Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, Shia LeBeouf, Tim Blake Nelson, Khleo Thomas, Siobhan Fallon, Henry Winkler, Dule Hill
Director: Andrew Davis
Producers: Lowell D. Blank, Andrew Davis, Mike Medavoy, Teresa Tucker-Davies
Screenplay: Louis Sachar, based on his novel
Cinematography: Stephen St. John
Music: Joel McNeely
U.S. Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
For decades, the moniker of "Walt Disney Pictures" has been synonymous with cinematic family entertainment. The reality, however, is that most of Disney's live-action G and PG-rated motion pictures have been mediocre at best, and more than a handful have been unmitigated crap. Thankfully, Holes is an exception – a rare non-animated offering from the Magic Kingdom where the expected age of a satisfied movie-goer is not less than that of his or her shoe size. It's smart, strange, unpredictable, and defies the formulas that typically define this sort of motion picture.
In the pantheon of authors writing for young readers, Louis Sachar may not have achieved the exalted status of J.K. Rowling, but he's at least a demi-god. Holes has been read and enjoyed by millions of children (and more than a few adults), so it's no surprise that a movie adaptation has arrived. With a script penned by Sachar (that shoehorns most of the book's content into 111 minutes of screen time), the movie will likely please those who have spent long hours enjoying the written word, and offers two hours of solid entertainment for those who have never heard of Sachar. The director, Andrew Davis, is best-known for action-packed thrillers (The Fugitive, Collateral Damage), but shows here that he is equally skilled when the pace is less frantic.
The film follows the misadventures of teenager Stanley Yelnats (Shia LeBeouf), whose palindrome name is the least remarkable thing about him. One day, Stanley becomes the unexpected recipient of a pair of sneakers that fall from the sky. Unfortunately for Stanley, these are the footgear of baseball player Clyde Livingstone, who has donated them to a local orphanage. Accused, then convicted, of theft, Stanley is sentenced to spend 18 months at "Camp Green Lake" – a facility that isn't a camp, nor does it have a lake. There, under the watchful eye of Warden Walker (Sigourney Weaver) and her two stooges, Mr. Sir (Jon Voight) and Mr. Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson), the boys are forced to dig one 5' diameter, 5' deep hole per day, pockmarking the flat, unpromising landscape. The camp's philosophy is simple: "You take a bad boy, make him dig holes all day long in the hot sun, it makes him a good boy." Stanley quickly learns what it takes to co-exist with the other boys, who are (for the most part) bigger and more stupid than he is, and he develops a close friendship with Zero (Khleo Thomas), who is the butt of everyone else's jokes. Eventually, Stanley determines that he and the other boys aren't just digging holes for the purpose of character-building, but are looking for something. The question is: what?
Interspersed with Stanley's story, which absorbs the majority of Holes' screen time, are two tales told in flashback. The first one explains how Stanley's family came to be cursed, and features a pig and a gypsy (played Eartha Kitt). The second relates the tale of Kissin' Kate Barlow (Patricia Arquette), a notorious 19th century bandit who turned to a life of crime after her beloved boyfriend, a young black onion salesman named Sam (Dule Hill), was murdered. Ultimately, these two stories take on a more important role than that of colorful background.
Holes moves briskly, limiting character development. A nice rapport grows between Stanley and Zero, but the rest of the boys remain largely faceless. The adult authority figures – the Warden and her henchmen – are portrayed as cartoon buffoons, rarely seriously menacing. The movie inhabits the semi-fantasy world in which many family films exist, divorced from some of the harsh realities of 21st century America, in a place where magic is not a laughable conceit. There are moments of inspired strangeness (such as when Stanley's dad, played by Henry Winkler, boils sneakers in an attempt to remove their odor) when it almost seems as if David Lynch briefly took over while Davis enjoyed a break.
Stanley is played by 16-year old Shia LeBeouf, a newcomer to movies who has done some television work (including starring in the TV series "Even Stevens"). LeBeouf has an affable presence, and fits nicely into the role. For Holes to work, it's necessary for the view to empathize with Stanley, and LeBeouf makes this an easy task. Khleo Thomas is effective as Zero, a child who is thought of as stupid because he rarely speaks. Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, and Tim Blake Nelson play bad guys with no hint of goodness or complexity. They are intended to be villains, and that's what they are. Patricia Arquette gets high billing, but that's more because of name recognition than involvement – she's in only a handful of scenes, although the legacy of her character, Kissin' Kate, hangs over the entire movie.
The litmus test for a creatively successful family film (as opposed to a kids' film – although studio marketers mistakenly use the terms interchangeably) is whether a single adult can sit through a showing without becoming fidgety or feeling the urge to sneak into the theater next door. Holes passes that test with little difficulty. Children will be delighted, but no less so than the grateful parents who accompany their offspring to theaters. Like the hugely popular Spy Kids movies, Holes has something to offer to viewers of all ages – and that's a rare and prized quality for anything that shows up in multiplexes these days.
© 2003 James Berardinelli