This adaptation of Louis Sachar’s novel, which follows a young nerd (Shia LaBeouf) who is mistakenly sent to a juvenile detention facility and forced to dig endless holes in the desert, may have worked on the page, but stretched out onto the big screen it’s a collection of would-be goofy moments that are almost painful. The kids are all requisitely wacky, while the adults – including Jon Voight and Sigourney Weaver – bug out their eyes and holler in an attempt to keep up.
