April 18, 2003 (United States)
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.
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.
Holes was released in the United States on April 18, 2003, earning $71.4 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its cast, faithfulness to its source material, and sense of nostalgia. The film is dedicated to Scott Plank, who appears in the film and died six months before its release.
Storyline[]
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 at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, in lieu of jail time.
The camp is in a dried lake bed where rain never falls and venomous yellow-spotted lizards proliferate. Stanley meets warden Louise Walker; her assistant, Mr. Sir; and camp counselor Dr. Steve Pendanski. Prisoners, known by their nicknames—including Zero, Zig-Zag, Armpit, Squid, X-Ray, and Magnet—dig holes in the desert daily, although they may earn a day off if they find anything interesting inside the holes. After Stanley finds a golden lipstick tube initialed K.B. and a fossil, he is accepted into the group and given the nickname Caveman. When Magnet steals Mr. Sir's bag of sunflower seeds, Stanley takes responsibility and is taken to Walker's cabin. Inside, Stanley discovers old wanted posters and newspapers and realizes "KB" stands for Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow, an outlaw his great-grandfather encountered. Walker assaults Mr. Sir for his irrelevant report and allows Stanley to return to work.
Camp Green Lake's history is revealed in a series of flashbacks as a flourishing lakeside community in the 19th century. Kate, then a school teacher, 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 spreads the word out of jealousy, and the town's citizens burn down the schoolhouse and murder Sam. In retaliation, Kate becomes an outlaw, hunting down Walker's men and earning her nickname by kissing the men she murders. As her legend is established, Green Lake goes into decline due to the lake's sudden evaporation. One of Kate's victims is Elya's son Stanley Yelnats Sr., who is robbed of his chest of gold and left to fend for himself in the desert. Years later, Kate encounters the now-destitute Walkers; before allowing herself to be lethally bitten by a lizard, she boasts neither Walker 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 the mountain, where they find a field of wild onions and a source of water, helping them regain strength; simultaneously, Stanley unknowingly fulfills his ancestor'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, only for them to 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 Walker, who is Trout's granddaughter, has been using the inmates to find Barlow's treasure. The adults are unable to steal the chest from the boys, as the hole has swarmed 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 a Texas Ranger; the chest Stanley found is discovered to have once belonged to his namesake great-grandfather. Walker, Mr. Sir, who is actually a paroled criminal named Marion Seville, 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, which contains jewels, deeds, and promissory notes. They share this with Hector, who uses it to hire private investigators to find his missing mother, and both families live a life of financial ease as neighbors.
Also See[]
- Holes (2003) (Trailers)
Sound Effects Used[]
- Hollywoodedge, 35mm Camera Elect Sh PE1012801 (Only the 2nd part of the sound is used; high pitched)
- Hollywoodedge, Bird Hawk Single Scre PE020801/Hawk Screech Single AT082901
- Hollywoodedge, Fart 1 Medium Fart Clo PE138901
- Hollywoodedge, Goat Baas Close Persp PE025101
- Hollywoodedge, Horses 1 High Pitched TE016301/Horses Several Whinn PE025201 (5th whinny)/Horse Whinnies Group AT045501 (5th whinny)
- Hollywoodedge, Police Wailer Siren PE080801
- Hollywoodedge, Screen Door Creak Woo TE023501/Squeaky Old Wood Scre PE182001
- Sound Ideas, BELL, CHURCH - RINGING
- Sound Ideas, BIRD, SILKY CHICKEN - RAPID CALLS, ANIMAL (Heard once in a low volume.)
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 02
- Sound Ideas, HUMAN, EATING - APPLE: FAST BITE, FOOD
- Sound Ideas, HUMAN, EATING - APPLE: MEDIUM BITE
- Sound Ideas, PIG - SNORTING, ANIMAL
- Sound Ideas, PIG - SNORTS AND GRUNTS, ANIMAL