Tom Hanks is Alan Clay salesman who is sent to Saudi Arabia to try and sell a hologram communication programme to the King who is developing a new city in the middle of the desert. Alan is a troubled man who has lost everything back home (which is told through an excellent dream parody of the Talking Heads song Once In A Lifetime ) and is desperate to get back on track for the sake of this daughters college tuition. We also learn that a previous decision in an old company to outsource some work caused the crash of the whole company and the loss of all jobs so he isn’t on a good run of form and it feels like he has been sent on another ghost chase when he arrives in Saudi and realises that there is nothing happening with the development and his on site team have no access to Wi-Fi, Air Conditioning or even food. So begins an almost Groundhog Day situation of travel to the site only to be told the Kings representative is not there so another day goes to waste with the American head office getting more and more frustrated with the lack of progress. Couple this with having not a lot else to do that try and relieve the boredom with drinking and partying which leads to him having a medical emergency in the form of an anxiety attack.

There are a lot of positives about this movie, the interaction between Hanks and his driver/guide Yousef (Alexander Black) is good and both provides some comic relief moments and serves as a window into the inner culture of the local people. There also seems to be a lot of metaphors for the empty city reflecting the emptiness in Hanks life and irony in the fact that the outsourcing in Hanks earlier life has come full circle and placed him on the receiving end, there are some stranger moments such as when Hanks goes on a hunting type trip with Yousef and some taboo moments with a female Saudi doctor Zahra (Sarita Choudhury) all tying into an entertaining look at life on the other side of the world.

Overall, in the hands of a lesser actor than Hanks this movie may have struggled but he plays the role with a vulnerability and likability that makes you root for him. He’s a blue collared guy who just want’s best for his daughter and puts that above all else including his health who has to learn to live for himself again and in that alone it warrants a watch, just don’t expect anything too spectacular.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10