Best Actor 2023: Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers

Paul Giamatti received his second Oscar nomination for portraying Paul Hunham in The Holdovers.

The Holdovers tells the tale of boarding school students left over Christmas break, along with their teacher assigned to watch them during the winter of 1970. 

Paul Giamatti finally has gotten his due for leading an Alexander Payne film after his, to this day, fairly inexplicable snub for Sideways, which I'd argue was considered so substantial that it caused him to get a makeup nomination for his role in Cinderella Man the following year. Giamatti, though in his reunion with Payne as actor/director, finally earned his leading Oscar here for playing the much disliked teacher Paul Hunham of the prestigious boy's boarding school of Barton. A character that seemingly is right in Giamatti's wheelhouse, which sometimes there's nothing wrong with that. Although I think notable in that Giamatti is in no way playing his previous down on his luck Payne lead of Miles rom Sideways, Giamatti decidedly makes Mr. Hunham his own man. His own man being most similar to, in my mind, the great teacher character/performance of Andrew Crocker-Harris from The Browning Version as portrayed by Michael Redgrave, who also was a boarding school teacher of similar stature. A key point of that character is the teacher who basically fashioned himself through certain mannerisms that he accentuated to be a self-imposed caricature in the way he is viewed by the students. We find this in a similar way with what Giamatti does in the earliest scenes of the film where we see the Barton school on its last day before break. Giamatti's first scene of course comes in as the great grump with a lazy eye, and while it is something we know he can do, this is as good as he's ever been at being the grump. As Giamatti brings the wonderful comic ire of Mr. Hunham as he grades the student's tests with a dismissiveness that he presents as coming from years of being exasperated with the student's substandard efforts. Giamatti instantly establishing Mr. Hunham is not just a grump but really THE grump of teachers, who you seemingly just know are ready and wanting to fail you the first chance they get.

Giamatti's portrayal of the specific kind of teacher though immediately has nuance, though nuance you might not see on first watch but it is there, when he is immediately called upon by the dean of the school, a former student of his, to be informed that he will now be watching the holdover students over Christmas break, after another staff lied about a family illness though more accurately because Hunham refused to pass a student with important doner parents. Giamatti changes between two voices, not overtly, but subtly. Largely one is that of sardonic realism where he bluntly gives off his disdain for the dean, a former student of his, as carefully as he can while maintaining his job and more than a lot of disdain for the students. Something that I think Giamatti thrives by managing to do it in the way that is convincing of a very opinionated teacher where he manages to be both funny and appropriately pompous at the same time. There's something else though where he speaks about the expectations of the Barton students, there is an elevated way of speaking but there is genuine passion if only for a brief moment. Giamatti suggests perhaps what Hunham was like when he first started teaching in his firm belief in the Barton standard as personified by the old dean and clear mentor for Hunham. In that moment Giamatti does grant some idea of Hunham's genuine belief in there somewhere even as his basic state is that of more than a lot of ire for what he believes is the privilege of the unworthy. Something we see all the more when actually teaching, where Giamatti is full force with a confidence and disdain in his voice, where he is essentially playing the part of a brutal dismissive teacher, while being a brutal dismissive teacher. Giamatti accentuating the extremes of his Hunham brilliantly by showing the caricature he has constructed for himself. 

Hunham therefore seems to be the absolute worst person to run a vacation time for the students, who runs the holdover time still as an educational system of study even though the boys are supposed to be having fun. Giamatti chews wonderfully into the scene of describing his itinerary with the grandiosity of it as all some grand gestures that are helping the boys, though with the venom behind it not at all hidden as Giamatti puts more than a little bit of glee into it. My favorite moment probably being when one of the boys questions this treatment, and Hunham is too quick to remind them via a historical fact about the Romans bathing in the freezing Tiber river. Giamatti's performance of these historical facts is key I think to his performance as we see the progression of this. His earliest use of it, it is not as a fact he's sharing, even if his way of speaking is someone with the utmost understanding of this fact, but rather it is a dismissive confidence he projects into the fact in order to belittle rather than enlighten with it. Giamatti for me hits the exact right note with these scenes where he's naturally comedic, in that he is very much selling the humor of the character's overt cruelty in the situation, but doing so in a way that always feels honest to Hunham. Part of this is Giamatti's way of weaponizing the way of the man, but the reality is more so mixed in. Such as when Hunham first reacts to a fight between the boys with actual disbelief and annoyance that is much more low key, before then going into Hunham as the dictatorial teacher method with a very purposeful showmanship particularly as Giamatti devours every word of a potential punishment of library cleaning with a fiendish glee. 

This IS a performance by Hunham, even if one fashioned over years as a teacher as such, not unlike the aforementioned Crocker-Harris, as we see the first most overt glimpse of the real Hunham when one of the boys make a dismissive remark over their cook Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) and you get a bit of just amazing acting by Giamatti. As his lashing in anger against the young man first is just raw emotion of anger towards the blithe attitude of the young man, but what's so remarkable about the moment is as he turns the initial real direct anger against the one then shifts it to a lesson to the rest of the boys about their privilege, Giamatti reverts back to the expected teacher timbre that is far less aggressive if still biting. We see more of this when he visits Mary watching the Newlywed game and they just talk as two people.  Giamatti's manner is very different, albeit in an understated way, although he's no longer playing up to the class, now he's just a man conversing with another person. This isn't to say that Giamatti suddenly becomes the ideal man, although even the negativity of the man is presented differently. When Mary cautions to go easy on the boys, Hunham once again speaks of all that they have, and you see a more intense, though quiet internalized bitterness where this is clearly something fundamental within the man's bones. When Mary asks him, as a former Barton student himself, if he had a privileged life, Giamatti's quiet moment of recognition has so much emotion in it even if for a moment. Although there is much negativity Giamatti is terrific in the scene actually by just the quiet empathy he does convey as Mary talks about her dead son, and naturally shows the warmth is in there somewhere. 

The film narrows its focus effectively when most of the boys end up finding an out when one of the boys ends up being picked up by his rich father leading to all of them leaving, except the considered somewhat troubled Angus (Dominic Sessa) due to Hunham being unable to contact his parents. There's a particularly interesting bit of work from Giamatti in a scene after this situation is created where he chats again with Mary and Angus is in the room. Giamatti isn't quite either version of Hunham as he's part being himself and just slightly putting it on still. Regardless Giamatti makes the most of a few moments, one where he notes not having been married with an over accentuation on his own attractiveness, which another moment later on, Giamatti shows a sort of defensiveness by Hunham almost overplaying the defense. His following statement of liking to be alone though is with a resignation that is very specific where Giamatti articulates a kind of determined thought, of some compromise that Hunham has made in his head to allow himself to live in his perpetually alone state by being "fine" with it. I adore the moment though where Mary asks where he would go if he actually left the area and the eagerness in which Giamatti says Greece reveals an instinctual passion connected to history, that even in his rather bitter view of the world, his love for history is still very much alive within him even if more than a little bit hidden. 

We get one final scene of the performative Hunham as he tries to reign in Angus who's fed up with being trapped, and Giamatti's good for a few more hilarious expressions in his strained attempts to catch the young man before his horrified face at when Angus injures himself in "the escape". Giamatti notably drops the sort of performance as Hunham as he reveals much more the real sad sack behind it all as he admits he's likely to be fired for Angus's injury, only for Angus to make up an excuse at the hospital to avoid anyone else getting informed. This leads to Giamatti easing up in portraying some kind of connection now, if limited at first. Giamatti shows naturally that Hunham can now be himself a little more. Giamatti's great though in not making it a switch without some difficulty as there's moments where he corrects Angus where he slides a little into the surface teacher Hunham, though they become briefer as the film proceeds. Giamatti though initially lets out more exasperation, just directly and in a more understated way as he would slightly closer to a real mentor though not quite. Giamatti's work opens up in an earnest pseudo connection which he doesn't make easy at any point. The connection initially is just less of putting on the defense and more so being himself, which often is as a far less than perfect self in front of Angus. 

An essential scene within the film is where Hunham, Mary and Angus go to a Christmas party hosted by the perky Lydia (Carrie Preston), a fellow worker at the school, who Angus even encourages Hunham to try to pursue romantically. I have great affection for even Giamatti's physical work of preparing before the party with a serious look that is both a mix of conviction and intense anxiety in a single expression. And Giamatti's great in the way he is able to articulate throughout the scenes the shifting of emotion of a man who clearly this isn't what is probably the easiest state for him to be in. And we see what throughout the film is always his way to often revert in social situations to his knowledge of Ancient history. Something that Giamatti always breathes a specific striking life, as the real passion of the man that you could even see as potentially something he could convey to his students even if he brought it to life in this way as we do see in these moments. where he makes the passion just a little stronger each time, as though unearthing from within himself. Giamatti mixes that in though with glimpses that come in and out naturally in his face of a quiet sorrow of almost looking for the situation to go wrong. When he speaks to Lydia about his past, Giamatti's fantastic in his way of speaking of real hardship in his past with a mix of nostalgia but mostly some sense of real sadness. When going off on his old passion mixing to a nihilistic view of the world, there's such a festering pain in him deep within the blithe statements of dismissiveness. Making his little smile when Lydia does encourage him, such a poignant moment of hope. A moment that is quickly crushed when he sees she's already obviously in a very passionate relationship, and Giamatti's reaction pictured above, is just absolutely heartbreaking because it isn't of shock, rather just this very sad resignation of a man expecting any hope of happiness for him to be crushed. 

But what the party does lead to is important words by Mary telling Hunham to try to actually make the abandoned Angus not feel unwanted. and much like Ebenezer Scrooge, Hunham attempts to make everything right Christmas morning. A grump to the better man transition has been done before of course, but what really matters is if a character and performance make you not care, which is the case for Giamatti's depiction of this for Hunham. In part because Giamatti beforehand did allude to the potential of something better deep down in Hunham prior to this point but also just how he acts the moment out of going about making at least an okay Christmas for the three of them. I love just the moment of contemplation before the choice, as you can see in Giamatti's eyes just the expression of just real empathy and decision. Then what eases it along is that Giamatti shows the effort in Hunham in a way where his eagerness is a mix of earnestness but also someone trying very hard to be earnest, which in a weird way makes it feel all the more genuine. The topper though being Hunham taking Angus to Boston to actually enjoy his vacation. Through this though we get greater connection between the two, something on one end I will get to more at a later date, though Giamatti is lovely in easing out a bit more warmth and just care in his interactions. An especially great moment is when Hunham shows Angus some Ancient pottery, where Giamatti delivers such an intense passion for the moment we see perhaps the most real fervent teacher of old that Hunham was at one time, who truly cared in every sense. Giamatti carrying this arc just in the delivery of these moments to show the real potential of the man he has long buried away. This is only topped by the following moment where Angus bluntly tells Hunham of the dire perception of him by everyone, where Giamatti's resigned recognition of that as the truth is incredibly moving in showing just the sad state of Hunham as he truly looks at himself without an obfuscation.

The real depth of connection comes at the end of the trip as Angus sneaks off to see his dad, who he previously claimed to be dead. Giamatti's amazing in this moment because you see in his outrage this time as he catches Angus genuine sense of betrayal, as though opening up as he has to the young man, for it to only be abused, as he sees it in the moment, is particularly painful. Earning then his absolute sincerity, and really relief when Angus reveals the truth to him, that his father is in fact in a mental institution. Afterwards when Angus reveals his own concerns of potentially suffering the same fate, Giamatti is just pitch perfect in the amount of emotional empathy he brings in every word as he not only tries to assuage that fear but also is so supportive towards the young man. There's almost a desperation in Giamatti, but not of weakness, but rather this desperate belief that's he's finally found again as he genuinely tells the young man he thinks he's smart and has a chance. Leading eventually to the final confrontation when after the break is over, where Angus may be kicked out for going to see his father, but Hunham instead chooses to lie to save him. A scene that 100% depends on Giamatti selling the moment, which he absolutely does because it has been such a long and difficult process to this point, and in Giamatti's voice you hear the weight of the connection and the real emotional connection he's formed in his passionate defense, that saves Angus's place in Barton even if dooms Hunham to be fired. But I actually think this is immediately topped by his moment with Angus, where Hunham reveals which of his two eyes to look at. His delivery of "it's this one", is such a pitch perfect bit of vulnerability in a way of truly showing unconditional affection for this young man. Which Giamatti carries to the final scene with Angus as Hunham is about to leave....a scene I think I'll save because I NEED to talk about both performances. And even without that I feel I've praised this work enough. As I absolutely adore this performance, which is at its base level is in Giamatti's wheelhouse but in the best possible way and as an expansion of it. He is a great grump here hitting the comic beats wonderfully well, but he's also so much more in creating this dynamic and truly moving portrait of deconstructing the uncaring teacher. That isn't about just showing the truth of the man within, but actually the man himself rediscovering that truth.