A Hologram for the King (2016) is a great showcase for Tom Hanks. It’s a charming movie that suffers a bit from plot points that are left unaddressed and the message wasn’t as clear as it probably should be. That is to say, the adaptation of Dave Eggers novel by writer/director Tom Tykwer feels like the point could be a little more on front street.
A Hologram for the King is charming despite its mishaps
Alan Clay (Hanks) is a salesman for an IT company that is looking to land a big contract by selling a hologram technology to a Saudi Arabian monarch. He is met with a community that isn’t moving ahead as quickly as he had been told, tons of roadblocks, and no king to pitch his technology to. However, the life he left back home has an angry ex-wife (Jane Perry) and a daughter (Tracey Fairaway) he loves, but is struggling to help her through college. This sale is supposed to be the thing he needs to get out of the financial debt he is in.
Alan finds a friend in his driver Yousef (Alexander Black), who is the comedic relief for a lot of the film. Yousef starts his time with Alan informing him that his car maybe wired. He is concerned that the husband of a women he is talking to may be trying to kill him, which doesn’t make Alan feel any better. That on-going joke and the music selection in the car make for some entertaining moments early in the film.
What’s really bugging Alan…
The main conflict is an internal one that ultimately is summed up as anxiety. Alan is unbelievable stressed by almost every aspect of his life. He has a growth on his back that seems to be a manifestation of the anxiety, and, after a drunken moment of stupidity, he is forced to seek medical attention for it. This is where he meets Dr. Zahra (Sarita Choudhury) who becomes an important figure in his life. It’s after this meeting that Alan starts to perk up a bit, but it takes time to develop that relationship.
A lot of moments in the film are pretty entertaining visually. Alan has dreams and flashbacks that are shown in a variety of ways. The opening of the film has Alan talking through an alternate version of the Talking Heads “Once in a lifetime,” as his method of conveying his bad situation. It’s a music video type opening that is entertaining and seems to set the tone for the rest of the film. His life is tough, but he has a good attitude about it even if it is eating him up inside.
Final thoughts
The film is an interesting character study of a middle-aged man trying to find his place in the world. There are hints at him having a successful business career that went awry. Yet, it along with his strained relationship with his father, which also appears to be connected to his failed time at Schwinn Bicycles, is underdeveloped. The film still is entertaining and Hanks is as charming as always. A Hologram for the King earns the rating Decent Watch.
Berkreviews.com 