This is a character-driven movie set in 1970, but even though it takes place during the Christmas holiday, I would not label it in any way a Christmas movie. The time period does allow for not only the impact of the war, but also the very low amount of technology at the time. The movie could not have been set in the current day because those elements are necessary to the story.

Paul Giamatti stars as a curmudgeonly teacher at a boarding school for boys, who is tasked with caring for those that couldn’t go home for the holidays. Except for the cook (played very well by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, he’s the adult in the room. When all but one of the boys is able to leave, it’s up to the last one to get through Christmas break in the difficult circumstances.

What follows is the journey the teacher and the student take in making the best of their situation. There are no deep insights, but there are still character arcs that make the story interesting. We find out why each character acts the way they do. The acting performances by all three are very good. That’s par for the course for Giamatti, but his is not the only important character, so it’s good that the other two were up to the task. (Randolph won an Oscar, so there’s that)

This is not a fast-paced movie, so if that’s what you’re looking for, keep scrolling when you see it on your streaming service. But if you liked Sideways (also directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti), you should find it entertaining.