Veronica Martir

The holiday release, "The Holdovers", is definitely worth your time. It contains Oscar worthy performances and, in spite of being set 54 years ago, deals with timeless, relatable themes like grief and unfulfilled dreams. Also, it depicts the eternal struggle of teachers to maintain integrity despite distracted students and uncaring administrators. In addition, it admirably brings alive its 1970s setting through its style of filmmaking, evocative use of music of the day and masterful attention to period detail. However, don't expect to come away from this "holiday film" with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Though there was much to enjoy in this movie, I found its dour culmination something of a letdown.