Alexander Payne is the director behind classics like Election and The Descendants, and he’s teaming up with Focus Features for this heartfelt drama called The Holdovers starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and newcomer Dominic Sessa. The film is set to release in November, and we just got a new trailer.
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Here’s the official description for the film:
From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
The film kind of feels like a Dead Poet’s Society meets The Shining, but it does look to have that nice blend of drama and comedy, which is kind of signature when it comes to a director like Payne.
If you’ve watched Payne’s filmography, you’ll know he has an interesting penchant for slice-of-life-dramas. Admittedly, his 2017 film Downsizing wasn’t met with the most critical praise, but after a long break, it should be interesting to see what kind of story Payne wants to tell; especially with a talent like Paul Giamatti.
Watch out for The Holdovers when it hits select theaters on Oct. 27, and everywhere else on Nov. 10.
