The Holdovers, Alexander Payne’s Oscar-nominated indie hit starring Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, was a bit of a surprise success. Set in 1970, the film feels very of that era on a deep level – in aesthetics but more importantly in its being totally unafraid of sincere sentimentality. The film is a deeply empathetic exploration of the damage that can come from feeling abandoned and how fighting through the fear and reaching out for connection can change your life, even when you thought that would never be possible. So let’s take a deeper look at The Holdover’s heartfelt messages about not getting trapped by your past, found families, and learning to imagine a brighter future for yourself even in the midst of great darkness. (We’ll also unpack the whole plagiarism scandal.) Let’s dive in!


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CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:59 Lonely lives...
01:33 Disgruntled teacher Paul Hunham
03:03 Sad, erratic rich kid with a secret Angus Tully
04:42 Kind, mourning mother Mary Lamb
06:12 The power of found family
10:47 A nostalgic look... shot digitally?
11:53 About that plagiarism claim (so far)
14:07 Why The Holdovers is so relatable (even though it's set in the past)

The Take was created by Debra Minoff & Susannah McCullough
This video was written/produced/narrated/edited by Jessica Babineaux