Holes

A smart, unpredictable and humorous movie which will genuinely appeal to the entire family? Pull the other one. Surprising as it may sound however, Holes is actually that film, the second this month (after 'Finding Nemo'). Based on the best selling, highly acclaimed Louis Sachar novel of the same name, Holes follows the misfortunes of Stanley Yelnats, wrongly jailed for nicking a pair of world famous baseball clets from an orphanage. As punishment, he's sent down for 18 months to the rather sparse Camp Green. It's there under the direction of Mr. Sir (Voight) and the panderings of Dr. Pendanski (Nelson), the boys are instructed to dig holes in the Texan desert. The purpose, it emerges, is to unearth some magical treasure, the story of which we are told in an intelligent and well developed subplot which stars Patricia Arquette as a former schoolteacher turned outlaw.

Imagine a 'Royal Tenebaums' for adolescents and you're someway towards imagining the reality of 'Holes'. Set in a bizarre magical realist world, it's a fiercely engaging and imaginative excursion which doesn't really sacrifice itself to simplicity and sentiment with the same eagerness that you'd see in most films aimed at this sort of audience. Surprisingly effective in terms of the sheer verve and moral complexity of its central characters, Holes is not afraid to show intelligence and never sells its audience down the path of convention. Almost matter-of-fact in its choice of tones, Holes zips along with gusto and, while slightly overpopulated, still has more than enough in the tank to sustain its viability. Although Nelson and Voight spend the film stealing scenes from the other, the younger performers are all of a very high standard. Not quite as accessible as the likes of 'Finding Nemo', Holes is nonetheless a smart and very accomplished comedy.