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Holes (film)

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Holes
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrew Davis
Written byScreenplay:
Louis Sachar
Novel:
Louis Sachar
Produced byAndrew Davis
Lowell D. Blank
Teresa Tucker-Davies
StarringShia LaBeouf
Jon Voight
Khleo Thomas
Tim Blake Nelson
Sigourney Weaver
Byron Cotton
Patricia Arquette
Dulé Hill
Henry Winkler
Nate Davis
Eartha Kitt
CinematographyStephen St. John
Edited byThomas J. Nordberg
Music byJoel McNeely
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures
Release dates
April 18, 2003
Running time
117 minutes
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$20 million

Holes is a 2003 film based on the novel of the same title by Louis Sachar, who also wrote the screenplay, with Shia LaBeouf as the lead role of Stanley Yelnats. The film was produced by Walden Media and released by Walt Disney Pictures.

This film was rated PG by the MPAA for "violence, mild language and some thematic elements".

Plot

Stanley Yelnats IV is an unpopular teen who lives in an apartment with his entrepreneur father, mother, and grandfather. The family, while rich in spirit, has no luck at all. They believe this was caused when their ancestor Elya Yelnats tried to win the hand of the lovely (but stupid) Myra Menke. A mystic-woman, named Madame Zeroni helps him, and in turn, Elya promised to carry Madame Zeroni up a mountain to the river and sing to her as she drinks the magic, fortifying water of the mountain. Madame Zeroni threatened Elya that if he broke the promise, his family would be cursed for generations. Elya breaks (forgets) his promise, and the Yelnats of the present believe this is the cause of their bad luck. This bad luck continues when a pair of shoes fall from the sky and hit Stanley. The police then arrest him, because they were valuable shoes donated to a charity by Clyde "Sweetfeet" Livingston, a famous baseball player known for his speed, and they assume he was the one that stole them. Given the choice of going to prison or Camp Greenlake, (juvenile detention camp). Stanley chooses the latter. He arrives to find the "camp" is a dried-up desert where the boys there must dig a hole every day to "build character". The camp is run by the Warden, Mr. Sir, and counselor Dr. Pendanski.

Box office and critical reception

The movie made US$ 67 million at the box office against a $20 million budget, making the film at least a moderate financial success. It was consistently lauded as an excellent movie, because of its strong plot, deep characters, and family friendliness. It received a 78% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Musical soundtrack

  • 1. Dig It performed by D Tent Boys (sup)
  • 2. Keep'n It Real performed by Shaggy
  • 3. Mighty Fine Blues performed by Eels
  • 4. Honey performed by Moby
  • 5. I'm Gonna Be a Big Wheel Someday performed by Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps
  • 6. Just Like You performed by Keb' Mo'
  • 7. Pepe Deluxe' performed by Everybody Pass Me By
  • 8. I Will Survive performed by Stephannie Bentley
  • 9. Shake Em' On Down performed by North Mississppi All-Stars
  • 10. Don't Give Up-Eagle performed by Eye Cherry
  • 11. Happy Dayz performed by Devin Thompson
  • 12. Let's Make a Better World performed by Dr. John
  • 13. If Only performed by Fiction Plane
  • 14. Eyes Down performed by Eels
  • 15. Down To The Valley performed by Little Axe

Differences from the book

Although the movie is very much like the book, there are some differences. It should be noted that Louis Sachar, who wrote the novel, also wrote the screenplay.

  • In the book, Stanley is overweight and loses weight during the course of the book. However, in the film he is of average weight throughout the entire film. Many of the issues in the book stemmed from Stanley looking down on himself for being overweight. However, in the bonus features on the DVD, it is explained that global issues forced this change.
  • It says in the book that Camp Green Lake does not have any plant life except the two tall trees next to the Warden's cabin. In the film, few plants (cacti) can be seen in the lake.
  • In the book, the water truck is red, but in the film, it's silver.
  • In the movie Mr. Sir saves Stanley when he shoots a lizard that was about to attack him.
  • In the book, Stanley's father was experimenting on how to recycle old sneakers, and the creation of the foot-odor cure was an accident. It is also unclear what was used to make the concoction. In the film, he only experiments on how to eliminate foot odor which he accomplishes using peaches and onions.
  • In the book, the motorboat collides with Sam's rowboat, whereupon Sam is shot in the water. Katherine is with him in the boat. In the movie, Katherine watches helplessly from land while Sam is alone in the boat, and he is shot by those in the motorboat, rather than their colliding with it. A final scene in this segment shows his boat floating alone in the water; he is presumably collapsed within it.
  • In the book, Armpit gets in trouble for going to the bathroom too often, in the movie he got in trouble for giving the Warden a stove knob he pretended to find.
  • In the book, Squid/Alan asks Stanley to tell his mom he's sorry; in the film, Armpit/Theodore asks the favor.
  • In the book, there is a different counselor for every tent; in the movie Dr. Pendanski seems to be the only counselor.
  • In the book, Kate Barlow returns to Green Lake and lives in a house alone for three months before being found by Trout Walker. They break into her house and search the house for the loot. They also tie up her hands and bare feet and subject her to torture to try to make her reveal the location of the money. There is a long time before she is bitten by the lizard. In the movie, she is simply seen lying against Sam's overturned boat (havinghim) when Trout and Linda Walker approach her demanding the money.
  • In the book, Kate Barlow does not commit suicide. Instead of picking up the yellow-ite her.
  • In the film, the second line of the pig verse is "the bark on the tree was as soft as the skies." In the book, originally, the second line was "the bark on the tree was just a little bit softer," but when Elya Yelnats came to America, his wife Sarah (who is not in the film, in which the backstory ends while he was on his ship to America), changes the line to "the bark in the tree was as soft as the skies" because the second verse only rhymed in Latvian, and not in English. Also, on the last page of the book, there is a second verse which was not mentioned in the movie.
  • The book segment about Stanley, Hector, and Stanley's lawyer in the car driving back to civilization does not appear in the film. Instead we cut directly from Camp Green Lake right to Stanley's family opening the trunk.
  • In the book, Elya Yelnats is friends with Madame Zeroni and spends time with her listening to her stories and sharing his thoughts. In the film, Elya is presented as seeking out "a fortune teller" to help him win over Myra Menke's heart, though they are shown as friendly.
  • In the book, when Stanley and Zero decide to return to Camp Green Lake and search for the treasure, the book describes them hiding in their respective holes for hours waiting for the camp to empty. In the movie, they arrive at the hole at night and get directly to work.
  • In the book when they return to camp Zero goes to get water and something to eat, but in the film he goes to get a shovel to help digging the hole.
  • In the book, Sam and Kate Barlow kiss while outside on a rainy day, and Hattie Parker (one of the townsfolk) sees them kiss while walking out of the General Store. In the film, they kiss in Katherine's schoolhouse and Trout Walker sees them kiss while riding on a horse by the schoolhouse.
  • In the film, Stanley and Zero become neighbors, which is not stated in the book although it is possible.
  • In the book, Louis Sachar clearly downplays the value of the contents of the trunk. He states that each family got a bit less than a million dollars after taxes - "though not much [less than a million]." In the movie, the value of the trunk is portrayed as being much higher. The individual bonds are valued at "millions" and we see at least four of them being handled (not counting the jewels and other items found in the trunk) making the trunk at least worth $20 million. Also in the book the trunk is described as a "suitcase," whereas in the film it is more like a chest.
  • In the deleted scenes on the DVD, Magnet is stabbed by the Warden with a pitchfork after leaving the site to go to the bathroom; in the book, it was Armpit.
  • In the book, Sam says he will fix Ms. Katherine's schoolhouse roof in exchange for six jars of her spiced peaches. In the film, he fixes the roof for three.
  • In the film, when the attorneys arrive, they find out Mr. Sir is actually a paroled criminal named Marion Sevillo. He apparently committed a crime in El Paso and his possession of a gun is violating his parole.
  • The yellow-spotted lizards in the film are reddish in color (they were portrayed by bearded dragons, except when they were shot running on their hind legs, when they were CG) while in the book, the lizards are green-yellow with minuscule yellow spots.
  • In the book the Sheriff is in his office alone when he is killed but in the film he isn't (there were prisoners watching).
  • In the book, it is claimed that Mary Lou, Sam's mule, is around fifty years of age, but in the film, Sam says she is almost one hundred years old. In both cases, it appears to be a way of promoting the healthful qualities of his red onions.
  • In the film, the other boys are astounded that Zero talked to Stanley, but in the book, they aren't. Zero tended to talk more in the book.
  • In the book, it is said that the spots on the yellow spotted lizard are nearly invisible, but in the film the spots are clearly visible.
  • In the book, it says that Ms. Morengo drives a BMW, but she drives a Jaguar X-Type in the film.
  • In the movie, the school house is destroyed in a different order then in the book.
  • In the film Mr. Pendanski claims to be "Dr. Pendanski."

Cast

Camp Green Lake

Yelnats' Home

Latvia

Old Camp Green Lake

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