I’ll never forget finishing Dave Eggers’ much celebrated novel A Hologram for the King and thinking, “Well THAT was six hours of my life I’ll never get back.” I found it desultory, dull and desperate. So I was surprised when the novel was optioned for a film, and even more surprised when Tom Hanks signed on to star in it. Could he add a dimension of interest and warmth to this flat, fish out of water tale?

The answer is a resounding yes! Add a cast of engaging actors, lush cinematography and a lovely score, and you have quite the watchable film, proving that it’s not only major studios that attract A-list talent, both above and below the line. This movie, from Roadside Attractions, known for quality films like Mud, Mr. Holmes and one of my favorites last year, the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy, has all the lush production value of a big studio release. The indie studio’s releases may not be blockbusters, but, like A Hologram for the King, they’re high quality entertainment with stellar production value for thinking people who don’t require outrageous special effects to hold their attention.

In director Tom Tykwer’s A Hologram for the King, Tom Hanks plays a sort of modern day Willie Loman type character, a middle-aged, befuddled salesman trying to keep up with the times. He’s been sent to Saudi Arabia to try to make the deal of his life–selling a holographic communications system to the King, but once he arrives, he finds out that he is completely unequipped to deal with the realities of this foreign land–and the inhabitants seem ill-equipped to deal with him.

If you’re one of those dedicated fiction-loving film goers like I am who prefers to read the book before seeing the movie, I’d advise skipping the novel and going straight to the theater. The film will take up far less time, and will be a much more enjoyable experience.

Rated R

1 Hour 30 Minutes

Get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING Review — Movie Trailer

A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING Review

by Lisa Johnson Mandell