Reviewed by: Becca & Joe

Directed by: Andrew Davis

Produced by: Andrew Z. Davis, Lowell D. Blank, Andrew Davis, Cary Granat, Mike Medavoy, & Teresa Tucker-Davies

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

Kids/Family, Crime/Gangster, Thriller and Drama 1 hr. 51 min. A teenager, Stanley Yelnats (La Beouf), sent to Camp Green Lake, a Texas detention camp, for a crime (stealing a pair of sneakers) he didn't commit. There, he and the other boys are forced by the warden (Weaver), a fiery woman who paints her nails with snake venom, to dig holes as something of a "character-building experience." Each day, each boy must dig a hole five feet deep and wide, in the long-dry rock that was once the bottom of Green Lake.

When I saw the previews for the movie I laughed because it seemed like such a stupid concept for a movie (normally this is what I think before I eat my own words). So, that was exactly the reason I wanted to see it, just to find out how dumb it actually was. I was pleasantly surprised on how interesting of a story it had. It's meant for children, of course, but an adult could get some appreciation from it as well. The adults at the camp are idiots and cruel, just like most movies made for children.

For the most part it's an intriguing story about two tales about the boy's great grandfather and how his family is cursed to be "losers" the rest of their days. It tells how his great grandfather fell in love with a woman, and how a gypsy told him how he could get her to fall in love with him and win her as his wife.

The other is about a white teacher who falls in love with a black man, during the same time the great grandfather comes to America. Which this story explains why the lake is all dried up.

Following the story of the main plot is pretty simple, but when you add the other two it really helps it out a great deal. There is no action in this movie at all, as like I said before it's a children's movie. It's simple, it's about love and friendship, good wholesome fun. This movie is definately worth seeing for the moral message it sends.

The cast of Holes is amazing considering that many of them are unknowns to the movie-going audience. Shia LaBeouf, who can be seen on the Disney Channel series Even Stevens, is probably the most impressive member of the cast. He has a lot of emotion that is used well in this film. LaBeouf should be able to become a big star if he continues to act in films like this. Jon Voight is fabulous in this film as the somewhat scary Mr. Sir. He is best known for his dramatic acting in films like Enemy of the State and Pearl Harbor but he has a great comic timing in this feature that most have not seen before. Sigorny Weaver is good as the Warden but you don't see her character until relatively half-way through the film and even when you do see her, you don't get as much character development as the other members of the cast. Henry Winkler, who is best known for Happy Days, makes a funny, if not brief, appearance as Stanley's father in the film. Winkler should receive a lead in a comedy soon but until then let's hope he appears in roles in this.

Overall, Holes is probably the most teenage orientated film from Walt Disney Pictures in quite some time and will be the last one until Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl opens in July. One must note that this is not your typical Mickey Mouse films with several foul language words being used within the course of the film. But this doesn't mean that is bad. There are very few things to say badly about the film Holes, but there are some. For one, the time length is a perfect at two hours but does seem to be a little too much for a film intended for younger children. Also, the story, though very well done, does seem a big dragged out in parts which can slow down the film a bit. Lastly, not as many characters get to act outside of the usual slapstick gags which can disappoint some. Outside of those small squabbles, Holes is probably the best film out in theaters since Phone Booth. The film is very well done that should appeal to everyone in the family. Note that film does contain a lot of references to death, acts of killing, and bad language that may not be suitable to small children. Just a word of warning to those that are expecting the normal Disney treatment.