Holes (Screenplay Written by Louis Sachar,2003)

Genre: Action/Adventure
 

Honors:Sierra Award-Best Family Film

Review:Stanley Yelnats is in the wrong place at the wrong time and is mistakenly accused of stealing a professional baseball player’s shoes from a charity benefit.  Stanley is sentenced to attend Camp Greenlake and hopes he will finally get to enjoy a real camp.  Stanley is disappointed to find that the only activity in Camp Green Lake is to dig holes is the stifling heat of the desert. While in Camp Greenlake Stanley learns about his ancestors and discovers that the warden is hunting for something important and that she is forcing the campers to dig to find it.  Stanley’s bravery will be put to the test as he tries to expose the employees of Camp Greenlake, and in the process learns a little about his past and a lot about true friendship.  Readers will enjoy this original story and will root for Stanley as he triumphs over adversity.  

Opinion: I really liked this move.  The characters are likable and the story is very interesting and unique.  This is really a great family film, maybe something older teens can enjoy with younger siblings. 

Ideas:  This movie is written by the author that actually wrote the book Holes.  I think this book is a little young for older teens to read alone, but it could be an interesting idea to compare the screenplay to the book.  This could be used as an example to study in film or graphic arts classes.