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Movies / On DVD / Wide Awake
Wide Awake

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Wide Awake (1998)

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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:12

Rotten:17

Average Rating:4.9/10

Runtime: 88 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: In M. Night Shyamalan's first Hollywood feature, WIDE AWAKE, 10-year-old Joshua (Joseph Cross) embarks on a spiritual quest after his beloved grandfather (Robert Loggia) succumbs to bone marrow... In M. Night Shyamalan's first Hollywood feature, WIDE AWAKE, 10-year-old Joshua (Joseph Cross) embarks on a spiritual quest after his beloved grandfather (Robert Loggia) succumbs to bone marrow cancer. The determined child is resolved to find out--from God or other sources--what happens to the spirits of the dead. Joshua's sports-loving teacher, Sister Terry (Rosie O'Donnell), advises him to approach a cardinal who is coming to visit the nearby girls school. While there, he meets a young girl and falls for her. As the school year progresses, Joshua continues his search for answers and finds them in very unexpected places. Though markedly different from Shyamalan's moody (and more well-known) films, THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE, the movie does involve a search for truth and a meditation on death--themes present in all of his projects. [More]

Starring: Joseph Cross, Timothy Reifsnyder, Dana Delany, Denis Leary

Starring: Joseph Cross, Timothy Reifsnyder, Dana Delany, Denis Leary, Robert Loggia, Rosie O'Donnell, Camryn Manheim, Vicki Giunta, Antoine McLean, Joey Perillo, Michael Shulman, Julia Stiles, Michael Craig Bigwood

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producer: Cathy Konrad, Cary Woods
Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan
Composer: Edmund Choi

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 11, 2005

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Wide Awake
  • Rosie O'Donnell (BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, HARRIET THE SPY) stars with Denis Leary (WAG THE DOG, SMALL SOLDIERS) and Dana Delaney (FLY AWAY HOME, TOMBSTONE) in this feel-good comedy about the laughter, excitement, and fun that come with being a kid! Joshua is a thoughtful 10-year-old looking for some simple answers to life's eternal questions. The problem is that no one -- including his concerned parents (Leary, Delaney) and his colorful 5th-grade teacher (O'Donnell) -- seems to be making any sense! Therefore, Joshua makes it his personal mission to unravel the mysteries himself ... and in the process reminds everyone what it's like to wake up to the world for the very first time! With great performances from an incredible cast -- you'll love all the comedy and adventure in this altogether unforgettable motion picture.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Wide Awake

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
    04/29/09
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Cinema Crazed
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    04/03/09
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
    07/22/06
    Reel.com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
    07/22/06
    Eric D. Snider
    Eric D. Snider
    EricDSnider.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    10/09/05
    Chuck O'Leary
    Chuck O'Leary
    Fantastica Daily

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/29/05
    Todd Jorgenson
    Todd Jorgenson
    Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/01/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    05/29/04
    Andy Klein
    Andy Klein
    New Times

    A pretentious, preachy first movie from an arguably great filmmaker.

    comment Comment
    04/28/03
    Blake Davis
    Blake Davis
    KFOR Channel 4 News

    The film pursues its sensitive material with the appropriate degree of care, but the direction by M. Night Shyamalan turns potentially provocative moments into dull eddies of melodrama.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/08/02
    Tom Meek
    Tom Meek
    Film Threat

    The movie's greatest strength is in its willingness to admit that the mysteries of life and death are as difficult for children as for adults.

    Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
    10/15/02
    Margaret A. McGurk
    Margaret A. McGurk
    Cincinnati Enquirer

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/15/02
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

    In a moviemaking world dominated by attention to secular matters, the parochial Wide Awake is a refreshing change of pace.

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    06/05/02
    Kim Williamson
    Kim Williamson
    Boxoffice Magazine

    This wonder-filled film proves that questions can be powerful allies on a spiritual journey.

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    03/13/02
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice

    A wonderful family film that deals sensitively, and even with humor, with a fairly unusual situation for the screen: a 9-year-old's struggles with his faith in God.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    02/14/01
    Kevin Thomas
    Kevin Thomas
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    An interesting little drama about a youth's quest for proof of God.

    Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    E! Online

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

    For those who want to see something soft, without a bite to it, this is the one to chew on.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    What better place to look for God than in a Catholic school, right?

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Eric Lurio
    Eric Lurio
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    There is quite a bit of drama in the film but most of it is internal.

    Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Harvey S. Karten
    Harvey S. Karten
    Compuserve
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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