The Holdovers15

Directed by Alexander Payne | USA | 2023 | 2h 13m | Starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner

In 1970 New England, a curmudgeonly prep school teacher is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to oversee a group of students with nowhere to go. He forms an unexpected bond with an intelligent but troubled student, as well as with the school’s head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War. This sharply written and bittersweet comedy, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Alexander Payne (Sideways), features a standout, Oscar-nominated lead performance by Paul Giamatti.

Nominated for 5 Oscars and 7 BAFTA Awards, including Best Film.

Reviews

‘Consistently hilarious, undercut with melancholy and flecked with profundity, it’s a major return to form for Payne…Hilarious and heartfelt, it’s a tale to be treasured.’
★★★★★
Nick de Semlyen, Empire Magazine

‘David Hemingson’s terrific (and endlessly quotable) screenplay is delicately rigged with such bittersweet tensions, which never insist upon themselves but just sit there, keeping the viewer’s sympathies on their toes.’
★★★★
Robbie Collin, The Telegraph

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Holdovers between February 9, 2024 and February 14, 2024.

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What else is on?

Today (Saturday 9th November)

13:00

Action Talks: Martial Arts N/A
What does it take to throw a convincing punch or choreograph a fight scene featuring dozens of actors? Find out at this afternoon talk discussing on-screen martial arts, part of our 'Fight Nights at the UPP' season.

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15:30

The Room Next Door 12A
1h 47m
Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton star as two friends reunited by shocking news in this exquisite drama by acclaimed filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (Parallel Mothers). Winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.

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18:00

The Way of the Dragon 15
1h 39m | Mandarin w/ English subtitles
A martial artist travels to Rome to visit his relatives, only to find their restaurant under threat from ruthless gangsters. Bruce Lee's kung fu classic blends thrilling action, stunning location filmmaking, and charming humour.

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20:30

Emilia Pérez 15
2h 12m | French & Spanish w/ English subtitles
A cartel leader instigates a plan fake her own death and embrace her true identity in Jacques Audiard’s (A Prophet) electrifying, musical crime drama, starring Selena Gomez. Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

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Tomorrow (Sunday 10th November)

15:00

Gilda PG
+ Introduction
1h 49m
Put the blame on Mame, boys… Gilda is back with this stunning 4K restoration. Rita Hayworth delivers an unforgettable performance as a seductive femme fatale with a mysterious past in this celebrated film noir.

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17:30

The Room Next Door 12A
1h 47m
Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton star as two friends reunited by shocking news in this exquisite drama by acclaimed filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (Parallel Mothers). Winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.

Book here

20:00

Black Box Diaries 15
1h 43m | Japanese w/ English subtitles
Raw and unflinching documentary following fearless investigative journalist Shiori Ito as she recounts her fight for justice after being sexually assaulted by a powerful public figure in Japan.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!