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Holes
Holes
27 in x 40 in
Buy This Double-sided poster At AllPosters.com
HolesHoles (2003)
Rated: PG for violence, mild language and some thematic elements.
Runtime: 111 mins.
Director: Andrew Davis
Writer: Louis Sachar (novel); Louis Sachar (screenplay)
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette....complete cast
Genre: Family/Crime/Drama
Tagline: Some secrets are too big to keep hidden.
Memorable Quote: "Digging holes builds character"




Reel Rating
Julia Roberts factor: 3/5
Macho factor: 0/5
Babysitter factor: 5/5
Get Lucky factor: 2/5
In-law factor: 5/5
Of Mice and Men factor 1/5
Wrap-up factor 3/5
Se7en factor 0/5
Reel rating: 4/5
Reel commentary: Holes is fast-paced enough to keep the interest of the children, yet is profound enough for adults to be intrigued by its plot and clever storytelling...........full review

Movie Review

by Frank Wilkins
I'll first make it known that I did not read Louis Sachar's wildly popular and Newbury Medal-winning novel Holes, so my following commentary will be directed at the movie as a stand-alone work of art. I've always felt that it's a bit unfair to compare movies to books and vice versa anyway, but I digress.

Holes is sort of a modernized fairy tale told in such a manner that grabs the attention of children of all ages, yet doesn't talk down to them in a simplistic or childish manner. It's nice to know that Disney can indeed provide PG movies that are a bit more sophisticated and that don't follow the typical mold of templatized Disney storytelling.

Young Stanley Yelnats IV (newcomer Shia LeBouf) is bussed off to the ruthless Camp Green Lake after he is wrongfully accused of stealing a pair of sneakers. The courts sentence him to 18 months of rehabilitation and his family is convinced that he is just the latest male in the Yelnats family to receive the ancient family curse of 150 years. "It's all because of your thieving, pig-stealing, great-great-grandfather."

Camp Green Lake doesn't really have a lake (it dried up many years ago) and Stanley soon learns that, as punishment, all the juvenile-camp inhabitants must dig one hole per day measuring exactly five-feet deep by five-feet in diameter measured by the length of your shovel handle. He also learns that there is a pecking order amongst the kids and he is not yet entitled to the shovel with the shortest handle.

Jon Voight is Mr. Sir, the squinty-eyed, leather-faced overseer of the camp who ensures the boys that digging holes builds "character". But we soon begin to suspect that there's more to the story as we are introduced to the dastardly and suspicious Warden Walker played by Sigourney Weaver.

Voight seems to thrive in this comedic role and always does a bang-up job at portraying the more extreme characters – see his performance as Howard Cosell in Ali or FDR in Pearl Harbor. Here he's able to take the over-the-top Mr. Sir character and ground it in not only humor but sympathy as well.

The history of the ancient Yelnats curse is told through a series of flashbacks. Director Andrew Davis does a masterful job of ensuring that the back-story doesn't become overly confusing. He delivers with a deft hand and doesn't linger too long. With the film's target audience being mainly children, it would be easy to muddy the story by dwelling too long on these flashbacks. My 7-year-old accompanied me to the screening and he stayed tuned in to the story and never seemed disinterested or confused.

Through these flashbacks we learn not only of the Yelnats family curse that dates back to 1700's Latvia, but also of America's circa 1885 Kissin' Kate Barlow (Patricia Arquette) and her interracial romance that sets in motion the events that lead up to the formation of Camp Green Lake and Warden Walker's interest in running the camp.

What makes Holes shine, however, and where the screenplay benefits from being self-adapted by Louis Sachar, is in its portrayal of the kids who make up Camp Green Lake. With respect, you earn a nickname like Squid, Barf Bag, Armpit, Zig Zag, Twitch, Zero or Caveman. With such a wide array of well-developed personalities, there is someone for every viewer to latch onto. There is a self-imposed pecking order and Stanley soon learns that the new guy goes to the back of the line, you don't tattle-tale on your fellow inmates and respect is earned by fighting your own battles.

There are many good messages to come from Holes, yet they are subtly clever and don't get in the way of the delightful story. Although it is sometimes a bit dark and sinister with regards to its subject matter, it holds back on the violence and never becomes visually inappropriate for its PG audience. Holes is fast-paced enough to keep the interest of the children, yet is profound enough for adults to be intrigued by its plot and clever storytelling.
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Frank Wilkins

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DVD Information

Screen formats: Region 1; Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1.

Sound: English: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; French Dolby Digital 5.1; THX certified audio

Subtitles: English, Spanish; French; Closed Captioned

Packaging: Keep case.

Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; gag reel; deleted scenes; cast commentary; music video; making-of featurette; filmmakers' commentary.

This excellent DVD is chock-full of special features. While some are better than others, all are a good addition to a great movie.

  • Gag Reel: A bit short but this feature is contains several outtakes and on-the-set pranks and antics.
  • Deleted Scenes: Six scenes that did not make the final cut, however, several are continuations of scenes that did make it into the movie.
  • Commentaries: Quite often boring and usually require you to listen hours of commentary to grasp only a couple of nuggets of useful information. This disc contains a director/author commentary and a cast commentary.
    • Director/Author Commentary: This is a commentary from author Louis Sachar and director Andrew Davis. The two provide a rather low-key, but informative track and generally do a good job of keeping the discussion going. Davis discusses what attracted him to the project, technical details such as the film's visual effects and other issues, like locations, sets and casting. Sachar discusses the differences between the book and the film, and offers his opinions on some of the aspects of the film. However, Davis does most of the talking.
    • Cast Commentary: Includes participants Shia Labeouf, Khleo Thomas, Jake Smith and Max Kasch and is a little bit more lively and entertaining but less informative than the director/author commentary. The kids seem to be having a lot of fun however and they even break into an impromptu rap session.
  • “Dig It” Music Video: Performed by the cast. Fans of the cast members and those who like the song will enjoy this very "Disney" production.
  • On The Set With Louis Sachar: An in-depth look at Louis Sachar’s experiences on the production that explores how he helped make the movie come to reality, what he thought of the production, and his response to the final product.
  • Featurettes: "The Boys of B-Tent" is a 10-minute documentary that features the cast and discusses both the relatively new cast and casting decisions. "Digging the First Hole" is a 9-minute documentary that discusses how director Andrew Davis became involved, casting and how the filmmakers wanted to remain faithful to Sachar's novel.
    On The Set With Louis Sachar: Another, more in-depth look at Louis Sachar’s time on the set. It explores how he helped the movie come to fruition, how he liked the production, and his response to the final product. It’s a short little documentary, but worth a quick look if your interested in seeing an author’s part in movie making.
Sigourney Weaver ......... The Warden Walker
Jon Voight.......... Mr. Sir/Marion Sirvio
Patricia Arquette........... Katherine 'Kissin' Kate' Barlow
Shia LaBeouf ........ Stanley Yelnats IV/Caveman
Tim Blake Nelson ........ Mr. Pendanski
Khleo Thomas ........ Hector Zero
Jake M. Smith ........ Squid
Byron Cotton.......... Armpit
Brenden Jefferson.......... X-Ray
Miguel Castro......... Magnet
Siobhan Fallon.......... Mrs. Yelnats
Max Kasch.......... Zig-Zag
Henry Winkler.......... Stanley Yelnats
Nathan Davis.......... Stanley Yelnats
Scott Plank.......... Charles 'Trout' Walker

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