Divorced, broke, and unable to pay for his daughter's college tuition, Alan Clay (Tom Hanks) is introduced here in an angst-filled, fantasy dream sequence, singing the Talking Heads' song “Once in a Lifetime.” Apparently chosen for a job because of some vague connection to the royal family, Clay is an affable, middle-aged American businessman who arrives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, determined to sell a 3D holographic communications system to King Abdullah. Jet-lagged, Clay oversleeps his first day on the job, forcing him to find a driver-for-hire—wisecracking Yousef (Alexander Black)—to take him to the king's Metropolis of Economy and Trade, where Clay and his clueless IT team are stuck in a tent in the middle of a construction site surrounded by desert. Disoriented, unsettled, and impatient, Clay must not only deal with the obvious cultural differences that he encounters in this eerie model city but also his existential loneliness and need to rediscover a sense of purpose. As the days pass while waiting for an audience with the king (or his liaison), Clay discovers a large cyst on his back, and fears that the growth is sapping his strength and vigor, which leads him to seek help from a sympathetic Saudi physician, Zahra Hakem (Sarita Choudhury). Adapted from Dave Eggers's 2012 novel by German writer-director Tom Tykwer, this is a timely, but also trifling and strangely stylized allegorical film about malaise and globalization. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (20 min.), the production featurettes “From Novel to Screen: The Adaptation” (12 min.) and “Perfecting the Culture” (10 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing adaptation.] (S. Granger)
A Hologram for the King
Lionsgate</span>, 104 min., R, DVD: $19.98, <span class=SpellE>Blu</span>-ray: $24.99, Aug. 9 Volume 31, Issue 3
A Hologram for the King
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