Review of A Hologram for the King (2016) by Valda R — 31 Aug 2016

I read the book and loved it . Did Eggers live in Saudi to get it so right? To get the Arabs and their beautiful country, their quirks and idiosyncratic way? They really are at complete ease with glamour and their big dreams and visions, their contradictions and strange juxtapositions.

I loved the movie because it really stayed fairly true to the book. The casting was really perfect. I could relate to so many of the lesser characters and their nuances having lived in the Middle East for a few years.

It cracked me up. It's a spectacularly beautiful country of nothing much but sky and sand but I love it. The film highlighted it's unusual beauty. The wardrobe department don't make Hanks look like a man who has just about run out of all his options and who sees himself as a complete loser, the way Eggers depicted him.

He is a bit more palatable. Very intelligent film and a good one for Hanks.