A Hologram for the King (2016)

A failed American sales rep looks to recoup his losses by traveling to Saudi Arabia and selling his company's product to a wealthy monarch.

Director:

Tom Tykwer

Writers:

Dave Eggers (novel), Tom Tykwer (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Omar Elba, Sarita Choudhury

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Alan
Omar Elba	...	Yousef (as Alexander Black)
Sarita Choudhury	...	Zahra
Sidse Babett Knudsen	...	Hanne
Tracey Fairaway	...	Kit
Jane Perry	...	Ruby
Tom Skerritt	...	Ron
Michael Baral	...	Young Ron
Lewis Rainer	...	Young Alan
Alexander Molkenthin	...	Kid Alan
Xara Eich	...	Young Kit
David Menkin	...	Brad
Christy Meyer	...	Cayley
Megan Maczko	...	Rachel
Ben Whishaw	...	Dave

Storyline

A failed American sales rep looks to recoup his losses by traveling to Saudi Arabia and selling his company's product to a wealthy monarch.

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Plot Keywords:

backhoe | black tent | male in a shower | woman in a bikini | skin diving | 

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Taglines:

How far will you go to find yourself?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity, language and brief drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Site

Country:

UK France Germany Mexico USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

28 April 2016 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Esperando al rey

Filming Locations:

Ouarzazate, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,138,605, 24 April 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,198,126, 26 June 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

X-Filme Creative Pool,22h22,Fábrica de Cine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (some shots)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second collaboration between Tom Hanks and Tom Tykwer and Ben Whishaw. The first was Cloud Atlas (2012).

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Goofs

The date of the entry stamp in the passport is shown as 09/25/2010, but like most of the world, in Saudi Arabia, dates are written in day/month/year format (25/09/2010).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alan: [mimicking The Talking Heads in his music video TV commercial] You may find yourself living in your garden shack. And you may find yourself not at home in your home. And you may find yourself looking for your large automobile. And you may find yourself without a beautiful house. Without a beautiful wife. And you may ask yourself "Well, how did I get here?"
Alan: [riding a roller coaster for the chorus] Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was.

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Connections

Referenced in Honest Trailers: Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

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Soundtracks

Al Qalb Lk
Performed by Rashed Almajed (as Rashed Al Majed)
Composed by Fayez Al Saied
Courtesy of Funoon Al Jazeera
Special Thanks to the Arabic Superstar Rashed Al Majed

User Reviews

Slow but watchable

29 May 2016 Film of Choice at The Plaza Dorchester Tonight - Hologram for the King. This film was a little surreal, I was never quite sure if the main character was dreaming the whole thing or not, this was not helped by a series of flashbacks that kept appearing throughout. However Tom Hanks was his usual sturdy unflappable self playing Alan a man who had failed in business and was now trying to succeed in a new career by selling an IT invention to an Arab King in Saudi Arabia. Failing in his marriage also and undergoing a bitter divorce, Alan is a bit lost when he arrives in Saudi and assumes the persona of a very beige type of man fighting his way through a very large sandstorm. However sparks of a more assertive person struggle through and we follow him on a journey of discovery. Not a huge raging river of a film, more a gentle stream meandering around and in danger of drying up in the Saudi desert. It doesn't dry up though and I found myself enjoying the tale immensely. Not everyone's cup of tea but worth a watch.