YMMV / The Holdovers

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Was Mrs. Tully's anger at her son visiting his father without permission truly because he inadvertently caused a violent episode or was it something more selfish? Considering she only makes the bare minimum contact to Angus, is otherwise completely unreachable, and is wholly involved with her new husband during the whole movie, it's also possible she was more angry at having to pause her honeymoon to deal with people she'd rather not be around with.
  • That being said, in the interest of fairness, how bad is Mrs. Tully, really? While the portrait the film paints of her isn't exactly flattering, it's also minimal and framed completely from the side of Angus who, perceptive and intelligent as he is, is still an angsty youth with an obvious emotional bias. Her leaving Angus alone during Christmas is certainly selfish, but she's also had to deal with the very painful situation of putting her ex-husband into a mental institution and is very likely handling the responsibilities of it all by herself. She could be using this "honeymoon" as a way to escape from her frankly horrific circumstances.
  • Similarly, is Dr. Woodrup truly an irredeemable Jerkass, or just a Designated Villain? He does seem condescending towards Hunham, and even his kindly secretary seems to despise him. On the other hand, the worst we see Woodrup do is pressure Hunham into changing the grade of a stupid and unmotivated student from an F to a C- because his family are wealthy donors to the school. While inflating the grades of wealthy students obviously runs counter to academic standards and ethics, it's unfortunately also standard practice at almost all elite schools that rely on donations from rich alumni to stay afloat, so at worst Woodrup is just a cynical realist.
  • Is Paul's kind behavior towards Mary purely out of respect and empathy, or does he have feelings for her? Note the moment where he briefly places his hand over hers, only to immediately remove it upon realizing what he did.
• Aluminum Christmas Trees: Literally. The film being set in the 1970s, an aluminum Christmas tree makes an appearance at Lydia Crane's Christmas party.
• Award Snub: Though Davine Joy Randolph and Paul Giamatti both received Oscar nominations, neither Dominic Sessa or Alexander Payne (at least in director) did.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Yee-Jeon, Alex, and Jason are all Put on a Bus early in the film, but they add a lot of color and heart that most fans love to the movie.
• Jerkass Woobie: Both Paul and Angus are sometimes irritating people with significant flaws, but both are also revealed to have dealt with some very painful events in their past that make them sympathetic despite it.
• The Woobie: Mary is a nicer person than either Paul or Angus, and has also dealt with the most painful loss of all: Her son Curtis, whom she'd sacrificed a lot for in order to give a better life, was drafted into the army after graduating from Barton because she couldn't afford to pay for college and he could attend on the GI Bill if he served in the military, and was subsequently killed in Vietnam. She is still grieving the loss, but remains a kind, thoughtful person despite it.