Movie Breakdown: A Hologram For The King

Pre-Screening Stance:

I love Tom Hanks, and I liked Tom Tykwer’s work on Cloud Atlas, so therefore I should be excited about A Hologram For The King, right?  Eh.  It looks like a really generic drama, and I’ll be surprised if it turns out to be something worth cheering about.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Fish Out Of Water is what A Hologram For The King should have been titled.  Alan (played with muffled enthusiasm by Tom Hanks) is a rundown salesman trying to secure a big deal so that he can get his life back on track, but he’s in the mystical realm of Saudi Arabia, he’s totes exhausted by jet-lag, and the region’s customs are zany and just completely blowing his mind.  So what does he do?  He struggles through a variety of foreigners-sure-are-different discoveries until various metaphors are properly arranged in a row and everything is wrapped up nice and neat.  Once or twice I chuckled or felt a twinge of sympathy for Hanks’ unfortunately burdened character, but mostly I just blankly starred at the screen and wondered who decided that Dave Eggers’ A Hologram For The King needed to be adapted.

A Hologram For The King is not even close to being the worst movie I’ve ever seen, so I won’t tell you to run away from it.  Just know that it’s a generic drama that you’ll largely forget before the credits completely roll through.

One Last Thought:

After giving it some thought, I’d like for Tom Hanks to go full-Liam Neeson and start starring in action films.  It would be so weird and entertaining to see him in something like Taken.  Think about it!