Holes (2003)
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A teenager wrongfully convicted of theft is sent to a juvenile detention camp where he must dig holes in a dry lake bed while uncovering a hidden past.
The story
Stanley Yelnats IV is wrongfully convicted of theft and sentenced to 18 months of hard labor at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp in Texas. The camp is located in a dry lake bed where no rain falls and venomous yellow-spotted lizards thrive. Under the command of the cruel Warden Walker, Stanley and other inmates are forced to dig holes in the ground. While the Warden is secretly searching for the buried treasure of outlaw Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow, Stanley must navigate the harsh conditions of the camp and the mysterious purpose behind the digging while trying to survive the desert environment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The Yelnats family is plagued by a curse of bad luck stemming from a broken promise in 18th-century Latvia. Stanley Yelnats IV is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention center in Texas, where he is forced to dig holes in a dry lake bed. He meets other inmates and is nicknamed 'Caveman.' He eventually finds a golden lipstick tube belonging to the outlaw Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow. The film uses flashbacks to reveal that the land was once a lush area until a tragedy involving a man named Sam and the greedy Charles "Trout" Walker caused the lake to dry up and a curse to take hold. In the present, Stanley befriends a boy named Zero (Hector Zeroni). After a series of events, the two flee into the desert to find water and eventually find a field of wild onions. By doing so, Stanley unknowingly breaks his family's curse. They return to the camp and find a chest of treasure. Because of the onions, they are immune to the venomous lizards that the adults, who are trying to steal the treasure, are not. The authorities arrive, the corrupt staff are arrested, and it rains on the lake for the first time in a century. The Yelnats family and Zero find prosperity and peace.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andrew Davis
- Writers
- Louis Sachar · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Sigourney Weaver · Warden Louise Walker; Jon Voight · Marion "Mr. Sir" Sevillo; Patricia Arquette · Miss Katherine / Kissin' Kate Barlow; Tim Blake Nelson · Dr. Steve Pendanski; Shia LaBeouf · Stanley "Caveman" Yelnats IV; Khleo Thomas · Hector "Zero" Zeroni
- Genres
- prison adventure; comedy-drama; magical realism; Western
- Themes
- fate; redemption; friendship; justice
- Tone and mood
- adventurous; mysterious; whimsical
- Setting
- A dry lake bed in Texas during the modern day, with flashbacks to the 19th century.
- Premise and plot tags
- curse; treasure hunt; juvenile detention
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1998 novel by Louis Sachar
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised it for its intelligence and depth.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · scale: percentage · review count: 137; Metacritic · score: 71 · scale: 100 · review count: 28; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Breakthrough Performance · MTV Movie Awards · nomination; Best Family Film · Critics' Choice Awards · nomination; Best Family Film · Young Artist Awards · nomination
- Production trivia
- The lizards were portrayed by bearded dragons.; The film was dedicated to actor Scott Plank.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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