Holes (The Movie)

Plot:

Stanley Yelnats is cursed, all thanks to his no good, pig stealing, great great great grandfather. The movie does an excellent job of depicting a somewhat complicated, yet engaging, story of a young boy that is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Shoes fell from the sky, and the next thing Stanley knows he is at Camp Greenlake serving 18 months for stealing. At Camp Greenlake campers are forced to dig holes every day to build character. Soon Stanley begins to understand there is more to the hole digging than than just character building. The story flashes back and forth to Stanley's history, where his great great great grandfather failed to follow through with a promise to a fortune teller and his great great grandfather was then robbed blind by Kissin' Kate the bandit, proving the Yelnats have been cursed ever since. The movie flashes back to the pig stealing, how Kissin' Kate became Kissin' Kate (when Sam, her onion selling lover was killed for kissing her). Somehow everything comes together when Stanley discovers they are digging to uncover something lost by Kissin' Kate Barlow. When Zero, a fellow camper, runs off, Stanley eventually follows him. Stanley in Zero survive in the very same place Stanley's great grandfather survived in the desert, living on onions in the soil that have been growing from Sam's original farm (Kissin' Kate's lover). When Stanley carries Zero up to a stream (mind you, Zero is the descendant of the fortune teller, and Stanley is the descendant of his no good pig stealing grandfather), the curse is broken as Stanley has fulfilled his grandfather's end of the bargain. Stanley and Zero return to the camp and uncover the suitcase the warden (a descendant of Kate) has been looking for right when lawyers show up to save Stanley. Stanley survives an invasion of yellow spotted lizards because yellow spotted lizards hate onions; luckily that is what Stanley and Zero had been surviving on. In the end, the briefcase recovered says "Stanley Yelnats" on it, so the contents belong to him. The curse broken, Stanley and his inventor father become wealthy in the end.


Comparison to book:

The movie is almost EXACTLY the same as the book, making for a lengthy movie. The only real difference is that in the book Stanley is initially described as 'hefty', whereas that storyline doesn't really come about in the movie. However the intricate plot is depicted accurately in the movie. I had to admit, I wasn't sure it could be done.

Review:

The movie is REALLY good. It is completely appropriate, engaging, and heartwarming. I enjoyed the movie as much as the book, which is something I rarely find myself saying. The movie is older, yet the book is still so popular with young readers that the movie can be used to draw in new readers. The movie and book are difficult to book talk or even describe (see above) as the story is so complex. However, it isn't too complex to understand. Just complex enough to make it suspenseful and entertaining. Librarians can use the movie to support the book and vice versa. Tweens will love how accurate the movie is, and also tweens that may have some trouble understanding the book will enjoy having a movie to help them comprehend. I can't say enough about how great the movie, casting, and soundtrack are. They did Holes justice and I can honestly say that if you love the book, you'll love the movie.