Trailing Off: "A Hologram for the King" (2016)

Tom Hanks

Welcome to the weekly column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. Coming every Sunday (it's called Trailing Off for a reason), I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.

Trailer in Discussion

Directed By: Tom Tykwer

Written By: Dave Eggers (Novel), Tom Tykwer (Screenplay)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Ben Wishaw, Tom Skerritt

- Preamble -

Whether or not it comes to fruition, I will admit that Tom Hanks is an actor of whom I put a lot of trust in. Basically, he is someone whose work is consistently good enough that I will probably watch all of his work blindly. This isn't to say that he has a perfect track record. He arguably has a lot of misses throughout the years, though not enough to possess warning signs. With him doing top notch work as recently as Bridge of Spies last year, I am hoping that he can continue to do ambitious work that reflects why he is a singular actor, and one who has remained in good graces over the years - even to the point of having a great podcast dedicated to his work called Hanks for the Memories (check it out).

While it also accounts for the lack of substantial alternatives, it is why I chose A Hologram for the King this week. It is a new movie, and that means that there's opportunity to see if this is going to be one of the hits, or one of the very few misses. If there's one other thing that should be accounted for when determining my expectations for this project, just know that he is working with Tom Tykwer. He is likely going to be better known for his work on Run Lola Run, which became a surprise international cinema hit awhile back. However, he has remained busy and has done very interesting work in the intervening years. 
But why is Tykwer a strong endorsement? It was only a few years back that Tykwer, with the help of Lana and Lilly (then Andy) Wachowski  co-directing the massive epic Cloud Atlas; where a series of actors played a variety of roles ranging from race to age to gender. It got flack for its racial depictions, but those who got caught up in that missed the ambitious intent. It was meant to be a sign of how everything is connected. I'll admit that it is only in the later years that I've given it more credit for its goals. However, it still is an ambitious effort that even at its worst, is doing something far more intriguing than many directors' best. 
I'll admit that beyond these two films, I don't know a lot about Tykwer, and it is likely going to make me a little hesitant - even with Hanks on board. Still, I remain optimistic that this could be yet another ambitious film that explores some interesting themes, possibly through sci-fi. I just don't know a lot about the plot or even the genre. I hope that it's something more intriguing than its title, which feels like a play on "The Emperor's New Clothes." If this is a direct rip-off of that, I may have some issues. But I know that Tykwer is more challenging than that. I think.

- Dissection -

I will get the obvious out of the way first. What is the real value of having a voice over guy? To me, that is something that has thankfully faded away over the years and has left pretty much a more exciting era of trailer culture. It would be one thing if nobody understood what was going on within the confines of the images. However, Hanks explains it pretty well. He goes to Saudi Arabia to sell hologram tools. It is all perfectly conveyed within the footage. Why do we need a voice over guy telling us the obvious, especially when it only ratchets up the rest of the trailer's feeling of problematic cliches. Even if there's no central romantic comedy on display here, there's still the feeling that this is a romantic comedy, but set in a desert and without any love interest.

The opening is a little disconcerting to start with. It references a Talking Heads song while showing scenery in the background disappear. It works in context, but it still is cornball and obnoxious when attached to a trailer that actually ends with the expected line of "Expect the unexpected." I get that Hanks is supposed to be a man selling things. I get that there's about to be major change in Saudi Arabia. I get that there's going to be some adventure going on. I just wish that there was something else to make this feel less like a trailer and more like a movie. 

For all I know, it is the voice over guy that is ruining everything about it. It doesn't help that Hanks is given cliche lines to work with. Put that in the mix with the feeling of a 90's romantic comedy, and this already looks unappealing. I'm willing to believe that this is the fault of some marketing department guy who had no idea how to sell a movie with one of the more bankable stars working. Just let the footage do the work. The rest will follow. I don't have less interest in seeing this movie, but I definitely don't think this blindly sells me on the film otherwise. 

- One Sentence Sell -

Tom Hanks stars in a film as a businessman who travels to Saudi Arabia to sell goods, with humor to be expected.

- Trove or Trash -

TRASH

Through no fault of anyone who is directly involved with the film, this is just a bad trailer, and one that does little to create enthusiasm for me. Hanks is an actor whose work I will see either way. I just wish that this gave me a little more enthusiasm to pass the time.