A Hologram for the King

I hadn't even heard about A Hologram for the King until about a week before it opened. But there was Tom Hanks in the trailer and the NY Times liked it. So did I. This is a very interesting movie. A Hologram for the King, based on the novel of the same name, is a great title because it says a lot but you can't figure out what it means. Tom Hanks plays Alan, a businessman who can sell anything, but is down on his luck, just got a divorce, and lost his job. He is offered a new job to sell a holographic conferencing system to the King of Saudi Arabia. He and his IT team are supposed to demo the system for the King, but when they arrive in Saudi Arabia, they find that they are situated in a mostly non-existent city out in the desert, in a tent with no Wi-Fi. And no one knows when the King will be showing up for the demo.

A Hologram for the King is a bit reminiscent of Groundhog Day. Each day, Hanks sleeps through his alarm, misses the shuttle to the city, has to call his Saudi driver (Alexander Black), and then try to find someone who can explain what's happening or at least get them some Wi-Fi. Lots of things happen along the way including wild embassy parties and visits to the hospital. Hanks has a lump on his back and is suffering anxiety attacks. Along the way he befriends his female Saudi doctor (Sarita Choudhury), and spoiler alert, some sparks eventually fly between them.

This film is by the German director, Tom Tykwer, most famous for Run Lola Run. He keeps it moving even though, most of the time, "nothing" is happening. The supporting cast is mostly non-arabic, even the arabic parts. Choudhury, who broke out with Mississippi Masala 25 years ago, is half-Indian, and Black is American. They are both very good. It's also nice to see Tom Skerritt who plays Hanks father. I wished he had more scenes. Tom Hanks is great as always. I know not everyone loves him as much as I do, but it is a joy to watch him work. This is another good everyman role for him, but he makes it better than the script. A Hologram for the King plays out mostly inside the jet-lagged, culture-shocked head of Hanks character, and Tom is very good at making that work. This film is only playing on a few screens around the country. If it appears at a theatre near you, you should go see it.