Almost every movie released these days (and in years past, for the most part) has a moral, message or lesson embedded in the story. Sometimes more than one. These can be subtle, or they can hit you over the head like a ton of bricks. Either way, they are almost as important to many movies as the characters and story. In kid’s movies, there is usually one easy, obvious message, with maybe a couple minor ones thrown in for good measure. The message is generally clear and unequivocal; good triumphs over evil, be true to yourself, yada, yada, yada. Rarely do we get a chance to see a movie that has more messages than characters. And even more rare? The movie that pulls it off without preaching or moralizing. That movie, my friend, has arrived, and it is Holes. I promised junior millinocket that I would take him to see this movie when he finished the book (note to self: bribery remains an effective parenting technique) thus I found myself attending my first movie in an actual theater in the year 2003.

Based on the popular children’s book by Louis Sachar, Holes tells the story of young Stanley Yelnats (that’s right, last name is first name spelled backwards) played by big screen newcomer Shia LeBoeuf. All the men in Stanley’s family are named Stanley; it’s a tradition. Our Stanley happens to be Stanley Yelnats IV. Stanley does not lead what would commonly be known as a charmed life. In fact he leads what would commonly be known as a cursed life. His grandfather delights in reminding the family as often as possible that they were cursed long ago.

Now, Stanley does not believe in such nonsense (at least not out loud), but that does not keep his life from generally stinking up a storm. He lives in a cramped apartment with his father, Stanley III (Henry Winkler), his mother (Siobhan Fallon Hogan) and his grandfather, Stanley II (Nate Davis). Stanley III has made it his life’s work to cure foot odor, thus filling the small apartment with stinky shoes and Willy Wonka type de-stinkifying gadgets. When, one day while walking home, Stanley IV is hit on the head by a pair of valuable (and stolen) baseball cleats which seemingly fall from nowhere, he is quickly apprehended by the police, who take one look at the shoe filled house and arrest our hero. Being a Yelnats, his goose is automatically cooked, and he is convicted of this most heinous of crimes and sent off to a camp for wayward youth. Camp Greenlake, to be specific.

While driving to the camp, Stanley watches out the bus window as he passes miles and miles of holes dug in the barren desert. Upon arrival, he discovers their source. The boys dig them. One each day, five feet in diameter and five feet deep. This, he is told, builds character. The adults at the camp consist of the hard nosed Mr. Sir (Jon Voight), the somewhat more amiable, although in spirit just as weasely, Dr. Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson) and the tough as nails Warden Walker (Sigourney Weaver). This wicked little triad forms the core that makes life hell at Camp Greenlake.

Stanley also meets his fellow wayward youth. Each boy has a nickname, bestowed upon him by the others, which mark him as one of the group. The nickname is something to be earned. Soon enough good old Stanley (or, as he is soon to be known - Caveman) is out there diggin’ holes with the rest.

During this main story line, we learn the details of Stanley’s trial and the history of the Yelnats curse, as well as the history of the Camp Greenlake area. This is all done via flashback interspersed into the main story of Stanley and the holes. The story plays out with all the different elements weaving together, bringing the history into the present, as Stanley learns what it means to grow up.

As I mentioned earlier, Holes has message upon moral upon lesson, all tied together in a complex and entertaining package. Friendship, loyalty, family, retribution, the sins of the fathers, what goes around comes around, racism, greed, sacrifice, pride, honesty, justice, never giving up your dreams. They are all in here, plus several more that I have undoubtedly forgotten to include. This sounds horrible, I know. Like every other scene is some moral monologue driving home a life lesson. But it’s not. The messages are integral to the story, some more emphasized than others, many left sitting as pieces of history, without overt comment. Just a statement of what was, the message clear from the actions taken.

The performances are uniformly outstanding. Shia LeBoeuf is no cutie pie little kid without acting chops. He carries this movie on his young shoulders, and turns his character of Stanley IV into a heroic and noble figure without going too far overboard and making him annoyingly perfect. The adults are simply wonderful. Jon Voight with his beer gutted, bow-legged, pompadour sporting, mostly off his nut Mr. Sir, is at turns funny, dumb and a little scary. Tim Blake Nelson turns in yet another in a long line of good performances as the weasel Dr. Pendanski, who talks the talk, but is a cowardly imbecile underneath. Sigourney Weaver is fine, but not as outstanding as the others. Her Warden Walker is tough, mean and greedy, but without the slightly wigged out presence of the other two. Henry Winkler is funny and touching as Stanley III, making him a combination of a sad sack and a genius on the brink.

The camp kids are also very good. Each brings to the screen a tough exterior and a nice comic touch. Of special note is Khleo Thomas as Zero, sweet and vulnerable, who becomes central to the maturing of Stanley.

The historical flashbacks contain standout performances by Eartha Kitt, Patricia Arquette and especially Dule Hill, who has absolutely outstanding screen presence – he makes you willing to follow him anywhere. I very much hope that this is the start of a successful big screen career for this talented man.

The cast is huge, the story complicated. The photography by Stephen St John is wonderful, with the scores of holes and the scorched and barren desert. Also of special note is the score. Balanced between traditional movie score background music and more timely, kid friendly pop sounds, the score is a beautiful accompaniment to the film.

The major flaw in Holes lies in the structure. As a kid’s movie, the frequent use of flashbacks to various times is too complicated. Much of the complexity and richness of the interwoven story lies in the history told via flashback, but those sequences are introduced abruptly with little to distinguish them from the present day story line. Junior millinocket tells me that the same flashback technique is used in the book, but on the page it is easier to follow. For adults seeing the film, this should pose little if any problem, but the junior league will likely have some trouble if they haven’t read the book. As an educated guess, I’d say that kids under 12 or so will have trouble keeping the story lines straight. While this is but a minor quibble for adults, I suspect that it is more of a problem for the movie’s intended audience.

The film (so I’ve been told by a certain tow-headed tot) strays little from the book in actual character and story. Director Andrew Davis and screenwriter/novelist Sachar have managed to pull together a nice, tightly woven, intriguing movie. The plot is interesting (although you definitely have to set aside your disbelief the moment you walk into the theater), the performances strong, and the messages many and varied. If you go with a child, I suggest the child either read the book first, or be old enough to deal with the plethora of flashbacks without losing track of the story and the characters. Holes is a treat in the days of dumbed down kids movies. There is some violence, but I’ve seen worse in commercials on TV. The movie is smart, funny and touching. A solid 4 stars, I would give it 4 and a half if I could.


Recommended:
Yes