Holes is a really wonderful film, full of imagination with an underlying moral message that's neither preachy nor cornball.
Comment
04/18/03
Holes (2003)
77
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:133
Fresh:103
Rotten:30
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: Faithful to its literary source, this is imaginative, intelligent family entertainment.
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Louis Sachar's acclaimed teen adventure novel comes to dazzling life with this wildly entertaining adaptation. Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf) is an unassuming adolescent whose family has been... [More]
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette
Director: Andrew Davis
Reviews for Holes
Sachar's screenplay deftly weaves together several different storylines unfolding simultaneously in different eras (don't worry, kids: Virginia Woolf doesn't figure into any of them)...
04/18/03
Think The Shawshank Redemption for The Bad News Bears crowd.
04/18/03
At the least, it's original.
04/18/03
This is the sort of family film people keep wishing Hollywood would make. Well, they made it. Go see it.
04/18/03
There's no denying how terrific the performances are by the film's cast, especially Shia LaBeouf.
04/18/03
That rare thing, a movie that will genuinely appeal to just about everyone in a family, though it emphatically is not the soppy pap that conventionally passes as a 'family film.'
04/18/03
I walked in expecting a movie for thirteensomethings, and walked out feeling challenged and satisfied.
04/18/03
Top CriticThe performances are all fine, especially Jon Voight as the comically sadistic Mr. Sir, but the degree to which Holes is successful depends on how much we root for the kids.
04/18/03
Readers familiar with the book may negotiate the film's antic crosscutting, but newbies will need to pop a Dramamine before the lights dim.
04/18/03
You could sneak in without a kid and still have a good time.
04/18/03
Chances are, as you sit in that movie theatre and fidget alongside your kids, you won't find yourself digging Holes.
04/18/03
The young performers are enjoyable, particularly LaBeouf..., who suggests a prepubescent Dustin Hoffman.
04/18/03
Davis turns his talents to a children's film by treating his audience like adults.
04/18/03
The warden's evil nature has no true conviction and the story's mixture of whimsy and dark drama don't blend well enough and resonate to make it a true modern classic (like "The Phantom Tollbooth"). This is more a solidly crafted entertainment.
04/18/03
This is not like the cotton-candy stories that are traditionally served up as kids' fare, this story has bite. For anybody 9-12, this will be a big hit, for everybody else, it's not bad.
04/18/03
There's way too much violence and cruelty here for the younger ones, and readers of the book are sure to be disappointed.
04/18/03
Top CriticClick to read the article
04/18/03
Top CriticClick to read the article
04/18/03
A movie that feels a bit like digging a hole in the ground -- an exercise that may build character but doesn't seem to accomplish much else.
04/18/03
Latest News for Holes
April 24, 2007:
Shia Getting LeBuff for "Indiana Jones 4"
You know how that kid from "Holes" was cast in the next "Indiana Jones"? Well, you might not recognize him by the time the flick hits theaters next year. More...
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February 20, 2007:
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April 21, 2006:
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IGN FilmForce snagged some solid scoopage by learning the names of several actors attached to Michael Bay's "Transformers" adaptation. We learned last week that Shia... More...
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