DVD Release Date: September 23, 2003

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Patricia Arquette, Rick Fox, Khleo Thomas

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By Dan Phelps

Fellow readers, I will make this very simple for you. You’ve got two choices: the short version or the long version, but either way, the conclusion is the same. You should buy this DVD.

Short version: Holes is a surprisingly deep, smart, clever, and excellent film with a great cast, superb direction, and a story that makes you think. There’s not much that I can say that is negative about this movie. You’re doing yourself and the movie world an injustice if you fail to purchase this DVD.

Long Version: For those of you who don’t know, Holes is actually an adaptation from an award winning children’s book. I’ve never read the book myself, but have heard nothing but excellent things about it. In fact, after seeing this movie, I promised myself I would read the book. Yes, a 22 year-old guy is going to read a book written for 6th graders. Why? Because it’s just that damn good.

But there’s a reason that I’m comparing the movie to the book so much. Author Louis Sachar was asked to write the screenplay for the movie. Most of the time, you’ll just in movie credits: “Based on a novel by 'so and so.'" And we all know from experience that the term “based on” really means “we just used the title.”
Let me take a little time to explain the movie, without giving it away, because I refuse to spoil this gem of a movie for anyone. Our main character is a high schooler named Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf). He unwittingly gets caught with stolen property and is sent to Camp Green Lake to serve out his sentence. The warden of the camp is none other than Sigourney Weaver – who plays a kind lady with a hidden agenda. Her sidekick, and one of the camp counselors, is played by Jon Voight. Voight’s performance in Holes is an excellent one too. He fits the part of a Cowboy Texan quite well.

So we find all our characters here at Camp Green Lake. Only there’s no lake, and nothing about it is green. This here is a character building camp. Take a troubled teen, have him dig a 5ft x 5ft hole all day, everyday, out in the hot sun, and it turns him into a good person. But there’s a reason why these kids are digging holes other than for building character, and that’s a secret only the movie will reveal.

Accompanying this excellent movie is a plethora of special features. Some better than others, but overall a good addition to the DVD.

Gag Reel: A short combination of outtakes and on-set antics. This is mildly entertaining. I hoped for more outtakes, as I’ve always been a fan of them, but this was more along the lines of cast humor. Give it a watch if you’re interested.

Deleted Scenes: This part includes six scenes that were cut from the movie. Some are actually parts of existing scenes. I always find these fun to watch. Most of the time, they are scenes that should have been left in the movie, like these are. Have a look at these if you want to see what was left on the cutting room floor!

Commentaries: Commentaries are sometimes a waste of time I think. But once in a while you’ll come across something worth watching. I give these commentaries a grade somewhere in between those. The cast commentaries are decent. It’s interesting to hear what the cast members of the movie have to say about it. In addition, there is a commentary with the directors and the author of the book, Louis Sachar. This I find compelling to watch. If I were an author and my book was made into a movie, I would definitely want to be a part of it. Like I stated earlier, Louis Sachar actually wrote the screenplay, and with that done, it’s nice to see how Sachar felt about the final product. If you’ve got some time, give these a watch, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.

On The Set With Louis Sachar: Another, more in-depth look at Louis Sachar’s time on the set. It explores how he helped the movie come to fruition, how he liked the production, and his response to the final product. It’s a short little documentary, but worth a quick look if your interested in seeing an author’s part in movie making.

“Dig It” Music Video: Cheesy, but worth a look. The song itself isn’t half bad, and the music video itself not bad, and overall I guess it’s just one of those Disney additions. Give it a quick look for a quick burst of entertainment.

So, we have a totally awesome movie here, accompanied by some fairly good special features. What does that make? A DVD well worth purchasing. I only have one gripe: previews. When you pop the DVD into your player, it doesn’t take you to the main menu. It instead begins a long string of previews during which you can’t get directly to the menu. One can only access the menu by pressing the “next track” button several times to get through all the previews. I find this very annoying!

Bottom line: Holes is a great movie. An absolutely great movie. I’ve watched it three times since I received the DVD to review. Its complexity and touching values combine to make a film that entertains both children and adults alike.

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