Unfortunately, The Holdovers really lives up to its name. ... Worth seeing for its playful homage to a very specific slice of cinema history, for its three lead performances, and for a few very good scenes that come before those last, long 30 minutes.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Apr 29, 2024

Randolph takes the pain and the imminent grief that her character is feeling to the core, making her chain-smoking adaptation to the situation, while watching the game shows and interacting with the other characters all the more impactful.

Full Review | Apr 17, 2024

Absolutely nothing new happens in Alexander Payne’s surprisingly warm and fuzzy film, but it’s a perfectly fine way to while away 135 minutes. And — who knows? — you might even remember some well-worn yet valuable life lessons.

Full Review | Apr 1, 2024

Anchored by Giamatti’s compelling central performance ..., The Holdovers takes a meaningful dive into a complex world of emotional conflict

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 27, 2024

"The Holdovers" should become a holiday movie classic for audiences to return to every Thanksgiving to keep some perspective on human nature, hypocrisy, and the importance of having a warm heart and a calm mind.

Full Review | Original Score: FIVE STARS | Mar 17, 2024

A small-scale gem that, by utilizing a 1970s setting, manages to recall the intimate cinema of that period.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 12, 2024

Giamatti’s performance is a pleasure to watch. He is the presiding presence in the movie, and David Hemingson’s erudite screenplay allows him free range to deliver long lines of invective.

Full Review | Mar 8, 2024

It's the beautifully-written characters and the actors that inhabit them that will surely receive the most plaudits

Full Review | Original Score: 5 | Feb 28, 2024

A new American classic.

Full Review | Feb 27, 2024

In a film that manages to be touching and consistently funny, you won’t be surprised to learn that a rapport develops between existentially miserable Paul, who seeks solace in Jim Beam and Marcus Aurelius, and prickly, troublesome Angus.

Full Review | Feb 18, 2024

Giamatti doesn’t let Paul’s character tics, which include a prominent lazy eye, to distract from the more subtle aspects of his performance.

Full Review | Feb 17, 2024

The film is a throwback to the soul-stirring narratives of 70s movies. There’s a lot of attention to detail as it immerses the audience in a time of societal shifts and cultural upheaval.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 16, 2024

The three leads work well together and you will root for them, although there is a predictability and heavy-handedness to the story that makes it less moving than it would otherwise be.

Full Review | Feb 14, 2024

The warmth with which Payne shows the humanity in his characters helps each one of them unfold into a real, complex person.

Full Review | Feb 8, 2024

[Giamatti, Sessa, and Randolph] are as unforgettable as this film. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 8, 2024

The movie is supposed to uplift and suffuse you in a warm Christmas glow, but Payne’s manipulations are fundamentally cynical—and barely conceal a core of self-satisfaction and cruelty.

Full Review | Feb 8, 2024

The protagonists of The Holdover are the type of characters that have populated Payne's previous films: creatures overwhelmed by their social environment, who are not denied the possibility of learning and redemption. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 7, 2024

A pleasant, digestible film and the three leads are appealing. ... It is not a genuine advance for the director. The comedy-drama’s general trajectory and ultimately heartwarming denouement are set out for all to see virtually from its opening sequence.

Full Review | Feb 2, 2024

A straightforward yet effective enough piece of holiday viewing.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jan 30, 2024

A humorous yet profoundly moving film that explores how devastating it is to create distance between ourselves and the people or things that hurt us. Paul Giamatti delivers his best work, Da'Vine Joy Randolph is a wonder and Dominic Sessa is a true find.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.75/5 | Jan 27, 2024