The movie, Holes, first opened in 2003. Based on Louis Sachar’s Newberry award winning children’s book, “Holes,” the movie is a delightful depiction as only Disney can provide. It features the reluctant hero who quickly gains the audience’s favor, the evil villainess who quickly gains the audience’s dislike, the quirky characters that add a touch of humor, and the interesting series of events that keep the audience watching for more. In fact, the movie even briefly features, Louis Sachar, himself.
Almost without the audience realizing it, the movie scenes foreshadow future events consistently. Even as things start to click and the audience catches a hint here and there, they are not disappointed by anything that occurs. The entire movie is cleverly orchestrated and tied together. The only thing that is missing is the ribbon to tie the bow on this neat little package.
The beginning of the movie as with any movie starts to set the stage for the audience with a look at Stanley, his family, and his family’s ancestors. As the movie continues, the protagonist, Stanley Yelnats (a palindrome), played by Shia LaBeouf, is falsely accused of a crime, the theft of a pair of shoes donated by Clyde “Sweet Feet” Livingston to an orphanage.
Stanley’s is given a choice to pay for his crime. He can either go to jail or he can serve out his sentence at Camp Green Lake. He chooses the latter, which is run the warden, played by Sigourney Weaver, and overseen by Mr. Sir, played by John Voight. Once he arrives, he discovers that no lake is in evidence, the camp isn’t green, and his stay there isn’t going to be pleasant.
Perhaps the saddest part of the movie, we discover the reason for the lake’s absence. It portrays the events that lead up to Kissing Kate Barlow’s character, played by Patricia Arquette. The original townspeople murder a local black onion farmer, played by Dule Hill, one of the stars of the recent television series, “Pysch.” The lake has been dry ever since, in fact, for one hundred years.
The movie continues with lots of holes being dug every single day by the boys, who all have symbolic nicknames. Stanley earns the nickname of Caveman, which sticks with him for the rest of the movie. Building character, the purpose of the digging, is not the true purpose for this exercise. You’ll need to watch the movie or read the book to discover more. In fact, the movie stays refreshingly close to the story line of the book.
Although this movie is rated PG, mild violence including physical fighting, murder, suicide, and physical danger do occur throughout the film. Discretion is advised for young children who might view the film. Additionally, the language is a bit strong at times. However, the movie is exceptionally captivating enough even for adults.
The movie, categorized as family film and drama, was directed by Andrew Davis, produced by Phoenix Pictures, Walden Media, and Chicago Pacific Entertainment, and sponsored by Disney Studios. The rest of the cast includes Tim Blake Nelson, Rick Fox, Damien Luvara, Allison Smith, Henry Winkler, Scott Plank, Roma Maffia, Eartha Kitt, Khleo Thomas, and more. Total time for the film is 1 hour 51 minutes.