Is The Holdovers Available for Streaming?

Is The Holdovers, a cozy movie from 2023, available on Netflix or any other streaming platform? Alexander Payne gained recognition with the highly acclaimed Election in 1999, which cleverly portrayed high school life and featured an exceptional cast including Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick.

Three years later, Payne collaborated with Jack Nicholson, resulting in an Oscar nomination for About Schmidt. Shortly thereafter, Payne himself won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2004.

Almost two decades later, following a relatively subdued phase in his career (despite his recent film receiving mixed reviews and struggling at the box office upon its release on Netflix), he has made a comeback with The Holdovers.

Where to stream The Holdovers – is it on Netflix?

The Holdovers isn’t available on Netflix, nor is it on any streaming platform right now.

The film initially had a limited release in the US on October 27, and later expanded for a wide release in mid-November. It also premiered at the London Film Festival in the UK, but it won't be released across the pond until January 19, 2024.

The movie is set in a boarding school in New England, where the town's dedicated professor (played by Paul Giamatti) is responsible for the remaining students during the Christmas break. One of the students, Angus Tully (played by Dominic Sessa), is exceptionally intelligent but often rubs people the wrong way. Due to an unlucky twist of events, they find themselves spending the holidays together with Mary (played by Da'Vine Joy Randolph), the school's cafeteria chief who is mourning the loss of her partner in the Vietnam War.

Anticipation is already building for this film to receive numerous Oscar nominations, particularly for Paul Giamatti as a potential contender for Best Actor. He will face tough competition from actors like Cillian Murphy in "Oppenheimer" and Bradley Cooper in "Maestro."

In our four-star review, we praised it as a comedy-drama that effectively combines both humor and heartfelt moments, making it a potential Christmas favorite.

Nevertheless, Payne expressed his unease with viewers finding solace in the film's apparent comfort. During an interview with Vanity Fair, he revealed feeling a sense of discomfort and even nausea when hearing it being described as "cozy."

I believed I was creating a respectable film centered on individuals. However, before anyone else, I want to inquire: What specifically brought about a sense of comfort or warmth for you? Was it the film's texture or the quality of the portrayed human relationships? What exactly was it? [...] There are two aspects we can discuss. Firstly, the film possesses a certain quality wherein we are able to challenge our initial assumptions about others through acquiring new knowledge. It highlights that everyone has a story.

When you first meet someone, you tend to make assumptions, often unfairly. Yet, as you become acquainted with that person, you start to witness their underlying humanity. Consequently, in the context of this film, it conveys the idea that individuals who initially appear vastly different can gradually discover a shared humanity over time — and that is something beautiful. However, I would not necessarily describe it as "cozy." Why did you choose to use the term "cozy"?

The Holdovers is in US cinemas now. For more TV & movies coverage, click here.

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z netizen, I have mixed feelings about the movie "The Holdovers" and its portrayal of Gen Z. On the one hand, I appreciate that the film attempts to depict the complexities of Gen Z's experiences, such as the pressure to succeed and the challenges of navigating social media. On the other hand, I feel that the film's portrayal of Gen Z is somewhat one-dimensional and fails to capture the full diversity of our generation.

Overall, I think "The Holdovers" is a well-made film with strong performances from its cast. However, I believe that the film could have done a better job of representing the diversity of Gen Z and avoiding stereotypes.