Reviewing Holes
for Christianity Today, Jeffrey spoke with director Andrew Davis
about making the movie and about Louis Sachar's meaningful storytelling.
Click here to read that review.
Director Andrew Davis, famous for directing The Fugitive,
is back with Holes, another film about a wrongly accused man. But
Stanley Yelnats is no Richard Kimble. This time, the accused is much
younger. And he’s not nearly so lucky as to break out away from his
captors during a train wreck early in the film. No, Stanley’s “luck” is
terrible; he is continually persecuted and branded for crimes he didn’t
commit, even while “imprisoned” at a hard labor camp for young crooks.
But this hero may be, in some ways, more admirable
than Kimble. Stanley, perfectly portrayed by
newcomer Shia LaBeouf,
has that same glum “Why does everything happen to me?” expression
often seen on the face of Friends’ David Schwimmer. Stanley is,
in fact, almost a model teen. He’s kind-hearted, slow to anger, and he
has a keen sense of right and wrong. He is even willing to accept the
consequences of other peoples’ sins, and to make the best of his
undeserved punishment, even penning optimistic letters home to the
folks.
Perhaps this sounds very familiar. If so, you are
probably one of the masses who have read and enjoyed
the source material-- the National Book Award and Newberry Award-winning
young readers’ novel by Louis Sachar. If
you’ve read the book, you may have minor
complaints with this movie, just as every book-lover tends to nitpick
when it comes to big screen adaptations. (Count me in—I’m always chewing
on the editorial changes Peter Jackson made to The Two Towers.)
But face it—movies are different animals than
books, and it is difficult to make everything that works on the page
translate to the screen. Davis and Sachar, who also
wrote the screenplay, have done an admirable job, condensing the
story while retaining its complexity,
adjusting the timeline of events slightly for storytelling efficiency,
and they have drawn in a perfect cast.
If you haven’t read the book, here’s the setup:
Stanley, whose family life has a Willy Wonka quality to it, has
grown up watching his family suffer under a famous family curse.
Grandfather talks endlessly about the curse, which involves a family
legend about a pig farmer and a spooky old witch (Eartha Kitt.)
Stanley’s mother (Siobhan Fallon Hogan)
grumbles and sighs while his father (Henry Winkler) tries and
fails to fulfill his dream of inventing a cure for stinky shoes.
Now, it’s Stanley’s turn to suffer. Stanley has
been caught stealing some famous shoes, or so
the authorities think. His punishment is to serve 18 months at Camp
Greenlake, a labor camp where he and other teens are forced to dig holes
all day long. Their supervisor, a cruel pot-bellied gun-totin’ cowboy
called Mr. Sir (an enthusiastically over-the-top Jon Voight), cracks the
proverbial whip and tries to keep order with his system of “punishment
and reward”, perpetually spitting sunflower seeds. Mr.
Pendanski the camp counselor (Tim Blake
Nelson) is softer; he gives the boys pep talks to keep them in line,
fond of platitudes like “The early mole digs the deepest hole” and “It
should be no labor to be nice to your neighbor.” But
Pendanski has a mean streak as well, and he
aimis it at the meekest member of the bunch—little Zero (the
remarkable Khleo Thomas). These two tyrants swagger and shout
until their own overseer arrives to check the progress (Sigourney Weaver
in a role she clearly relished.) The Warden doesn’t just want these kids
to learn lessons from their labor. She has a particular interest in
taking inventory of
anything they dig up. Thus… the mystery.
What's under all that dirt?
It may sound simple so far. It’s not. The goal of
the Warden’s digging, Stanley’s tendency towards misfortune, and the
solemn glare of little Zero are all intricately linked, bound up in stories
from their past. The mystery reaches back to the Old
West, where a beautiful schoolteacher (Patricia Arquette) and a
charming handyman (Dule Hill) found a romance
that echoes the famous “As You Wish” saga of Westley and Buttercup.
Speaking of The Princess Bride, all of these
stories are told so cinematically, with such effortless humor and
youthful enthusiasm, I was reminded of the glory days of Rob Reiner.
There’s a Stand by Me charm to this whole story, elevating it far
beyond the typical Disney after-school-special fare. Davis reveals a
talent for directing kids that far outshines Spielberg’s work with the
Lost Boys of Hook.
It’s not a perfect film. His villains are a bit too
cartoonish—Voight’s performance would have been more effective if
there had been less of him onscreen. And the big finale feels
like it has too many convenient tearjerking resolutions. But then again,
I did not mind this too much. Holes is, after all, a fairy-tale
at heart, full of wicked witches who inflict curses on well-meaning
youngsters. Its hugs-all-around conclusion does not manipulate our
emotions with tricks; every happy twist is well-earned and makes sense
with all that has come before. The fact that so many moments of real
drama and spiritual resonance can be found in such a commercial movie is
quite a delightful surprise. In fact, I’ll happily call this the most
satisfying, entertaining, and amusing movie released by a studio so far
this year.
Walden Films can be proud of this, their first
major release. This is truly a Big Screen film, with stylish
cinematography that easily distinguishes between the non-chronological
plot threads. The soundtrack is a little too anxious to send viewers to
the music store to order copies, but the songs are carefully chosen;
their heavy gospel content and style constantly nudges us to consider
the spiritual implications of these numerous interconnected parables.
Louis Sachar was not preoccupied with
preaching any particular message; he insists he just
wanted to tell a good story. But here’s the thing—when a story is told
with excellence, it cannot help but echo the truths revealed by
Scripture. I am therefore thrilled to point out that Walden Films is at
the helm of the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia films.
What kept me wide-eyed and smiling…
besides LaBeouf’s
humble, unglamorous, and generous lead performance …
besides the quiet authority of young
Khleo Thomas as “Zero”…
besides the way Davis and Co. refused to “dumb
down” the story for a young audience, and thus paid them tremendous
respect almost un-heard of in contemporary family movies…
besides the funniest humor to be found in the past
few years of family films…
…was the way the story repeatedly leads us to
images, moments, and exchanges that have the simple and subtle power of
great Bible stories. Holes constantly references
classic movies without depending on those
references to gain credibility; there are amusing nods to Lawrence of
Arabia, Raiders of the Lost Ark, O Brother Where Art Thou?, The
Shawshank Redemption, and above all Cool Hand Luke. But there
are also quiet—perhaps inadvertent—echoes of Bible stories. We are
reminded of Daniel in the Lions’ Den and the Three Dudes in the Fiery
Furnace. Stanley’s honorable service during unjust imprisonment reminds
me of the labors of Joseph—which I maintain is the #1 Most Eligible Epic
still waiting for its big screen version. There is even a moment in
which an act of heroism gives one of the characters some significant
scars on his hands, and the symbol really works.
Holes never preaches. The author has
fulfilled his aim—he
has told a story very well, and Davis has succeeded in preserving its
complexity and power. Young viewers and old alike will be given powerful
metaphors of servanthood and selflessness, humility and honor, courage
and Christ-like kindness. Children younger than 8 or 9 might find it too
challenging; the film moves quickly and often shifts abruptly into
flashback. There are also many characters characters
to keep track of, but they are all memorable; the kids resemble
the eclectic prison crowds of famous prison flicks, and Stanley’s family
tree is full of strange fruit. Teens
and grownups—the book’s intended audience—should find it
strangely compelling, considering that the movie avoids crude humor,
scantily clad women, fast cars, guns, and other things they shouldn’t be
messing with.
There will be those religious press critics who
condemn the film for the plot device of “the family curse.” They
misunderstand the fairy-tale nature of the story. Scripture clearly
forbids us from cursing others, but it does not forbid storytellers from
talking about curses, which have clearly been employed (effectively or
otherwise) by real people and fictional characters since the world
began. (You’ve no doubt heard of Adam’s curse. Or the
one Michael Jackson tried to put on Steven Spielberg.) The film
does not recommend curses, but rather uses the curse as a reflection of
the hardships and failures we all experience, the problems we all must
overcome. And the breaking of the curse is not something done with
violence or individual effort, but rather it comes as the result of
kindness, grace, and opportunity that seems orchestrated by something…
someone… higher. Thus, Holes culminates—I’ll try not to give
anything away—with small miracles and a sense that everything is in
God’s hands. Or at least on His Thumb.
Jeffrey's Rating:
A-
Click here for an
explanation of ratings.
|
