Every teacher I know has a side hustle. My second job (because yes, I am a teacher) is writing for this website. Hell, I’ve even written about movies teachers can relate to. But, at the time that I wrote that article, I hadn’t watched The Holdovers yet, which is now what I consider the greatest movie about the profession that I’ve ever seen.
I’ve been an educator in an inner city school for 17 years now, so I’ve experienced a great deal in the classroom, including students who have grown up, gone off to college, and have even had children of their own. And now, it’s only a matter of time before I have these kids in one of my classes. So, why is The Holdovers the greatest movie about teaching that I’ve ever seen? Well, you’re about to find out.
The Movie Shows Just How Draining Teaching Can Be After Years Of Service
While I still think Godzilla Minus One was my favorite movie of 2023, I now think that The Holdovers is my second favorite movie of last year. This really surprises me, because even though I typically tend to love Alexander Payne (who reunited with Paul Giamatti for this one) movies, I wasn’t really expecting all that much out of The Holdovers, which is about a teacher who is stuck watching a handful of students during the Christmas break, only to emotionally connect with one of them, as well as the school’s lunch lady.
Maybe I should have expected more. Our very own Alexandra Ramos thought it was her favorite movie out of the 10 Oscar nominees for 2024, and everybody who had seen it kept telling me how good it was, especially Paul Giamatti’s performance.
However, I didn’t think the movie would hit me so hard emotionally, or that I would connect with it on such a visceral level, because this movie speaks to me as a teacher. Especially as one who’s been teaching for nearly two decades now.
The look on Giamatti’s character’s face says it all. This is a man who is tired. Yes, he loves his job. It’s even pretty much his whole identity. But, at the same time, he’s seen so many faces, and witnessed so much apathy about the subject that he's been teaching over the years that he’s grown cynical and jaded.
So much so that he can whistle “Ride of the Valkyries” while distributing F+’s and D-’s to his students, who NEED to pass his class in order to get into their precious Ivy League schools.
And, look, I get it. Over the years, I’ve seen students care less and less about their education. It’s not that they don’t want to do well, as many of them do. It’s just that the process has changed dramatically.
Technology has given them a lot of shortcuts, and they’ve grown into them to the point that they often don’t even understand why I’m always stressing “foundation, foundation, foundation,” over and over again.
In a lot of ways, I’m so dead set in my ways that I sometimes forget that I have to adapt because that’s the world we’re living in now. Not the world 17 years ago, where students still had to take state tests using pen and paper. But, a world where students can easily just type up a whole essay using A.I.
I am Giamatti’s character, though way less stringent, and much more open to the possibilities of the future. But, man, is it tiring. So, I can definitely relate to his character, Paul Hunham. He’s pretty much my spirit animal, and this is already one of Paul Giamatti's best movies.
It Also Shows That Just One Student Can Make It All Worth It
Every teacher tells their students that they don’t have favorites, but that’s such a lie, because we definitely do. Lots of times, that favorite student is the smartest kid in the class. But sometimes, it’s the most creative. For example, one of my students knew I loved The Legend of Zelda, so she gave me a statue that she made of Link that I still have to this very day.
However, what’s really interesting is that sometimes, your favorite student isn’t the “best” kid in the class. It’s actually the one who many might consider to be the “worst.”
This could happen for a number of reasons. Sometimes, you get to know them and realize just why they act the way they do. For example, you might get a glimpse into their home life, or how they’re treated in the hallways, and then, you get them. Hell, as cliche as it may sound, you might even see yourself in them, and that’s what Paul sees in Dominic Sessa’s character, Angus Tully. He sees himself.
Angus seems like a real pain in the ass, but he’s smart, and Paul knows that. But, when Paul gets “stuck” with him over the holidays, he comes to understand the pain and loneliness that he’s been going through. They even take the same depression medication.
In the beginning of the film, Paul starts out a curmudgeon, but by the end of it, he’s a warm hearted man – to that one student, and it unlocks more about himself than he ever knew. Teaching can be a pain sometimes, but it can also be the most beautiful, rewarding profession in the world. Sometimes, all it takes is just one kid.
The Movie Focuses More On The Teacher Than The Trade Itself
Most teacher movies focus on the teacher, sure, but the main focus is usually on the act of teaching itself. For example, one of Richard Dreyfuss’s best movies, Mr. Holland’s Opus, has our protagonist growing almost spiritually because of the work he does with his students. Dangerous Minds is another example. The focus is almost primarily on the classroom, and the students within it.
You can’t be a teacher without pupils. But, The Holdovers focuses more on the teacher himself rather than the students. We get to see Paul’s inner world, and how even when he’s away from campus, he’s still a teacher.
Because you never really stop being an educator. Yes, when you go home to your family, you might be a parent first, but you’re still a teacher second. Case in point, when the kids go to bed, you’re probably grading papers.
When you’re in the supermarket, you might buy something extra for your students. For example, my students LOVE Pop Tarts. Some of them have never even had them before (I know, right?!) until I give them to them. And, I just love that we see that aspect of being a teacher in this movie. You never really turn off being an educator. It’s in your heart.
But In The End, It Ultimately Focuses More On The Human Aspect Rather Than The Teacher Aspect
That said, every teacher is a human being first. This might be why The Holdovers is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen about the profession, because it shows that.
Giamatti was probably the perfect choice for this role, as he’s always good at showing the flawed, human side of every character he embodies. Paul doesn’t relate well with others. He has a lazy eye, and he smells “like fish” because he has trimethylaminuria. He’s a perpetual bachelor (not by choice, though he’ll say he is), and the students hate his guts.
Now, a lot of my own students like me, but the ones who don’t make fun of me for being short, or for being bald. Since I’m Black, and most of my students are also Black, they tend to rag on me, calling me all sorts of things that might make you blush.
But, this is only because they don’t see me as a person. They see me as their teacher, an authority figure, and so, every insult they hurl my way is fair game.
It’s only when they actually get to know that I’m a person with feelings (who is willing to hear out their feelings) that they start to see the person behind the curriculum, and I love that this movie shows that every teacher is a human being with inner pain that goes way beyond the profession, but definitely feeds into it.
So, what do you think? Are you also a teacher? If so, and you haven’t seen The Holdovers yet, then you should definitely see it. You won’t be disappointed. Class dismissed!
