The Holdovers is a comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne from a screenplay by David Hemingson. The period film is set in the early 1970s, and it revolves around Paul Hunham, a grouchy, disliked teacher at Barton Academy, who has to supervise the students who were unable to return to their homes for the Christmas holidays. He soon forms a bond with a rebellious and troubled student who recently lost his father. The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Carrie Preston. So, if you loved the feel-good comedy, sombre drama, and compelling characters in The Holdovers, here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Pluto TV & Rent on Prime Video)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is an adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi. Based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump, the 2016 film follows Ricky Baker, an orphan teen who runs away after his foster mother dies, but he soon meets his grumpy uncle Hector as they flee into the New Zealand bush. Hunt for the Wilderpeople stars Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rhys Darby, Rima Te Wiata, and Rachel House.
Dead Poets Society (Rent on Prime Video)
Dead Poets Society is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir from a screenplay by Tom Schulman. The 1989 film is set in 1959 at a prestigious boarding school, and it follows a group of impressionable young students as they get a new teacher who teaches them poetry. Dead Poets Society stars Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggiero, and James Waterston.
The Breakfast Club (Rent on Prime Video)
The Breakfast Club is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by John Hughes. The 1985 film revolves around five teenagers from different high schools and different backgrounds as they serve Saturday detention overseen by their tyrannical vice principal. The Breakfast Club stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy.
The Edge of Seventeen (Rent on Prime Video)
The Edge of Seventeen is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. The 2016 film follows Nadine Franklin, a teen girl with lots of anxiety and difficult relationships with her mother and brother. When Nadine’s best friend begins dating her brother, she begins to confide in her grumpy teacher, Max Bruner. The Edge of Seventeen stars Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Haley Lu Richardson, Hayden Szeto, Blake Jenner, and Kyra Sedgwick.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Rent on Prime Video)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Stephen Chbosky. Based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Stephen Chbosky, the 2012 film follows Charlie, an introverted teen boy as he begins high school with lots of anxiety about his new life. He soon befriends a group of seniors who help him cope with the troubles of high school and past trauma. The Perks of Being a Wallflower stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Johnny Simmons, Paul Rudd, Mae Whitman, Nicholas Braun, and Nina Dobrev.
Charlie Bartlett (Pluto TV, Tubi, MGM+ & Rent on Prime Video)
Charlie Bartlett is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll from a screenplay by Gustin Nash. The 2007 film follows Charlie Bartlett, a teenage boy who begins giving therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to his fellow students in his new high school to get popular. Still, he soon gets caught by his embittered alcoholic, Principal Nathan Gardner. Charlie Bartlett stars Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Kat Dennings, Robert Downey Jr., and Tyler Hilton.
Finding Forrester (Rent on Prime Video)
Finding Forrester is a drama film directed by Gus Van Sant from a screenplay by Mike Rich. The 2000 film follows Jamal Wallace, a black teenager who gets the opportunity to attend a prestigious private high school where he meets and gets to know a reclusive writer named William Forrester, who helps him refine his talent in writing. Finding Forrester stars Sean Connery, Rob Brown, F. Murray Abraham, Anna Paquin, and Busta Rhymes.