Stanley is sent to a boys' work camp, where there is rough-housing and some fist fights. There are wild west flashbacks where a gun-toting female renegade kills men and then kisses their cheeks. Members of the old west community threaten to lynch an African-American man who loves a white woman -- he is shot as he tries to escape. Perilous moments on the face of a rock, as Stanley and Zero nearly fall to their deaths. A character commits suicide by allowing a poisonous lizard to bite her.
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Stanley and Zero are treated badly by adults at the camp who call them worthless and stupid. Stanley, however, takes on the task of teaching Zero how to read. He sticks out his neck for Zero and eventually saves his life.
Positive Role Models
very little
The adults in charge of the boy's camp are mean-spirited and demeaning. But the adults in Stanley's life are kind-hearted and generous. Stanley has inherited these traits from his family, welcoming Zero into his home like a brother.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Holes, based on the bestseller by Louis Sachar, has an edge to it, but it's not as gritty as it could be. Portraying a teen boys' work-camp could give excuses to broach more lewd subject matter, but this movie portrays the rough and tumble without devolving into a gross-out fest. There are some moments of racial and gender tension played out in glimpses of the past (reference to a lynching, men trying to force their attentions on a woman), which might be too intense for younger viewers. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Holes is a 2003 american western comedy drama film directed by Andrew Davis. It stars Stanley Yelnats, Elya Yelnats, Madame Zeroni, Hector Zeroni, and Rex washburn. This movie is about a young boy named Stanley Yelnats who is accused of theft and ends up going to a brutal desert detention camp where he starts digging holes and finds some mysterious things.
The plot of Holes is that a young boy named Stanley Yelnats is sent to a juvenile camp in the middle of the desert for something he didn't do. One day he was walking home and found some shoes when someone saw him and he started running away with the shoes. They thought that Stanely was stealing but that wasn't the case. When the judge cae to stanley's house he told him 2 choices either he can go to jail or a summer camp. When Stanley heard about a summer camp he thought it would be something fun but he ended up in the worst camp in the world. At the camp for their punishment they are supposed to dig holes. Stanely realized that there is something more going on at the camp than just digging holes and he sets out to uncover the truth.
The movie takes place in California, specifically in the areas of Santa Clarita and Fillmore. The main soundtrack of the movie is "Dig It" by the D-Tent boys.
I highly recommend watching this movie because it has a unique and eye-catching plot. It is a mic of drama, humor, action, and adventure. It has many great characters that are relatable and their acting is very good. The movie leaves an important message about friendship and forgiveness which anyone of any group of age should be able to watch.
What's the Story?
Adapted by Louis Sachar from his Newbery award-winning book, HOLES, this is the story of Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf). Stanley is wrongfully accused of stealing a very valuable pair of sneakers and sentenced to a juvenile facility in the desert. Each boy there is required to dig a five-foot-deep hole every day. They are told it is to help them develop character, but could it be that the Warden (Sigourney Weaver) is looking for something that just might be buried in the endless stretch of sand that once was Green Lake?
Author Louis Sacher (who appears briefly as a man who is going bald) adapted his own story, and it retains all of the complexity and understated, offbeat charm of the book. The adult actors are excellent, especially Arquette and Dule Hill, but the kids are the center of the story, and they handle it beautifully. Khleo Thomas is wonderfully engaging as Zero. In sharp contrast to most movies directed at 10- to 15-year-olds (come to think of it, to most movies of any kind), Holes respects the intelligence of its audience. It is even willing to challenge them, and that makes it a movie for everyone in the family to treasure.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about its themes of fate and choice. What actions in Holes seem to have been decided by fate (or a curse) and what were decided by the characters?
How much of our present is influenced by or determined by the past?
There are even more connections between the three stories than you see at first. How many can you find?
If you pay close attention, there is something significant about when the boys use their real names and when they use their tough nicknames. What does that tell you?
Why doesn't Stanley tell the truth in his letter to his mother? How is Stanley different at the end of the movie?
MPAA explanation:
violence, mild language and some thematic elements.
Last updated:
July 30, 2024
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