I definitely think HOLES is worth the money you pay to get in, be it a matinee showing or a late night. The movie has humor, romance, adventure and mystery. It's been a long time since we've seen a 'clean' teen type of movie, especially one made by Disney.
The story is simple, though it takes awhile to realize that. Stanley Yelnats (notice the palindrome at work?) is a young teen, unjustly sentenced to serve some juvenile detention time at Camp Green Lake. Arriving there he discovers that there is no lake, that he is in the middle of Texas desert country, with a bunch of wild ruffians who spend their days laboring in the hot sun, digging holes (hence the title). As we are told about his time at the camp, we're also told amazing stories from the past-about Stanley's family history and curse, and another story about the history of Camp Greenlake. The stories all manage to wind themselves together, and you find yourself having an "Ah-hah moment" at the end as you figure out how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together exactly.
This is a wonderful tale of friendship. The young actors are all amazing. In a time where their witty sarcasm and silly exploits are all that we see of teens in movies, it was nice to see teens portrayed in a somewhat realistic manner. Granted it's not totally real, but very genuine at parts. The friendship that develops between Stanley and Hector is expecially so.
The movie is kind of jumpy at the beginning as it works to weave all the stories together. The scenes from the past are not the most historically accurate I'm sure, and that was somewhat bothersome, but after getting into the movie I didn't notice it as much. It's my major complaint about the film. The acting is superb as I said. Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voigt turn in some great performances.
Take the kids to see this one for sure. And heck, if you're an adult just wanting to be a kid for awhile, see it too. It's definitely worth it. 10 out of 10 stars!
The story is simple, though it takes awhile to realize that. Stanley Yelnats (notice the palindrome at work?) is a young teen, unjustly sentenced to serve some juvenile detention time at Camp Green Lake. Arriving there he discovers that there is no lake, that he is in the middle of Texas desert country, with a bunch of wild ruffians who spend their days laboring in the hot sun, digging holes (hence the title). As we are told about his time at the camp, we're also told amazing stories from the past-about Stanley's family history and curse, and another story about the history of Camp Greenlake. The stories all manage to wind themselves together, and you find yourself having an "Ah-hah moment" at the end as you figure out how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together exactly.
This is a wonderful tale of friendship. The young actors are all amazing. In a time where their witty sarcasm and silly exploits are all that we see of teens in movies, it was nice to see teens portrayed in a somewhat realistic manner. Granted it's not totally real, but very genuine at parts. The friendship that develops between Stanley and Hector is expecially so.
The movie is kind of jumpy at the beginning as it works to weave all the stories together. The scenes from the past are not the most historically accurate I'm sure, and that was somewhat bothersome, but after getting into the movie I didn't notice it as much. It's my major complaint about the film. The acting is superb as I said. Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voigt turn in some great performances.
Take the kids to see this one for sure. And heck, if you're an adult just wanting to be a kid for awhile, see it too. It's definitely worth it. 10 out of 10 stars!