There’s still one more festive treat awaiting UK film fans this year.
The Christmas period may have come and gone, but there’s still one festive treat awaiting UK film fans this month – thanks to the release of Alexander Payne’s acclaimed new film The Holdovers.
The comedy-drama stars Paul Giamatti as a curmudgeonly boarding school teacher charged with looking after a group of pupils who are forced to stay behind for the holidays, following him as he strikes up an unexpected bond with a rebellious student (Dominic Sessa) and the school’s head chef (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
The film was released at the end of 2023 across the pond but, despite the Yuletide setting, UK cinema-goers have had to wait a little while longer to watch it.
And with it tipped to become a future seasonal staple – after picking up Golden Globe wins for Giamatti and Randolph – it should be worth a trip to the pictures, despite the rather bizarre release date.
Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch The Holdovers in the UK.
The Holdovers UK release date
Despite its festive setting and the fact that it’s already being tipped to enter the Christmas classics canon, the film has been given a mid-January release date in the UK.
It will be released on Friday 19th January – so don’t rid yourself of all that Christmas spirit just yet!
And who knows, perhaps it will make its way back into cinemas when next December rolls around, as is the case for so many great Christmas films.
Will the Holdovers be streaming anywhere?
If you live in the US, The Holdovers is already available to buy as a digital download and to stream on Peacock, but UK fans won’t be able to watch it at home for a while yet – with no date having been announced at this stage.
It’s also too early to say whether the film will make its way onto any of the subscription-based streaming services on this side of the Atlantic, but we’ll keep this page updated as and when more news becomes available.
The Holdovers plot
If you’re after some brief information about the film before you decide whether you’d like to see it in a cinema, you can find the official synopsis below:
“The Holdovers follows a curmudgeonly instructor at a prestigious American school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go.
Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them – a damaged, brainy troublemaker – and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.”
The Holdovers trailer
Still not made your mind up? Perhaps the trailer below will convince you!
The Holdovers is released in UK cinemas on Friday 19th January 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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