Tom Hanks might seem out of place in a small independent movie like A Hologram for the King, but considering the subject matter, it seems appropriate.
This uneven adaptation of a Dave Eggers book about an American technology consultant enduring a mid-life crisis while trying to sell his services in Saudi Arabia is modest in its plotting but wise in its message.
Hanks plays Alan, who leads a small contingent to the King’s Metropolis of Economy and Trade, a partially built city especially for the country’s monarch. His team is stationed in a tent with no air conditioning and spotty Wi-Fi while waiting to unveil a high-tech presentation to a king who never seems to show up for his appointments.
As days pass, Alan’s friendliness turns into frustration and impatience, and his health even starts to deteriorate. He finds a couple of allies in an opportunistic cab driver (Alexander Black) and a strong-willed female doctor (Sarita Choudhury) as his perspective on his absurd scenario begins to evolve.
Hanks elevates the proceedings by finding the right balance of optimism and despair as details of his character’s past are gradually revealed through a series of flashbacks and hallucinations. We see how desperately he needs the commission and how broken his family life has become. In fact, Alan starts to feel like a hologram himself — you can see him, but he’s not really there.
It’s an evocative if exaggerated glimpse into contemporary Saudi Arabia, where opulence sometimes clashes with socioeconomic realities amid the arid landscape.
The allegorical words of wisdom in the source material are difficult to translate from page to screen, and the meandering script by German director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) could use some more narrative momentum. It includes some familiar culture-clash themes in its effort to bridge boundaries, and certainly the concept of exploring a foreign land (especially the Middle East) through the eyes of a wayward American is nothing new.
Underneath that surface, however, A Hologram for the King has bigger ideas to share about globalization and second chances. Although much of it is slight and forgettable, the film gradually mimics its lonely protagonist and finds a fresh start in the desert.
