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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

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    21 - 33 (sorted by date)
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    I was aware of the problems, but that didn't diminish the warm, fuzzy glow I was experiencing.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A meandering script, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and the candy coating it's wrapped in, undermine its effectiveness.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jane Ganahl
    Jane Ganahl
    San Francisco Examiner

    The fact is, just too many of the characters and plot points are right out of the stock room: the obligatory fat kid; the obligatory bully; the obligatory kid whose parents can't really afford Catholic school tuition ...

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jeff Millar
    Jeff Millar
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Joe Baltake
    Joe Baltake
    Sacramento Bee
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Liz Braun
    Liz Braun
    Jam! Movies

    Done well, it could have been a gem among the wasteland of modern children's cinema. Unfortunately, it isn't.

    Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Madeleine Williams
    Madeleine Williams
    Cinematter

    Its rather facile treatment of its serious themes will leave older audiences less than satisfied.

    Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Michael Dequina
    Michael Dequina
    TheMovieReport.com

    Dramatically unconvincing most of the way through, and even runs into logical inconsistencies where its main character's quest for God is concerned.

    Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Peter Henne
    Peter Henne
    Film Journal International

    Just what I need, a film that embodies two of my worst phobias in one role: Rosie O'Donnell as a nun.

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Peter Keough
    Peter Keough
    Boston Phoenix

    Children, too, will be bored to tears navigating through some of the talky spiritual gunk.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Peter Stack
    Peter Stack
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    I wonder who the movie was made for.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Beneath its suffocating, smug sentimentality, you have to look hard to uncover a single moment of truth and genuine feeling.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Stephen Holden
    Stephen Holden
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Susan Stark
    Susan Stark
    Detroit News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
    21 - 33 (sorted by date)
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