Holes (2003)

Holes is a 2003 American prison 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 in his theatrical film debut. In the film, Stanley Yelnats IV (LaBeouf) is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp in Texas, after being wrongfully convicted of theft. The camp forces inmates to dig holes in a dried lake bed under the command of the cruel Warden Walker (Weaver), who is secretly searching for the buried treasure of outlaw Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow (Arquette).

Director Andrew Davis worked on Holes to showcase his versatility beyond action films, enlisting author Louis Sachar to adapt his novel into a screenplay. Filming took place over ten weeks in California during the summer of 2002 on a $20 million budget. Shia LaBeouf was cast as Stanley after Davis sought a "young Tom Hanks", though the character's weight loss arc from the book was omitted for practicality. Scenes of hole-digging were carefully staged with different depth levels, and bearded dragons portrayed the venomous yellow-spotted lizards. The film, dedicated to actor Scott Plank, who died after filming wrapped, was produced by Chicago Pacific Entertainment and Phoenix Pictures, with distribution by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista.

Holes was released in the United States on April 18, 2003 and grossed $71 million worldwide. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised it for its intelligence and depth. The film won and was nominated for several awards, most notably LaBeouf received a nomination for Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, while the film earned nominations for Best Family Film at the Critics' Choice Awards and Young Artist Awards.