Paul Giamatti brings the grouch in ‘The Holdovers’ trailer.

Paul Giamatti plays a surly private school instructor at a New England elementary school in the official trailer for Alexander Payne The Remainingwhich opened on Monday ahead of the Nov. 10 nationwide release for the period drama.

A grouchy Giamatti in the film’s teaser is forced to stay on campus over the Christmas break to babysit the handful of students unable to go home to their families. She eventually forms an unlikely bond with one of their own, Angus Tully, a damaged and intelligent troublemaker played by newcomer Dominic Sessa, and the school head cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who has just lost a son in Vietnam.

“I find the world to be a bitter and complicated space, and it seems to feel the same about me. I think you and I have that in common,” Giamatti’s character Paul Hunham tells Angus at one point in the trailer as their relationship begins to unravel.

Giamatti, nominated for an Oscar for his work in the boxing drama The Cinderella man and starred opposite Damian Lewis in the financial drama Billionshas played a cranky and complicated character before, including in Barney’s versiondirected by Richard J. Lewis.

Shooting focus functionality The Remainingwhich reunites Giamatti with Payne after their collaboration on Sidewaysfor a platform release beginning in New York City and Los Angeles on October 27, before rolling out on November 10.

The Remaining is written by David Hemingson, who also produces alongside Mark Johnson and Bill Block. Andrew Golov, Thom Zadra and Chris Stinson are executive producers.