In the funny melancholic and weirdly moving new film The Holdovers, Paul Giamatti plays a widely disliked teacher at a prestigious boarding school in 1970.

He's forced to look after the boys who can't go home for Christmas break,

including one kid who's a particular pain in the butt.

It's the latest film from Alexander Payne who wrote and directed sideways election

Nebraska and other films I'm Linda Holmes and I'm Lynn Weldon and today we're

talking about the holdovers on pop culture Happy Hour from NPR.

Joining us today is Andrew Limbong. He's the host of NPR's Book of the Day podcast and reporter for the culture desk

hey Andrew.

Yo, what's up?

What is up indeed?

Let's get to it.

The Holdovers is set in a snooty New England private boy school in 1970.

Paul Giamotti plays Paul Hunnam, the strict

curmudgeonly professor of ancient history who is wildly unpopular with the

students and the faculty. As the school empties out for Christmas break he's left

to look after a handful of students who are forced to stay on campus through the new year.

The only other adult around is Mary, the school cook, who's spending her first Christmas without her son, a graduate of the school who was recently killed in Vietnam. She's played by Devine Joy Randolph.

One of the students hanging around is Angus, played by newcomer Dominic Cessa. He's a smart but troubled

young man who's dealing with the loss of his father and his mother's

or hasty marriage. Together, these three broken people bicker, bond and share secrets

with each other. It's a lot less sappy than it sounds. Alexander Payne directs a screenplay by David Hemmingson,

The Holdovers is in theaters now.

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