'Masterpiece' Christmas film ranked one of the best to watch in 2025 - not Home Alone

When you think of the best and most popular Christmas films, Home Alone and Elf often spring to mind. However, one lesser-known movie actually ranks above both of those on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and could be the perfect film to watch this festive season.

The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti, has an overall Metascore of 82 on IMDb. This rating, a weighted average of professional critic reviews for a film out of 100, tops the 66 score for Elf and the 63 for Home Alone. Meanwhile, How the Grinch Stole Christmas has a Metascore of 46 and Love Actually has 55.

The Holdovers was released in 2023 and is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video. The storyline is set in 1970 and involves a strict school teacher who is forced to look after a number of students who have nowhere else to go during the Christmas break.

As well as Paul Giamatti, the film features other top names, including Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa and Carrie Preston. It was filmed in Massachusetts between January and March 2022.

The Holdovers, which grossed $45.7 million (£34.7 million), was then named one of the top 10 films of the year by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute upon its release. It also won two accolades at the Golden Globe Awards and the British Academy Film Awards.

The movie has hundreds of positive reviews on IMDb, with viewers agreeing that the plot is heartfelt and well-executed. Others commented that the film offers the perfect combination of comedy and emotion.

One said: "Here is a film that feels and looks like something out of the early seventies. The Holdovers is a strong and warm-hearted piece that gives actors roles with powerful lines, without any reliance on flashy editing and being overwhelmed by special effects."

They added: "It's a strong film with superb acting by the main leads. They have great chemistry together."

Another wrote: "Quite possibly one of the best Christmas films ever?" They continued: "Overall, I love these films. Light-hearted & comedic while also having a sense of darkness and a lot of heavy emotion to it. Definitely is one of the most heartfelt films of the year."

A third put put: "Sad, poignant, funny, and beautiful are words that best describe this film. If this film doesn't make you feel sone kind of emotion, you are absolutely heartless. You love these characters. You feel for them on every single level."