A Hole in One

Year: 2005

Runtime: 97 min

Language: English

Director: Richard Ledes

Comedy

A notorious gangster desperately tries to prevent his sweetheart from undergoing a potentially irreversible lobotomy. To achieve this, he enlists a hapless employee and they devise a risky plan to impersonate a doctor. The scheme quickly spirals out of control, leading to chaotic and humorous consequences for everyone involved.

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A Hole in One (2005) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of A Hole in One (2005), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

In the oppressive suburbs of 1950s America, Anna (Michelle Williams) grapples with a society that demands conformity, all while feeling the weight of her family’s rejection of her war-weary brother. This emotional disconnect leaves a profound impact on her psyche. Struggling to come to terms with the trauma her family has endured, Anna becomes inexplicably entangled with Billy, a ruthless local mob boss who presents an unsettling form of comfort. However, after her brother meets a tragic fate and Anna witnesses Billy’s cold-blooded murder of a nightclub owner, her already fragile sense of reality begins to unravel.

As shadows envelop her, Anna fixates on the notion of mental health, propelled by sensationalized stories in the local press and Life magazine’s glowing praise for the transorbital lobotomy. This so-called “cure-all” procedure,.

“touted as the latest breakthrough in American medicine,”

draws considerable interest in her tightly-knit community. Dr. Harold Ashton, a trailblazer in this controversial field, makes his way to town, ready to perform lobotomies on those who are deemed troubled, including alcoholics and war veterans.

Meanwhile, Billy grows wary of Anna’s obsession and directs her to a sham clinic that pretends to be a proper medical establishment. This clinic is operated by Tom, a Korean War veteran linked to Billy, who poses as a neurologist. He persuades Anna to postpone the procedure and meet him that fateful evening. As they bond over their shared experiences of war, a deep connection blossoms between them, only to be shattered when Billy discovers them together.

This explosive confrontation sparks a sequence of events that will culminate in a heart-wrenching climax, sending ripples of devastation throughout the film’s narrative.

Last Updated: November 21, 2024 at 09:00

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Dark Suburban Satire like A Hole in One

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These narratives often begin with a seemingly ordinary setting that is gradually revealed to be a pressure cooker of conformity. A character's desperate attempt to solve a problem (or make someone 'normal') leads them to a morally ambiguous or dangerous course of action. The plot unfolds as a satirical spiral, where the chosen 'solution' creates more chaos, exposing the inherent hypocrisy and darkness lurking beneath the surface of a civilized world.

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Movies with Doomed Deception Plots like A Hole in One

Stories where a well-intentioned but reckless deception spirals into tragic chaos.If you liked the risky impersonation scheme in A Hole in One, you'll enjoy these movies about desperate deceptions that spiral out of control. These stories feature hapless characters whose well-intentioned lies lead to escalating tension, chaos, and ultimately, heartbreaking outcomes.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a clear arc: a character, often an ordinary person, commits to a dangerous deception to protect someone or achieve a desperate goal. The initial success is short-lived, as the complexity of maintaining the lie creates a domino effect of complications. The tension rises steadily as the scheme unravels, leading to a climax where the deception collapses, resulting in devastating emotional or physical consequences for all involved.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared plot engine—a fragile, high-stakes impersonation—and their emotional trajectory. They blend tension and sadness, creating a specific experience where viewers watch a train wreck in slow motion, knowing the characters' good intentions are paving the road to a deeply tragic ending.

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Characters, Settings & Themes in A Hole in One

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