Holes (film)

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Holes

Theatrical release poster

Directed by Andrew Davis
Produced by Andrew Davis
Lowell D. Blank
Mike Medavoy
Teresa Tucker-Davies
Screenplay by Louis Sachar
Based on Holes
by Louis Sachar
Starring Shia LaBeouf
Sigourney Weaver
Jon Voight
Patricia Arquette
Tim Blake Nelson
Music by Joel McNeely
Cinematograph Stephen St. John
y
Edited by Thomas J. Nordberg
Jeffrey Wolf
Production Walt Disney Pictures
company Walden Media
Phoenix Pictures
Chicago Pacific Entertainment
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Release date April 18, 2003 (United States)
Running time 117 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $20 million
Box office $71.4 million[1]
Holes is a 2003 American adventure comedy-drama film directed by
Andrew Davis, produced by Lowell D. Blank, Mike Medavoy and Teresa
Tucker-Davies with music by Joel McNeely and based on the 1998 novel of
the same name by Louis Sachar (who also wrote the screenplay).
The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, Tim Blake
Nelson and Shia LaBeouf. The film was co produced by Walden Media and
Walt Disney Pictures and distributed in many markets by Disney's
distribution company Buena Vista.
Holes was released in the United States on April 18, 2003, and earned
$71.4 million worldwide.[1] It was later released on DVD and VHS on
September 23, 2003, by Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Walt Disney
Home Entertainment. The film is dedicated to Scott Plank, who died in a
car accident six months before the film's release.

Contents

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External links Plot[edit]
Teenager Stanley Yelnats IV lives in Texas with his family, who have been
cursed to be unlucky – a misfortune they blame on their ancestor Elya's
failure to keep a promise to a fortune teller years ago in Latvia. One day,
Stanley is falsely arrested for stealing a pair of sneakers that were donated
to charity by a famous baseball player. Upon conviction, Stanley decides to
attend Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, in lieu of serving his
time in jail.
He arrives to find that the camp is a dried up lake run by the warden,
Louise Walker, her assistant Mr. Sir, and camp counselor Dr. Kiowa
Pendanski. Prisoners who are known by their nicknames – including Zero,
Armpit, Zig-Zag, Squid, X-Ray, and Magnet – spend each day digging
holes in the desert; they may earn a day off if the inmates find anything
interesting. After finding a golden lipstick tube initialed K.B. and a fossil,
Stanley is accepted into the group and is given the nickname Caveman.
After taking the blame for Magnet's stealing of Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds,
Stanley is taken to the warden's house where old wanted posters and
newspapers lead him to suspect that "KB" stands for Katherine "Kissin'
Kate" Barlow, a school teacher turned outlaw from the past. Walker asks
Stanley to grab her box of nail polish and mentions that it contains
rattlesnake venom. After he and Mr. Sir explain what happened with the
sunflower seeds, Walker injures Mr. Sir and allows Stanley to return to his
hole.
Camp Green Lake's history is revealed in a series of flashbacks throughout
the film. In the 19th century, Green Lake is a flourishing lakeside
community. Kate is involved in a love triangle with the wealthy Charles
"Trout" Walker, whom Kate rejects, and an African-American onion seller
named Sam, whom Kate loves. One night, after much turmoil, Walker kills
Sam and in retaliation, Kate kills the local sheriff and becomes an outlaw;
at one point, she steals Elya's son Stanley's chest. Twenty years later, the
now bankrupt Walkers track down Kate and demand she hand over her
treasure. Kate refuses and tells them to dig for the treasure, after which
Kate dies from a lizard bite and the Walkers set about digging for the
treasure.
In the present, when Pendanski mocks Zero, who is actually Hector Zeroni,
the latter hits Pendanski with a shovel and runs off. After some deliberation,
Stanley searches for Hector. The pair have difficulty surviving in the desert
without water. Eventually, Stanley carries the now ill Hector up the
mountain where they find a wild field of onions and a source of water,
helping them regain strength; at the same time, Stanley unknowingly fulfills
his ancestor's promise to the fortune teller and breaks the curse. While
camping on the mountain, Stanley discovers that Hector stole the sneakers
and threw them over the bridge to evade the police.
Returning to the camp, Stanley and Hector investigate the hole where
Stanley found the lipstick and discover a chest before they are discovered
by Walker, Mr. Sir, and Pendanski. They soon realize that Walker, who is a
descendant of her family, is using the inmates to search for his treasure.
The next morning, the attorney general and Stanley's lawyer arrive,
accompanied by police officers; the chest Stanley found is discovered to
belong to his great grandfather before it was stolen by Kate. Walker; Mr.
Sir, who is revealed to be a paroled criminal named Marion Sevillo; and
Pendanski, who is a criminal impersonating a doctor, are arrested. Stanley
and Zero are released and it rains in Green Lake for the first time in over
100 years. The Yelnats family claims ownership of the chest which contains
jewels, deeds, and promissory notes, which they share with Hector, and
both families live a life of financial ease as neighbors.
Cast[edit]
• Sigourney Weaver as Louise Walker the Warden
• Jon Voight as Marion Sevillo "Mr. Sir"
• Patricia Arquette as Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow
• Tim Blake Nelson as Dr. Kiowa "Mom" Pendanski
• Shia LaBeouf as Stanley "Caveman" Yelnats IV
• Khleo Thomas as Hector "Zero" Zeroni
• Brenden Jefferson as Rex "X-Ray"
• Jake M. Smith as Alan "Squid"
• Byron Cotton as Theodore "Armpit"
• Miguel Castro as José "Magnet"
• Max Kasch as Ricky "Zigzag"
• Dulé Hill as Sam the Onion Man
• Henry Winkler as Stanley Yelnats III
• Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Tiffany Yelnats
• Nathan Davis as Stanley Yelnats II
• Noah Poletiek as Brian "Twitch"
• Rick Fox as Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston
• Scott Plank as Charles "Trout" Walker
• Eartha Kitt as Madame Zeroni
• Roma Maffia as Atty. Carla Morengo
• Zane Holtz as Louis "Barf Bag"
• Shelley Malil as the Yelnats' Landlord
• Damien Luvara as Elya Yelnats
• Sanya Mateyas as Myra Menke
• Ravil Isyanov as Morris Menke
• Ken Davitian as Igor Barkov
• Steve Koslowski as Lump
• Michael Cavanaugh as Judge Austin Gorg
Production[edit]
Holes was filmed in California in the summer of 2002, and produced with a
budget of $20 million.
When looking for a child actor to play the role of Stanley Yelnats, director
Andrew Davis asked for a boy who was like "A young Tom Hanks". Shia
LaBeouf, who ended up receiving the role for Stanley, got his sense of the
character from reading the film's script, going on to read the original novel
after getting the role. LeBouf was simultaneously doing work for the Disney
Channel show Even Stevens, and would work on his role in the film after
doing his filming on Even Stevens.[2] In the original book, Stanley is
depicted as being obese, shedding considerable amounts of weight as the
book progresses; however, the filmmakers chose to drop this aspect from
the movie, as it would've been difficult to convincingly portray the loss of
weight in a live-action film.[2]
The film was shot in several locations, including in Ridgecrest, California.
Due to the excessive heat levels and strong climate in Ridgecrest, the
actors went through physical training with a stunt guide in order to keep in
shape for long periods of filming. The movie's filming was a new
experience for many of the child actors, particularly for LeBouf, who had
never done filming in such an unpredictable climate before.[2] To show the 7
kids' holes being dug gradually throughout the day, different "phases" were
used, for each of which the 7 holes were given different levels of
deepness.[2] For the yellow-spotted lizards, 14 Australian Bearded Dragons
were used, 4 of which were used for the main parts and the rest of which
were used as "background atmosphere lizards".[2]
Release[edit]
The film was released theatrically on April 18, 2003, by Buena Vista
Pictures Distribution and was released on DVD and VHS on September 23,
2003, by Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Home
Entertainment.
Music[edit]
The film's music which included the Grammy winning single "Just Like You"
by Keb Mo', and "Dig It" by The D Tent Boys (the actors portraying the D
Tent group inmates), which had a music video which played regularly on
Disney Channel. The soundtrack also included contributions by Eels, Devin
Thompson, Dr. John, Eagle Eye Cherry, Fiction Plane, Little Axe, Moby,
North Mississippi Allstars, Pepe Deluxé, Shaggy, Stephanie Bentley, and
Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps. The score was composed and
conducted by Joel McNeely.
Holes (Original Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Various
Released April 15, 2003
Label Walt Disney Records
1 "Dig It" – D-Tent Boys
2 "Keep'n It Real" – Shaggy
3 "Mighty Fine Blues" – Eels
4 "Honey" – Moby
5 "I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday" – Teresa James & The Rhythm
Tramps
6 "Just Like You" – Keb' Mo'
7 "Everybody Pass Me By" – Pepe Deluxé
8 "I Will Survive" – Stephanie Bentley
9 "Shake 'Em On Down" – North Mississippi Allstars
10 "Don't Give Up" – Eagle Eye Cherry
11 "Happy Dayz" – Devin Thompson
12 "Let's Make A Better World" – Dr. John
13 "If Only" – Fiction Plane
14 "Eyes Down" – Eels
15 "Down To The Valley" – Little Axe
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Holes grossed $16.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing #2 at the box
office behind Anger Management's second weekend.[3] The film would go
on to gross a domestic total of $67.4 million and an additional $4 million in
international revenue, totaling $71.4 million at the box office, against a $20
million budget, making the film a moderate financial success.[1] The film was
released in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2003, and opened on #9.[4]
Critical response[edit]
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 77% based on 133 reviews, with
the site's consensus reading: "Faithful to its literary source, this is
imaginative, intelligent family entertainment."[5] On Metacritic, which uses an
average of critics' reviews, the film has a 71 out of 100 rating, based on
reviews from 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote "Davis has always been a
director with a strong visual sense, and the look of Holes has a noble, dusty
loneliness. We feel we are actually in a limitless desert. The
cinematographer, Stephen St. John, thinks big and frames his shots for an
epic feel that adds weight to the story. I walked in expecting a movie for
thirteensomethings, and walked out feeling challenged and satisfied.
Curious, how much more grown up and sophisticated Holes is than Anger
Management."[7]
Awards[edit]
Year Award Category
2002 COLA Production Company of the Year – Features
COLA Location Professional of the Year – Features
2003
Artios Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy
2004 Critics Choice Best Family Film – Live Action
 Award
Sierra Award Best Family Film
MTV Movie
Breakthrough Male Performance
Award
Best Live Action Family Film and Best Performance by a Youth
PFCS Award
Male
Young Artist Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading and Supporting
Award Feature Film – Drama
References[edit]
1 ^ Jump up to: 
 a b c Holes at Box Office Mojo
2 ^ Jump up to: 
 a b c d e The Boys of D-Tent (DVD) (Video). Buena Vista Home
Entertainment. September 23, 2003. ISBN 0-7888-4800-3.
3 Jump up 
 ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for April 18-20, 2003". Box Office
Mojo. Amazon.com. 2003-04-21. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
4 Jump up 
 ^ "Weekend box office 24th October 2003 - 26th October 2003".
www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
5 Jump up 
 ^ Holes at Rotten Tomatoes
6 Jump up 
 ^ Holes at Metacritic
7 Jump up 
 ^ "Holes". Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun-Times. 2003-04-18. Retrieved
2012-03-24.
External links[edit]
• Official website (archive)
• Holes on IMDb
• Holes at AllMovie

Films directe
• Stony Island (1978) The Final Terror (1983) Code of Silence (1985) Above the Law (1988) The Pa
Perfect Murder (1998) Collateral D
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