Holes (film)

2003 American film by Andrew Davis

Not to be confused with Hole (film) or The Holes.

Holes

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Andrew Davis
Screenplay by| Louis Sachar
Based on| Holes
by Louis Sachar
Produced by|

* Andrew Davis
* Lowell D. Blank
* Mike Medavoy
* Teresa Tucker-Davies

Starring|

* Sigourney Weaver
* Jon Voight
* Patricia Arquette
* Tim Blake Nelson
* Shia LaBeouf

Cinematography| Stephen St. John
Edited by|

* Thomas J. Nordberg
* Jeffrey Wolf

Music by| Joel McNeely

Production
companies

* Walt Disney Pictures
* Walden Media
* Phoenix Pictures
* Chicago Pacific Entertainment

Distributed by| Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Release date

* April 18, 2003 (2003-04-18) (United States)

Running time

| 117 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $17 million
Box office| $71.4 million

Holes is a 2003 American neo-Western comedy drama film directed by Andrew Davis and written by Louis Sachar, based on his 1998 novel. The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, Tim Blake Nelson, and Shia LaBeouf in his theatrical film debut. In the film, Stanley Yelnats IV (LaBeouf) is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp in Texas, after being wrongfully convicted of theft. The camp forces inmates to dig holes in a dried lake bed under the command of the cruel Warden Walker (Weaver), who is secretly searching for the buried treasure of outlaw Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow (Arquette).

Director Andrew Davis took on Holes to showcase his versatility beyond action films, enlisting author Louis Sachar to adapt his novel into a screenplay. Filming took place over ten weeks in California during the summer of 2002 on a $20 million budget. Shia LaBeouf was cast as Stanley after Davis sought a "young Tom Hanks", though the character's weight loss arc from the book was omitted for practicality. Scenes of hole-digging were carefully staged with different depth levels, and bearded dragons portrayed the venomous yellow-spotted lizards. The film, dedicated to actor Scott Plank, who died after filming wrapped, was produced by Chicago Pacific Entertainment and Phoenix Pictures, with distribution by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista.

Holes garnered several awards and nominations. It won the California On Location Awards for Production Company of the Year and Location Professional of the Year. LaBeouf received recognition with a nomination for Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, while the film earned nominations for Best Family Film at the Critics' Choice Awards and Young Artist Awards.

## Plot

[edit]

In Green Lake, Texas, the Yelnats family has been cursed to be unlucky, which they blame on their ancestor Elya's failure to keep a promise to fortune teller Madame Zeroni over a century earlier in Latvia. One day, Stanley Yelnats IV is wrongfully convicted of stealing a pair of sneakers donated to charity by baseball player Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston, and is sentenced to 18 months of hard labor at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, in lieu of jail time.

The camp is in a dry lake bed where rain never falls and venomous yellow-spotted lizards thrive. Stanley meets warden Louise Walker, her assistant Mr. Sir, and counselor Dr. Steve Pendanski. Inmates, nicknamed Zero, Zig-Zag, Armpit, Squid, X-Ray, and Magnet, each dig a cylindrical hole daily, earning a day off for interesting finds. After Stanley discovers a golden lipstick tube marked K.B. and a fossil, he is accepted into the group and nicknamed Caveman. When Magnet steals Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds, Stanley assumes responsibility and is taken to Walker's cabin. He finds wanted posters there and learns "KB" stands for Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow, a school teacher-turned-outlaw who once robbed a money chest from his great-grandfather Stanley Yelnats Sr. After admonishing Mr. Sir for his irrelevant report, Walker lets Stanley return to work.

Camp Green Lake's history is revealed in flashbacks as a flourishing lakeside community in the 19th century. Kate romantically bonds with Sam, an African-American onion merchant who helps repair her schoolhouse. When the wealthy Charles "Trout" Walker discovers the two kissing, he informs the other citizens out of jealousy, and they burn down the schoolhouse and murder Sam. In retaliation, Kate becomes an outlaw, earning her nickname by kissing the men she murders. As her legend is established, Green Lake declines due to the lake's desiccation. Years later, Kate is found by the now-destitute Walkers; before allowing herself to be lethally bitten by a lizard, she boasts neither Trout nor his descendants will find her buried fortune.

In the present, Pendanski mocks Zero, whose real name is Hector Zeroni, but the latter injures Pendanski and flees. After some deliberation, Stanley searches for Hector. The two have difficulty surviving in the desert without water. Eventually, Stanley carries the ailing Hector up a nearby mountain, and they regain their strength after finding a field of wild onions and a water source. By doing this, Stanley unknowingly fulfills Elya's promise to Madame Zeroni and breaks the curse. While camping on the mountain, Hector tells Stanley he stole Livingston's sneakers and threw them over the bridge to evade the police, but they inadvertently hit Stanley's head.

Returning to the camp, Stanley and Hector investigate the hole where Stanley found the lipstick and discover a chest before they are discovered by Walker, Mr. Sir, and Pendanski. They soon realize that Walker, Trout's granddaughter, has been using the inmates to find Barlow's treasure. The adults cannot steal the chest from the boys, as the hole is swarming with lizards, which do not bite Stanley and Hector due to the onions they ate earlier. The puzzled adults wait for the lizards to kill the boys. The next morning, the attorney general and Stanley's lawyer arrive, accompanied by Texas Rangers, and the chest Stanley found is discovered to have once belonged to his namesake great-grandfather. Walker, Mr. Sir, who is actually paroled criminal Marion Sevillo, and Pendanski, who is impersonating a doctor, are arrested. Stanley and Zero are released, and it rains in Green Lake for the first time in over a century.

The Yelnats family obtains the chest containing jewels, deeds, and promissory notes. They share this with Hector, who uses it to hire private investigators to find his missing mother. Both families, who are now wealthy and living as neighbors, then watch a Super Bowl ad promoting a cure to foot odor, invented by Stanley's father, and endorsed by Livingston.

## Cast

[edit]

### Camp Green Lake

[edit]

* Sigourney Weaver as Warden Louise Walker
* Haleigh Ann Trickett as Young Louise
* Jon Voight as Mr. Sir / Marion Sevillo
* Tim Blake Nelson as Dr. Steve Pendanski
* Shia LaBeouf as Stanley "Caveman" Yelnats IV
* Khleo Thomas as Hector "Zero" Zeroni
* Brenden Jefferson as Rex "X-Ray" Washburn
* Jake M. Smith as Squid (Alan)
* Byron Cotton as Theodore Thomas "Armpit" Johnson
* Miguel Castro as Magnet (José)
* Max Kasch as Zig-Zag (Ricky)
* Noah Poletiek as Twitch (Brian)
* Roma Maffia as Attorney Carla Morengo
* Zane Holtz as Barf Bag (Lewis)
* Steve Koslowski as Lump

### Yelnats' Home

[edit]

* Henry Winkler as Stanley Yelnats III, Stanley's father.
* Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Tiffany Yelnats, Stanley's mother.
* Nathan Davis as Stanley Yelnats Jr., Stanley's grandfather.
* Rick Fox as Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston
* Nicole Pulliam as Mrs. Livingston, Sweet Feet's wife.
* Shelley Malil as the Yelnats family's landlord
* Michael Cavanaugh as Judge Austin Gorg
* Shirley Butler as Mrs. Zeroni, Zero's mother.

### Latvia

[edit]

* Eartha Kitt as Madame Zeroni, Zero's great-great-great-grandmother.
* Damien Luvara as Elya Yelnats, Stanley's great-great-grandfather.
* Sanya Mateyas as Myra Menke, Elya's fiancée.
* Ravil Isyanov as Morris Menke, Myra's father.
* Ken Davitian as Igor Barkov

### Old Green Lake

[edit]

* Patricia Arquette as Miss Katherine / Kissin' Kate Barlow
* Dulé Hill as Sam the Onion Man
* Scott Plank as Trout Walker, Louise's grandfather.
* Allan Kolman as Stanley Yelnats Sr., Stanley's great-grandfather.
* Louis Sachar as Mr. Collingwood[1]

## Production

[edit]

Director Andrew Davis chose to direct Holes to show he was capable of making more than action films such as The Fugitive and Collateral Damage.[2] He encouraged author Louis Sachar to participate in the production and adapt the novel into a screenplay.[2] To break down the novel's action into a film, Davis and Sachar storyboarded over 100 scenes on 3-by-5 note cards, each of which had specific time allotments. Sachar said Davis "went through and said, 'Now as you rewrite it, this card should take half a minute, this one should take three minutes, this one should take one minute, and so on.'"[2] Before Sachar was hired, Richard Kelly was given the job to write the screenplay. His draft diverged from the source material, and had a darker, post-apocalyptic take with sci-fi elements. Kelly stated he was naive and was told by the production staff that he was "insane" before being removed from the film.[3]

Holes was filmed in California over 10 weeks in the summer of 2002[4] on a $20 million budget.[5] When looking for a child actor to play Stanley, Davis asked for an actor like "a young Tom Hanks", and Shia LaBeouf was cast.[2] In the original book, Stanley is depicted as obese, shedding considerable weight as the book progresses. The filmmakers chose to drop this aspect from the movie, as they believed it would have been difficult to convincingly portray the weight loss in a live-action film.[2]

The film was shot in several locations, including Ridgecrest, California.[2] LaBeouf was simultaneously doing work for the Disney Channel show Even Stevens, and worked on the film after taping Even Stevens.[6] To show the seven kids' holes being dug gradually throughout the day, different "phases" were used, for each of which the seven holes were given different levels of depth. For the yellow spotted lizards, fourteen bearded dragons were used, four of which were used for the main parts, and the rest used as "background atmosphere lizards".[7]

The film is dedicated to Scott Plank, who appears in the film and died six months before its release.[8]

The film was produced by Chicago Pacific Entertainment in association with Phoenix Pictures, presented by Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures, and distributed in many markets by Buena Vista Pictures.[9] Summit Entertainment picked up foreign sales in February 2002 under an agreement with Walden Media.[10] In October 2002, Walden entered into a two-year first look agreement with Disney which would allow them to acquire distribution rights to the film in territories where the film was not previously acquired by a third-party distributor through Walden or Summit.[11][12]

## Music

[edit]

The film's music includes a new recording of the Grammy-winning single "Just Like You" by Keb Mo', and the Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo-produced "Dig It" by The D Tent Boys (the actors portraying the D Tent group inmates), which included a video that was played regularly on the Disney Channel. The soundtrack also includes contributions by the Eels, Devin Thompson, Dr. John, Eagle Eye Cherry, Fiction Plane, Little Axe, Moby, North Mississippi Allstars, Pepe Deluxé, Shaggy, Stephanie Bentley, and Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps.[13] The score was composed and conducted by Joel McNeely.[citation needed]

Holes (Original Soundtrack)

Soundtrack album by

Various

Released| April 15, 2003
Label| Walt Disney Records

1. "Dig It" – D-Tent Boys
2. "Keep'n It Real" – Shaggy
3. "Mighty Fine Blues" – Eels
4. "Honey" – Moby
5. "I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday" – Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps
6. "Just Like You" – Keb' Mo'
7. "Everybody Pass Me By" – Pepe Deluxé
8. "I Will Survive" – Stephanie Bentley
9. "Shake 'Em On Down" – North Mississippi Allstars
10. "Don't Give Up" – Eagle Eye Cherry
11. "Happy Dayz" – Devin Thompson
12. "Let's Make A Better World" – Dr. John
13. "If Only" – Fiction Plane
14. "Eyes Down" – Eels
15. "Down To The Valley" – Little Axe

## Release

[edit]

### Home media

[edit]

Holes was released on DVD and VHS on September 23, 2003.[14] The DVD version of the film consists of widescreen and fullscreen versions, being a THX certified release.[15]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

Holes grossed $16.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing #2 at the box office behind Anger Management's second weekend.[16][17] It went on to gross a domestic total of $67.4 million and an additional $4 million in international revenue, totaling $71.4 million at the box office, against a $20 million budget, making the film a moderate financial success.[5] The film was released in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2003, and opened at #9.[18]

As of December 2003, the film sold 3.11 million copies for home use (VHS and DVD) earning a revenue of over $56.2 million.[19]

### Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 138 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Faithful to its literary source, this is imaginative, intelligent family entertainment."[20] On Metacritic, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film has a 71 out of 100 rating, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[22]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated the film three and a half stars of four stars and wrote, "Davis has always been a director with a strong visual sense, and the look of Holes has a noble, dusty loneliness. We feel we are actually in a limitless desert. The cinematographer, Stephen St. John, thinks big and frames his shots for an epic feel that adds weight to the story. I walked in expecting a movie for thirteen somethings, and walked out feeling challenged and satisfied. Curious, how much more grown up and sophisticated Holes is than Anger Management".[23]

Joe Baltake of The Sacramento Bee gave Holes four stars, praising the performances of Shia LaBeouf and Khleo Thomas and the film's emphasis on storytelling over the use of special effects.[24]

Grant Tracey's review in The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier described Holes as a complex and thought-provoking film. He praised its exploration of social issues like institutional abuse, racism, and patriarchal injustice while remaining entertaining.[25]

### Awards

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Nominee  | Result

|
|
|
|

2002  | California On Location Awards[26] | Production Company of the Year – Features  | Green Lake Productions  | Won
2003  | California on Location Awards  | Location Professional of the Year – Features  | Mark Benton Johnson (Shared with S.W.A.T.)  | Won
Artios Awards[27] | Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy  | Amanda Mackey Johnson and Cathy Sandrich  | Nominated
2004  | Critics' Choice Awards[28] | Best Family Film – Live Action  |  | Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards[29] | Best Family Film  |  | Won
MTV Movie Awards[30] | Breakthrough Performance | Shia LaBeouf | Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards[31] | Best Live Action Family Film and Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Male  | Nominated
Young Artist Awards[32] | Best Family Feature Film – Drama  |  | Nominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor  | Shia LaBeouf  | Nominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor  | Noah Poletiek  | Nominated
Khleo Thomas | Nominated

## References

[edit]

1. ^ La Jeunesse, Marilyn (April 12, 2022). "18 things you probably didn't know about 'Holes'". Insider. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
2. ^ a b c d e f Debruge, Peter (April 18, 2003). "Dig Deeper". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
3. ^ McKelly, Alex (July 3, 2018). "The Original 'Holes' Screenplay Was by the Donnie Darko Writer and It Was Insanely Dark". Bookstr. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
4. ^ La Jeunesse, Marilyn (April 18, 2003). "18 things you probably didn't know about 'Holes'". Insider Inc. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
5. ^ a b Holes at Box Office Mojo
6. ^ Weiss, Josh (April 11, 2019). "Author Louis Sachar Digs Up Fond Memories Of 'Holes' Film Adaptation 16 Years Later". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
7. ^ "9 'Holes' Movie Secrets From Star Khleo Thomas". International Business Times. April 18, 2018. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
8. ^ "Scott Plank". variety.com. November 12, 2002. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
9. ^ McCarthy, Todd (April 16, 2003). "Holes". Variety. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
10. ^ https://www.screendaily.com/summit-forges-ties-with-anschutz-backed-walden/408404.article
11. ^ "Walden Features Find Home at Disney". Archived from the original on December 18, 2002.
12. ^ https://www.screendaily.com/walden-strikes-two-year-alliance-with-disney/4010667.article
13. ^ "Holes Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 25, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
14. ^ Vancheri, Barbara (September 5, 2003). "Mighty releases blow through September". Post Gazette Staff Writer. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 91\. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ Patrizio, Andy (October 2, 2003). "Holes". IGN. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
16. ^ Linder, Brian (April 21, 2003). "Weekend Box Office: Anger Again". IGN. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
17. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for April 18-20, 2003". Box Office Mojo. April 21, 2003. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
18. ^ "Weekend box office 24th October 2003 - 26th October 2003". 25thframe.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
19. ^ "Year End 2003 Top-selling titles (combined VHS and DVD)". variety.com. December 31, 2003. Archived from the original on January 27, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
20. ^ Holes at Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
21. ^ Holes at Metacritic
22. ^ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Holes" in the search box). CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
23. ^ Ebert, Roger (April 18, 2003). "Holes". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
24. ^ Baltake, Joe (April 18, 2003). "You gotta dig". The Sacramento Bee. pp. Firday Tickets: 15–16.
25. ^ Tracey, Grant (April 24, 2003). "Deep themes surface in Disney's 'Holes'". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. pp. Pulse 2.
26. ^ "2002 COLA Awards". California On Location Awards. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
27. ^ "2003 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
28. ^ "9th Critics' Choice Awards (2004)". DigitalHit.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
29. ^ "2004 Awards". lvfcs.org. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
30. ^ Green, Willow (April 22, 2004). "MTV Movie Award Nominations 2004". Empire. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
31. ^ "Holes Review". WPI Tech News. No. April 1, 2021. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
32. ^ "25th Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on August 2, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Holes (film).

* Official website
* Holes at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Andrew Davis

* Stony Island (1978)
* The Final Terror (1983)
* Code of Silence (1985)
* Above the Law (1988)
* The Package (1989)
* Under Siege (1992)
* The Fugitive (1993)
* Steal Big Steal Little (1995)
* Chain Reaction (1996)
* A Perfect Murder (1998)
* Collateral Damage (2002)
* Holes (2003)
* The Guardian (2006)

* v
* t
* e

Works by Louis Sachar

Wayside School books|

* Sideways Stories from Wayside School (1978)
* Wayside School Is Falling Down (1989)
* Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School (1989)
* More Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School (1994)
* Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger (1995)
* Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom (2020)

Someday Angeline books|

* Someday Angeline (1983)
* Dogs Don't Tell Jokes (1991)

Marvin Redpost books|

* Kidnapped at Birth? (1992)
* Why Pick on Me? (1993)
* Is He a Girl? (1993)
* Alone In His Teacher's House (1994)
* Class President (1999)
* A Flying Birthday Cake? (1999)
* Super Fast Out of Control! (2000)
* A Magic Crystal? (2000)

Holes books|

* Holes (1998)
* Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake (2003)
* Small Steps (2006)

Other books|

* Johnny's in the Basement (1981)
* Sixth Grade Secrets (1987)
* There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom (1987)
* The Boy Who Lost His Face (1989)
* The Cardturner (2010)
* Fuzzy Mud (2015)

Adaptations|

* Holes (2003)
* Wayside: The Movie (2005)
* Wayside (2007–08 series)

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