Usually when the Middle East shows up in modern films it’s the setting for dramas and thrillers. The troubled global “hot spot” has been the backdrop for “based on a true story” tales of the military with AMERICAN SNIPER and one of the first flicks to be released this year, 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI. So it’s surprising that this region has been the setting for two comedies this year (SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMAN tested the waters five years ago). And one big source of the humor is the culture clash when Americans arrive there. It’s the old “fish out of water” recipe for laughs. A couple of months ago, it was Tina Fey butting heads in WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT. And now arriving in Saudi Arabia is the affable everyman (really every-American-man) Tom Hanks, an actor familiar with that comedy trope, going back thirty years with VOLUNTEERS to his last Spielberg comedy THE TERMINAL (there he was the cute, clueless foreign fella’ trying to make sense of the USA). So can the ultimate guy next door dig up some laughs in the sand with A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING?
Alan Clay (Hanks) seems to be trapped in a cliché’ music video, lip-syncing a Talking Heads classic as everything around him bursts into magenta smoke. Ah, but it’s just a dream. He wakes to see that he’s the only American on a flight to Saudi Arabia. While most men his age are getting ready to retire, Alan is sweating out the biggest sales trip of his life. He’s with an IT company back in the states who are trying to sell the Saudi king on buying their hologram system for his proposed new city. The boss is breathing down Alan’s neck along with Alan’s ex-wife. Alan needs the commission to pay for his daughter Kit’s (Tracey Fairaway) college education. After checking in at the plush Hyatt hotel, Alan oversleeps and misses the next morning’s shuttle to the city construction site. Luckily the hotel helps him hire a driver, the US pop-music loving Yousef (Alexander Black), a good-natured guy despite his fear of being killed by his lover’s husband. Arriving at the secluded city site, Alan is stunned that his company’s tech team is working out of a hot tent with little internet access. A talk with the staff at the management office doesn’t prove fruitful. His liaison is constantly out and nobody seems sure when the king will arrive for the big sales pitch and demonstration. Alan continues to have trouble sleeping (and continues to hire Yousef), while also stressing out over a large lump that has popped up on his back. Yousef finally takes him to a local hospital where he is treated by a woman doctor (a real rarity there), Zahra (Sarita Choudhury). As she investigates his mysterious lump, Alan is charmed by the witty physician and the two begin an email correspondence. Soon Alan is hoping that the king will delay his visit indefinitely.
Once more Hanks is the “average Joe” that audiences instinctively root for, but he adds an other tone to the foreigner in a foreign land. While his most recent role in BRIDGE OF SPIES was a good man in over his head in a quest for justice, Alan Clay is a man going under for the last time. It’s almost an extension of his young “go-getter” characters from NOTHING IN COMMON or even going back to his sitcom “Bosom Buddies” after the world has beaten him down with failure and disappointment. His half-frozen smile masks his desperation. The joy in his heart only comes out during his conversations with the daughter he completely adores. Hanks expertly conveys that regret and sadness, delivering another award-worthy performance to rank with the best of his long celebrated career.
Luckily Hanks gets two terrific acting partners in some of the film’s best sequences. For great comic timing, it’s tough to beat those long desert rides with the delightful Black as the slightly jittery, but still fairly mellow Yousef. It’s not just culture clash that provides the laughs. These two strangers engage in an awkward verbal dance from the start, unable to read each other’s expressions or verbal tics. The two are a great comedy team. As for a romantic team, or couple, genuine sparks fly between Hanks as Clay and Choudhury as the exotic, no-nonsense doctor. Unlike his first moments with Yousef, Alan immediately connects with Zahra, made stronger when he hears of her divorce problems (if he thought his US split was nasty, he can’t fathom her battles). When they finally have their clandestine “date” at her beachfront home, their emotions can finally be fully expressed, showing that love can indeed be better (as the ole’ Sinatra standard goes) “the second time around”. Their sensual swim even reminds us of Hanks’s first screen triumph, SPLASH. There are several other great supporting players. Fairaway is the daughter who just may also be her pop’s best pal. Sidse Babett Knudsen is memorable as a transplanted European who is helpful and extremely (really!) friendly. Best of all might be screen vet Tom Skerritt as Alan’s father, who is almost a living ghost, a spectre floating through Alan’s memories, who reminds him of his failures.
After the glitzy, frenetic musical opening, director Tom Tykwer settles down to tell the story in a leisurely, but never sluggish pace, much different from his work in CLOUD ATLAS or his first hit RUN LOLA RUN. He also aided author Dave Eggers in bringing his acclaimed novel to the screen. The expected quirky bits of whimsy are present, but Tykwer never shortchanges the emotional heft of the story. He also establishes a real sense of place with Hanks often walking alone past the massive sand dunes, helped greatly by cinematographer Frank Griebe. Oh, and Tykwer also contributed to the subtle music score along with Johnny Klimek. This is a compelling motion picture that’s brimming with heart, laughter, and great performances. You might say that A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING is indeed fit for a king. Or anyone looking for a great time at the movies.
4.5 Out of 5
