Director Alexander Payne reunites with his Sideways star, Paul Giamatti in this earnest and laugh-out-loud dramedy that takes us back to the winter of 1970 and Barton, a boy’s prep school where Paul Hunham (Giamatti) teaches Ancient Civilizations and often finds himself clashing with not only his fellow teachers but his students as well, particularly Angus Tully (brought to life with a stunning complexity by newcomer Dominic Sessa).

The winter holidays are coming on, teachers have plans, students have plans, but plans are made for life to ruin, and in this case, Hunham is asked to look after the boys who won’t be going home to their parents and families for Christmas, including Tully.

Their first impressions of each other guide them in their clashes but as the two weeks continue, they and a lone cook, Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who is carrying her own pain – the loss of her only son, a former Barton boy, in Vietnam. But as tempers and intellects flare, will the pair, and then the trio begin to know and understand one another better?

As the characters explore the vast empty spaces of the school, alone, angry and feeling anything but festive, they get to know one another better, begin to see one another as people, to understand the depth and history that each person carries no matter what they present to the public.

Tully is worried about his mental health and what it means in relation to his family, Hunham is alone, ashamed of who he is and where, and Mary misses her boy and doesn’t want to let go of the memory of her boy.

Despite some of the heavier themes, the film is brilliantly funny, Payne delivers the emotions and the laughs with aplomb and makes the characters relatable on every level.

I don’t know if Giamatti has ever been better, Hunham seems to have been tailor-made for him to bring to life and his delivery, his every move is perfect.

Payne lets the narrative play out in its own time, letting the story find its way, its characters exploring their arcs. The production design including the film’s opening credits feels like a throwback to 70s filmmaking, and it all works.

It not only works, it flies. The characters are so well-realized, the script by David Hemingson is so layered, so funny, so real, and Payne conducts it all like a master with Giamatti at its core.

Simply outstanding.

The Holdovers screens on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 September at the Princess of Wales Theatre and Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September at the Lightbox. Check out times, get tickets, and discover other films here.