If there is one film that holiday movie buffs need to watch in 2024, it’sThe Holdovers, which is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.Following Thanksgiving Day (or Halloween for some), it’s officially Christmastime,meaning that streaming services began adding festive flicks to their catalog, and some (like Netflix) even release original holiday films. As for one company in particular,The Holdoversis one of the variousChristmas movies featured in Amazon Prime Video’s libraryin 2024.
Aside fromThe Holdovers, some other holiday movies available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in 2024 areLove Actually,The Holiday,Scrooged,The Family Stone, andIt’s a Wonderful Life.
The Holdoverspremiered in August 2023 at the 50th Telluride Film Festival in Colorado before having a limited theatrical release, beginning on June 27, 2025. It grossed a little over $45 million against a $13 million budget during its theatrical run.The Holdoversalso received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike— its Tomatometer score onRotten Tomatoesis 97 percent, while its Popcornmeter score sits at 92 percent as of the writing of this article. Based on its overwhelming success alone,The Holdoversdeserves a spot on everyone’s 2024 holiday movie watchlist.
The Holdovers Is Now Streaming On Prime - Why It’s Worth A Yearly Holiday Rewatch
The Comedy Drama Takes Place Over Christmas Break
Focus Features’The Holdoversstars Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, a teacher at a New England all-male boarding school chaperoninga group of students staying on campus during Christmas Break in 1970.Da’Vine Joy Randolph joins Giamatti in the cast of the 2023 Christmas comedy-drama as Mary Lamb, the school’s cafeteria manager grieving the loss of her son. However, this description only brushes the surface of whatThe Holdoversis about. The film was lauded for its balance of comedy and tragedy, the cast’s performances, beautiful storytelling, and more, making it the perfect watch during Christmastime.
Michael Provost
Jason Smith
Alexander Payne’sThe Holdoversembodies all the qualities of a perfect Christmas film(at least, for those who appreciate sentimental holiday movies over Hallmark rom-coms). For many, Christmastime is full of both joy and melancholy, which is excellently represented inThe Holdovers. Thecharacters inTheHoldoversundergo the many complex feelings that the holidays can bring, making the movie quite relatable. Plus, other classic Christmas themes, like family, finding and forming connections, and forgiveness, can all be found inThe Holdoverson Amazon Prime Video.
Every “Holdover” Student In The Holdovers & Why Each Has To Stay On Campus
With their stay supervised by the rigid Mr. Hunham, The Holdovers' students have varying reasons for remaining at school during their holiday break.
The Holdovers' Awards Success Explained
Da’Vine Joy Randolph Won An Oscar For Her Performance
As mentioned above,The Holdoverswas a success with critics, earning its place among other award-winning films that came out around the same time.The 2023 Christmas comedy-drama was nominated for five Academy Awards— Best Picture, Best Actor for Paul Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. Randolph won in her category, which is impressive as she was up against many other talented actresses. However,Randolph’s outstanding and memorable performance inThe Holdoversspeaks for itself. Ultimately,The Holdoverswon 120 awards over 204 nominations, an excellent success rate.
The Holdovers
Cast
The Holdovers is a comedy-drama film starring Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, a prep academy professor hated by peers and students alike. Stuck at the academy for the holidays with no family or friends to visit, he finds himself in the company of a bright-but-troublemaking young student named Angus and the school’s head cook, Mary. Together, the three will create a makeshift family as they bond during the holiday season.
