The Holdovers ending explained: Did Hunman save Angus from Military School?

Toward the end of The Holdovers, to prevent Angus Tully from being sent to a military institution, Professor Paul Hunham lies to Dr. Woodrup and then his parents. Despite their early antagonistic connection, Hunham and Tully form a deep bond during their shared Christmas vacation.

The Holdovers tells the tale of three broken individuals who are thrown together at an abandoned boarding school in the final days of 1970: Paul, Angus, and Mary (played by Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, respectively) during the Vietnam War period.

Paul Hunham, a strict instructor at the New England prep school Barton Academy, has no compassion for his students. But because every student has an enduring memory of the Vietnam War, sorrow hangs over campus.

The holidays are particularly difficult for Mary Lamb, the dedicated chef at Barton Academy, because she recently lost her son in the Vietnam War after being sent to military school due to a lack of funds. Teenage Angus Tully is terrified of going to a military academy since his parents have informed him that if he fails his classes, he will be sent right away to a military academy where they can deal with his "attitude."

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The Holdovers: True reason for Hunman having a soft corner for Angus

Angus Tully, who wanted to spend his 1970 Christmas vacation on the beach in St. Kitts, was disappointed to learn that his mother and stepfather had left him behind at Barton boarding school for the winter break to take their belated honeymoon.

Angus' behaviour had already resulted in many school suspensions, so spending Christmas break with the notorious Professor Paul Hunham is a surefire way to finish things. Despite the unstable circumstances, Hunham and Tully develop a strange friendship.

Hunham values Barton's integrity in The Holdovers because he was a student there once, which has made him a very stern teacher with infamously high grading standards. When headmaster Dr. Hardy Woodrip (Andrew Garman) asks that the boys of certain powerful people and school contributors receive special treatment, he refuses to even make the slightest change in his grading system and teaching patterns.

He says “Barton men don’t lie” numerous times in The Holdovers. But he makes many exceptions to this rule for Angus, most notably at the conclusion when he claims that Angus' visit to his father at the sanatorium was his idea. This is a deception that keeps Angus from being sent to the military academy and, maybe, Vietnam, but it also costs Hunham his job.

Even though Angus struggles with discipline, he's one of the few kids who passes the test Hunham gives out at the beginning of the film. However, Hunham doesn't offer Angus any favors until their friendship develops. As they spend more time together, especially on the journey to Boston, Hunham begins to see himself and his potential in Tully.

When he finds out that Angus is prescribed Librium, the same drug Hunham takes for depression, that's when he starts to turn around in the Holdovers. He starts to realize that Tully's outbursts are primarily signs of his challenging familial circumstances.

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Hunham knows how important a helping hand may be to Tully because he was expelled from Harvard due to similar issues and was only able to stay in school because of a kind mentorship from Barton. This knowledge motivated him to sacrifice his profession to aid the youngster.