Holes

Cafe Society
1

I just saw the movie Holes last night as part of my job. I’ve never read the book and wasn’t expecting much from a children’s movie but I thought it was really quite well done. The writing, especially, was far superior to most children’s fare. It had an intelligent interweaving of three different stories and I liked the way everything tied together at the end.

The movie also contains a a sublot about an interracial romance in the old west (and the inevitable violence which follows it) that is not the kind of thing you typically see in a kid’s flick.

The casting and acting is also quite good. The kids are natural and likeable, esoecially the kids playing Caveman and Zero. They don’t seem like insuffereable Hollywood kid actors. The adults were good as well. Jon Voight as “Mr. Sir” was funny as hell and Sigourney weaver was plausibly intimidating as the warden

As I said, I haven’t read the book so fans of the book may hate the movie, I don’t know. I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by a movie that I hadn’t expected much out of. I enjoyed it more than either of the Harry Potter movies (which I thought were just ok) and I really think its one of the better movies I’ve seen this year. You don’t have to be a kid to like it.

Anyone else see the movie? what did you think? Did it do a good job of translating the book?

2

I took my little sister to see it last night and we both really enjoyed it. I have never read the book, but sis has and she said it stayed really close to the plot. I think I will read the book now. Somehow I never got around to it as a kid, despite enjoying his Wayside school books. They were strange and that strangeness in his writing definitely translated to Holes.

It was really a very feel-good movie. Sometimes you just need some happy endings in your life. I also loved the kid playing Zero, thought he was very good.

3

I should hope so, since the author of **Holes, ** Louis Sachar was a consultant to the movie and worked quite closely with the director and producer.

4

Darn, I started another thread after seeing the movie yesterday. The first reply notes that “Since Louis Sachar had control over the movie, too, the movie is almost exactly like the book.”

I really enjoyed it. I mean, if I knew some one else going to see it, I might go see it again. I was genuinely suprised how good it was. Kudos.