The Holdovers (2023)

This is a modest movie--my spouse commented on that fact. He loved it, but wondered if it was too small in scope for a Best Picture nod, but with the expansion of that category from 5 to 10 films allows for movies like this to be in contention. It is about people who don’t share their feelings easily, so when it does decide to wallop its viewer with emotion, it can really catch you off guard. This is a role made to fit for Paul Giamatti, allowing him to use all the physical comedy that he has at his disposal. He plays Paul Hunham, a notorious hardass of a history adjunct at Barton Academy, a New England boarding school where the sons of the wealthy and powerful are fed and exercised until they’re old enough to be sent off to the prestigious colleges their parents have been lavishing with donations. Paul is a Barton man himself, albeit one who attended on a scholarship, and while he claims to be a true believer in how the school aims to shape its young men, the truth is that these days he seems to genuinely loathe everyone who troops through his classroom. They, in turn, can’t stand him, though, over the course of the film, Paul charms the hell out of the audience by revealing the vulnerabilities, as well as the compassion, beneath that irascible exterior. Do not miss this!