Holes (2003)

"...brims with storytelling flourishes and gently deployed life lessons that even accompanying adults may dig.  Ed Park, Village Voice
"...smart, strange, unpredictable, and defies the formulas that typically define this sort of motion picture  James Berardinelli's ReelViews
"...as kids' films go, it's a thoughtful, superior piece of work...  Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Editor's Note Louis Sachar's acclaimed teen adventure novel comes to dazzling life with this wildly entertaining adaptation. Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf) is an unassuming adolescent whose family has been cursed for generations. One day, after Stanley is falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers, he is sentenced to 18 months at Camp Green Lake. But when he gets there, he discovers that this camp is really more like a prison. Under the supervision of the fiery Mr. Sir (Jon Voight) and goofy Dr. Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson), Stanley and his cohorts must spend each day digging holes in the desert, in order "to build character." Or at least that's what The Warden (Sigourney Weaver) says. When Stanley finally gathers up the courage to escape the camp, he and fellow escapee Zero (Khleo Thomas) stumble across a secret that will expose Camp Green Lake for the evil place that it is, and erase the Yelnats family curse forever. Director-producer Andrew Davis (THE FUGITIVE) performs a miraculous feat with HOLES, crafting a family film that is smart, funny, and engaging. Sachar's story teaches enormously valuable lessons about respect, teamwork, and honesty, making HOLES a must-see for individuals everywhere.

	Jon Voight
	Khleo Thomas
	Shia LaBeouf
	Sigourney Weaver
	Tim Blake Nelson
	Louis Sachar - Based On Novel By
	Bob Carlson - Cinematographer
	Andrew Davis - Director
	Thomas Nordberg - Editor
	Louis Phillips - Executive Producer
	Joel McNeely - Musical Score
	Lowell Blank - Producer
	Maher Ahmed - Production Designer
	Louis Sachar - Screenplay

New York Times
"...The tough, prickly camaraderie among the boys and their solidarity in the face of adult cruelty give the picture its heart and also its pedigree....The younger actors are appropriately boisterous and appealing..." 04/18/2003 p.E14

USA Today
"...Faithful and highly entertaining....It's great to see an action-adventure family film with heart as well as humor, whimsy alongside wisdom, and a compelling narrative..." 04/18/2003 p.13D

Entertainment Weekly
"...The young actors play their roles with the relaxed focus of regular boys....Honoring the literary ground beneath it, spotted yellow lizards and all, the movie HOLES is easy to dig..." 04/25/2003 p.128

Variety
"...HOLES will no doubt speak clearly and appealingly to its intended teen audience..." 04/21/2003 p.22-30

Chicago Sun-Times
"...The whole movie generates a surprising conviction....It doesn't condescend, and it founds its story on recognizable human nature....Davis has always been a director with a strong visual sense, and the look of HOLES has a noble, dusty loneliness..." 04/18/2003 p.27

Box Office
"...It's a wonderfully inventive story....The performances are all fine, especially Jon Voight..." 06/01/2003 p.58

Los Angeles Times
"...Comic as well as edgy....HOLES is successful finally for the most old-fashioned of reasons: It's got an involving, adventurous story to tell and the wherewithal to tell it correctly..." 04/18/2003 p.C1

Total Film
"...There's undeniable sweetness to HOLES..." 11/01/2003 p.103

Sight and Sound
"[T]here are well-judged performances from Sigourney Weaver, Tim Blake Nelson and Jon Voight..." 12/31/2003 p.46-7

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
The whole movie generates a surprising conviction. No wonder young readers have embraced it so eagerly: It doesn't condescend, and it founds its story on recognizable human nature. There are all sorts of undercurrents, such as the edgy tension between the Warden and Mr. Sir, that add depth and intrigue; Voight and Weaver don't simply play caricatures. - Roger Ebert

L.A. Times 8 of 10
Holes departs somewhat from the book in having its adults walk a line, being comic as well as edgy. Voight, Weaver and Nelson manage that nicely, though enlarging Stanley's father and grandfather into strictly comic relief characters is an unnecessary and less successful change. Holes is successful finally for the most old-fashioned of reasons: It's got an involving, adventurous story to tell and the wherewithal to tell it correctly. And while young adults may think this is intended only for them, in truth it's their elders who are especially starved for this kind of entertainment. - Kenneth Turan