> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bensmovieguide.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Not Everybody Gets to Go Home for Christmas - URL: https://www.bensmovieguide.com/not-everybody-gets-to-go-home-for-christmas/ - Published: 2026-10-25T20:34:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T20:36:53.000Z - Description: Not everybody gets to go home for Christmas. *The Holdovers* tells the story of three people stuck together over the holidays who discover that an unexpected Christmas can still be a pretty good one. - Author: Ben - Tags: #editorial, #movie, Movie: The Holdovers (2023), drama, comedy, christmas, 2020s, Rating: R, #Runtime: 134, #Rated For: language, some drug use and brief sexual material, #Verdict: Rent, #Watch: Major Platforms, #Eyebrow: The Other Side of Christmas, #currentish Christmas is supposed to be about family. Going home, gathering around the dinner table, exchanging gifts, and spending time with the people who matter most to you. But not everybody gets that Christmas. Some people have to work. Others are too far from home, have nowhere to go, or have lost the people they used to celebrate with. For them, Christmas can be a pretty lonely time of year. That's the Christmas we get in [*The Holdovers*](https://www.bensmovieguide.com/the-holdovers-2023-review/) (2023). **Stuck at School for Christmas** It's 1970, and most of the students at Barton Academy, a prestigious New England boarding school, are heading home for the holidays. But a handful of boys aren't going anywhere. They're stuck at school, and somebody has to look after them. That unfortunate assignment falls to Paul Hunham, played by Paul Giamatti. Hunham is an ancient history teacher who seems to have made it his life's work to be disliked by practically everyone he meets. He's arrogant, demanding, and not particularly interested in whether anybody enjoys his company. Eventually, only one student remains, Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a bright but troubled teenager whose family has other plans for Christmas. Then there's Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), the school's cook. She's staying at Barton too, although her reasons are considerably more heartbreaking. Her son was killed in Vietnam, and Christmas without him isn't something she's particularly looking forward to. So there they are. Three people spending Christmas somewhere they don't want to be, with people they wouldn't ordinarily choose to spend time with. Sounds like a wonderful holiday, doesn't it? **Making the Best of What You've Got** What makes *The Holdovers* work is that it doesn't try to turn these three into one big happy family overnight. Hunham is still an irritating old grouch. Angus has a talent for getting himself into trouble, and Mary is dealing with grief that isn't going to disappear because somebody puts up a Christmas tree. But as they spend time together, something begins to change. They start learning about one another, discovering that the people they've been stuck with might have a little more going on than they originally thought. Giamatti is terrific, as you'd expect. Sessa holds his own remarkably well, and Randolph gives the movie much of its emotional weight. The three work beautifully together, especially when the movie allows them to be funny without making light of their circumstances. And that's what I particularly like about this film. It understands that Christmas doesn't magically fix everything. People are still lonely. Families are still complicated. Whatever problems you had on December 24th are probably going to be there on December 26th. But that doesn't mean you can't find something good in between. *The Holdovers* is funny, touching, and occasionally a little sad. It's also a Christmas movie that recognizes something most holiday movies tend to overlook. Not everybody gets to go home for Christmas. Sometimes you have to make the best of where you are, with whoever happens to be there. And sometimes, that turns out to be enough. ![Not Everybody Gets to Go Home for Christmas](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/54/e9540ff8-9c7a-495e-932d-5ba71686447c/content/images/2026/10/The-Holdovers-2023-16x9.jpg) ![Not Everybody Gets to Go Home for Christmas](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/54/e9540ff8-9c7a-495e-932d-5ba71686447c/content/images/2026/10/The-Holdovers-2023-2x3.jpg) ![Not Everybody Gets to Go Home for Christmas](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/54/e9540ff8-9c7a-495e-932d-5ba71686447c/content/images/2026/10/The-Holdovers-2023-4x5.jpg) ![Not Everybody Gets to Go Home for Christmas](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/54/e9540ff8-9c7a-495e-932d-5ba71686447c/content/images/2026/10/The-Holdovers-2023-5x6.jpg) ![Not Everybody Gets to Go Home for Christmas](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/54/e9540ff8-9c7a-495e-932d-5ba71686447c/content/images/2026/10/The-Holdovers-2023-6x5.jpg) ![Not Everybody Gets to Go Home for Christmas](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/54/e9540ff8-9c7a-495e-932d-5ba71686447c/content/images/2026/10/The-Holdovers-2023-3x1.jpg) ![Not Everybody Gets to Go Home for Christmas](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/54/e9540ff8-9c7a-495e-932d-5ba71686447c/content/images/2026/10/The-Holdovers-2023-1600x727.jpg)