The Holdovers

A professor, cafeteria supervisor, and student are left behind at an east coast boys boarding school over winter break, 1970.  It’s a match made in purgatory.  As their time together progresses, each are given an opportunity to develop trust and a friendship that will impact the rest of their lives.  Paul Giamatti is a natural for the role of the professor that nobody likes.  Da’Vine Joy Randolph kills it as Mary, who has recently lost her son to the war in Vietnam.  Dominic Sessa debuts as the troubled/troublemaking student who drives the story to its surprising conclusion.  The film is dead on when it comes to detail.  You could say it’s very nostalgic for my generation, it was the year I graduated from high school and started community college.  Not exactly a Dead Poet’s Society, The Emperor’s Club, or even a Breakfast Club sort of film, but a lesson in humility and treating everyone with respect and understanding.  Rating: 3.75 stars—a make-up final will be provided after break, please read chapter six and be prepared to discuss the Peloponnesian war.