTA Film Awards
- Best Film (nominee)
- Best Leading Actor — Paul Giamatti (nominee)
- Best Supporting Actor — Dominic Sessa (nominee)
- Best Supporting Actress — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (winner)
- Best Director — Alexander Payne (nominee)
- Best Original Screenplay (nominee)
- Best Casting (winner)
Golden Globes
- Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (nominee)
- Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy — Paul Giamatti (winner)
- Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (winner)
American Film Institute
- Top 10 Motion Picture of the Year
Critics Choice Awards
- Best Picture (nominee)
- Best Actor — Paul Giamatti (winner)
- Best Supporting Actress — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (winner)
- Best Young Actor/Actress — Dominic Sessa (winner)
- Best Acting Ensemble (nominee)
- Best Director — Alexander Payne (nominee)
- Best Original Screenplay (nominee)
- Best Comedy (nominee)
Film Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Screenplay — David Hemingson (nominee)
- Best Supporting Performance — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (winner)
- Best Breakthrough Performance — Dominic Sessa (winner)
- Best Cinematography (winner)
Gotham Awards
- Outstanding Supporting Performance — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (nominee)
London Critics' Circle Awards
- Film of the Year (nominee)
- Actor of the Year — Paul Giamatti (nominee)
- Supporting Actress of the Year — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (nominee)
- Breakthrough Performer of the Year — Dominic Sessa (nominee)
Los Angeles Film Critics Awards
- Best Supporting Performance — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (co-winner)
National Board of Review
- Best Actor — Paul Giamatti (winner)
- Best Supporting Actress — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (winner)
- Best Original Screenplay — David Hemingson (winner)
- Top 10 Films of the Year
New York Film Critics Awards
- Best Supporting Actress — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (winner)
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role — Paul Giamatti (nominee)
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role — Da'Vine Joy Randolph (winner)
Alexander Payne movies
We've mentioned a couple of movies from Alexander Payne's career, but here is the full list of his feature directing credits:
- The Passion of Martin (1991)
- Citizen Ruth (1996)
- Election (1999)
- About Schmidt (2002)
- Sideways (2004)
- Paris, je t'aime (2006)
- The Descendants (2011)
- Nebraska (2013)
- Downsizing (2017)
