A Christmas film with a little more bite – but plenty of heart.
For our final film of 2026, we're celebrating Christmas at Windlesham Film Club with something a little different.
Set during the Christmas holidays of 1970, The Holdovers takes us to a snowbound New England boarding school, where cantankerous teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) has been given the unwelcome task of supervising the students who aren't going home for the holidays.
Eventually, just one student remains: Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a bright but troublesome teenager who has become used to feeling that he doesn't quite belong. Joining them is the school's cook, Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who is facing a particularly difficult Christmas following the loss of her son.
Thrown together in an almost deserted school, the three make an unlikely festive trio.
But don't expect the usual picture-perfect Christmas story. The Holdovers is funny, bittersweet and sometimes deliberately uncomfortable. It recognises that Christmas can bring stresses, difficult family relationships, loneliness and memories of those who are missing, as well as celebration.
Gradually, though, something begins to change. Behind the arguments, sarcasm and misunderstandings, these three very different people start to see beyond their first impressions of one another.
The film strikes a wonderful balance between its more painful moments and some genuinely heart-warming ones, finding humour and kindness without becoming overly sentimental. Add its snowy setting and wonderfully nostalgic 1970s atmosphere and you have a Christmas film that feels both refreshingly different and reassuringly seasonal.
Starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa, this is a warm, witty and beautifully observed story about loneliness, friendship and finding connection in unexpected places.
Join us for The Holdovers and one final Film Club night together before Christmas.
Friday 18 December 2026
Windlesham Club & Theatre, Kennel Lane
Doors open: 7.00pm
Film starts: 7.30pm
Running time: 2 hrs 13 mins
Certificate: 15
Tickets: £5 members | £7 PAYG