Film Reviewsa hologram for the king: a stranger in a strange landSep 1, 2016 Anchorage Press
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Dave Eggers has a lot to say. The San Francisco-based author has written a number of works spanning various genres, from memoir, and nonfiction to fiction. One of his many works is the novel A Hologram for the King published in 2012 by Eggers' own publishing company, McSweeney's. Director Tom Tykwer adapted Eggers' novel into the feature film of the same title starring Tom Hanks, Sarita Choudhury, and Alexander Black.
A Hologram for the King is the story of a middle-aged American businessman, played by Tom Hanks, who is up to bat on a big pitch selling hologram videoconferencing technology to the king of Saudi Arabia.
Alan has taken a desperate leap of faith banking on a connection he made once with the King's nephew in order to get his bearings and a livelihood after his marriage and career have spiraled into oblivion. Hanks' compelling acting is spot-on as a man walking a thin line between regrets and hopelessness, but for whom giving up is simply not an option-although running away from problems might be.
The difficulty in adapting novels of substance to film is that in their deconstruction, priority is often given to plot and primary relationships, leaving out the threads of supporting or other relationships that give meaning and texture the overall work. Tykwer clearly struggles with this, but to his credit, he uses creative devices to try to fill in the back stories about Alan's life falling apart and the relationship with his daughter and father. The result is a film with a structure that sandwiches the heart of the matter between a slice of cliché and gimmicky beginning that makes the character of Alan's driver Yousef (Alexander Black) into a caricature Arab sidekick, and a throwback slice to Hanks' You've Got Mail as he courts Zahra, his Doctor, played by Sarita Choudhury.
And then, something great happens-at about an hour in, A Hologram for the King pivots in a wonderful direction; what develops from that point on is worth the wait. For starters, the acting is off-the-charts good. Hanks and Choudhury have wonderful chemistry that is tempered by age. Sarita Choudhury made her debut as Meena, in Mira Nair's 1991 film Mississippi Masala alongside another unknown and compelling actor at the time, Denzel Washington. It's a pleasure to see Choudhury in the spotlight because she's only gotten better and retained all her charm and brilliance, as has Hanks. As A Hologram for the King transitions from plot driven to internal reflection, it even brings along the character of Yousef, though what one ought to still look askance at is the fact that Tykwer didn't search a little harder to find an Arab actor to play Yousef-this was a missed opportunity because as versatile as Black is as an actor, there is a depth that Hanks and Choudhury bring that Black just doesn't match.
A Hologram for the King captures something profound, particularly in the wolf hunt scene-it's something about what it means to be a stranger in a strange land, and what one's promises mean or don't mean, for the individual and for countries involved in the fine art of war and business. Not only does this realization unfold quietly in the countenance of Alan, rifle in hand, but also under the vastness of the Arabian Desert's blue moonlight; it's simply gorgeous. Tykwer also projects a feeling similar of that found in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot-except in this case Godot is the King- and eventually he does show. When Alan finally breaks free from himself and finds his complement in Zahra, then Saudi becomes a paradise; proving that maybe one can run away from one's problems.
Hologram for the King shows Monday, September 5 at 8:10 p.m. at Bear Tooth.
A Hologram for the King is the story of a middle-aged American businessman, played by Tom Hanks, who is up to bat on a big pitch selling hologram videoconferencing technology to the king of Saudi Arabia.
Alan has taken a desperate leap of faith banking on a connection he made once with the King's nephew in order to get his bearings and a livelihood after his marriage and career have spiraled into oblivion. Hanks' compelling acting is spot-on as a man walking a thin line between regrets and hopelessness, but for whom giving up is simply not an option-although running away from problems might be.
The difficulty in adapting novels of substance to film is that in their deconstruction, priority is often given to plot and primary relationships, leaving out the threads of supporting or other relationships that give meaning and texture the overall work. Tykwer clearly struggles with this, but to his credit, he uses creative devices to try to fill in the back stories about Alan's life falling apart and the relationship with his daughter and father. The result is a film with a structure that sandwiches the heart of the matter between a slice of cliché and gimmicky beginning that makes the character of Alan's driver Yousef (Alexander Black) into a caricature Arab sidekick, and a throwback slice to Hanks' You've Got Mail as he courts Zahra, his Doctor, played by Sarita Choudhury.
And then, something great happens-at about an hour in, A Hologram for the King pivots in a wonderful direction; what develops from that point on is worth the wait. For starters, the acting is off-the-charts good. Hanks and Choudhury have wonderful chemistry that is tempered by age. Sarita Choudhury made her debut as Meena, in Mira Nair's 1991 film Mississippi Masala alongside another unknown and compelling actor at the time, Denzel Washington. It's a pleasure to see Choudhury in the spotlight because she's only gotten better and retained all her charm and brilliance, as has Hanks. As A Hologram for the King transitions from plot driven to internal reflection, it even brings along the character of Yousef, though what one ought to still look askance at is the fact that Tykwer didn't search a little harder to find an Arab actor to play Yousef-this was a missed opportunity because as versatile as Black is as an actor, there is a depth that Hanks and Choudhury bring that Black just doesn't match.
A Hologram for the King captures something profound, particularly in the wolf hunt scene-it's something about what it means to be a stranger in a strange land, and what one's promises mean or don't mean, for the individual and for countries involved in the fine art of war and business. Not only does this realization unfold quietly in the countenance of Alan, rifle in hand, but also under the vastness of the Arabian Desert's blue moonlight; it's simply gorgeous. Tykwer also projects a feeling similar of that found in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot-except in this case Godot is the King- and eventually he does show. When Alan finally breaks free from himself and finds his complement in Zahra, then Saudi becomes a paradise; proving that maybe one can run away from one's problems.
Hologram for the King shows Monday, September 5 at 8:10 p.m. at Bear Tooth.