A “perfect” Christmas film with an Oscar-Award winning star is ready to watch on Netflix.
Christmas films are taking over the Netflix charts, but one festive movie featuring a “national treasure” has truly won over viewers’ hearts.
From Champagne Problems and Jingle Bell Heist to Virgin River’s Alexandra Breckenridge in My Secret Santa, yuletide movies are plentiful this year.
A 2023 release that scooped one Oscar and earned four additional nominations is garnering significant buzz, with X users, previously Twitter, hailing it as “one of the best Christmas movies I’ve ever seen”.
Set within Barton Academy, cantankerous and rigid classics instructor Paul Hunham finds himself compelled to oversee a small group of pupils with nowhere else to spend Christmas.
Amongst these students is intelligent yet troubled Angus Tully, whose mother abandons him at school whilst she embarks on her honeymoon with his new stepfather.
They’re frequently accompanied by the school’s chef Mary Lamb, who mourns the loss of her son, a former Barton pupil killed during the Vietnam conflict.
The 1970s-based The Holdovers opens with Paul and Angus constantly butting heads as the former attempts to impose rigid discipline upon the deserted teenager.
Yet as days unfold, this unlikely trio slowly bond with one another, sharing intimate details of their lives whilst striving to salvage their Christmas.
Taking on the role of instructor Paul Hunham is actor Paul Giamatti, renowned for his portrayal of Chuck Rhoades in the Showtime and Sky series Billions. Joining him in the cast are Oh.
What. Fun’s Dominic Secca as Angus and Mary Lamb’s Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2024 for her role in The Holdovers.
Fans have been heading to X in droves to share their excitement about watching this “melancholy” film during the festive season.
One viewer enthused: “The Holdovers! One of the best Christmas movies I have ever seen! 10/10.”
Another fan shared: “Time to rewatch The Holdovers aka my fave Christmas film”, while a third chimed in with: “Rewatching The Holdovers and this really is a perfect film and Christmas movie. Paul Giamatti is a national treasure.”
Another admirer declared: “The Holdovers aka best Christmas film ever”, and another added: “I just watched The Holdovers & its probably my new favourite Christmas movie.”
The Holdovers is available to watch on Netflix.