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Movies / On DVD / Waking Life
Waking Life

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Waking Life (2001)

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Reviews Counted: 137

Fresh: 109

Rotten:28

Average Rating: 7.4/10

Consensus: The talky, animated Waking Life is a unique, cerebral experience.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some violent images

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Oct 17, 2001 Limited

Box Office: $2,063,729

Synopsis: Director Richard Linklater presents this computer-animated, dreamlike, meandering film about a college-age man (Wiley Wiggins) who floats in and out of a series of philosophical discussions and... Director Richard Linklater presents this computer-animated, dreamlike, meandering film about a college-age man (Wiley Wiggins) who floats in and out of a series of philosophical discussions and ethereal experiences, meeting an interesting cast of characters along the way. Each character that Wiley meets engages him in an existential discussion. Wiley listens, observes, and occasionally responds. Then he glumly shuffles off to his next encounter. At times, he wakes up in his bed and rubs his eyes, appearing to start a new day. But eventually viewers learn that Wiley is dreaming throughout the film, and is trying to learn to control his dreams--and accomplish lucid dreaming, or simply wake up. Visually, WAKING LIFE is nothing short of fantastic. Linklater stays true to his Indie style--jerky camera, drifting gaze, and steady head shots that allow non-actors to talk straight into the camera. To achieve the floating feeling of the dream sequences, he first tried taking aerial shots from a helicopter, then opted for the smoother effect of a hot air balloon. He shot the film on digital video, edited it, then called on 30 animators to finish it. The characters in the film move and gesticulate like live action, but they are animated with odd color schemes and surreal lines that make them cartoony caricatures. WAKING LIFE is a superb work that should be applauded for its atmospheric elements (lovely images of New York and Austin), its amusing bohemian dialogues, and its unique animation. [More]

Starring: Wiley Wiggins, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Nicky Katt

Starring: Wiley Wiggins, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Nicky Katt, Timothy "Speed" Levitch, Glover Gill, Bill Wise, Charles Gunning, Caveh Zahedi, Adam Goldberg, Steven Soderbergh, Richard Linklater

Director: Richard Linklater

Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriter: Richard Linklater
Producer: Anne Walker-McBay, Jonah Smith
Composer: Glover Gill
Producer: Tommy Pallotta
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 7, 2002

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Waking Life

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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.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hot Button | comment Comment
10/18/08
David Poland
Hot Button

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
10/18/08
Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Form and content fit perfectly: even if the highbrow babbling gets a bit much, the hypnotic animation means that there is always something to watch, like characters suddenly dissolving into smoke or spectacles expanding.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/09/08
Channel 4 Film

A true independent film that uses animation techniques to their utmost.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/24/07
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

This inventive animated film, which takes Linklater back to his roots in Austin and Slacker, represents a summation of all the philosophical concerns that have defined him as spokesperson for Gen-X.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/31/06
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The question comes up often in life: What's your favorite movie? Since October 2001, the answer has been easy and one I shoot back reflexively almost before someone's finished the question: "Waking Life."

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
10/02/06
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

The novelty of the much-lauded animation style wears off about halfway through, with the end result a film that's more interminable than anything else.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
07/01/06
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

The endless philosophising is a bit sophomoric and more jokes would help, but this is one of a kind that grows more absorbing the longer it runs.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out

It is not the best film of the year, nor is it likely to be one that I purchase and watch often. Still, it is something that should be seen by everyone and experienced by any diehard film lover.

Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
10/01/05
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies

I applaud Linklater for [directing] such an interesting ride. But it suffers from a lack of sensistivity to its audience...

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

Linklater's most visually distinctive movie, with exquisitely detailed renderings ... that are at the same time unstable, floaty, in a way perfect for a dreamed reality.

Full Review Source: Blogcritics.org | comment Comment
01/09/05
Alan Dale
Blogcritics.org

It reminded me of college.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
06/25/04
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

This audacious movie may put some people to sleep; for others, it’ll be a wakeup call on the possibilities of screen storytelling

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
02/24/04
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

Waking Life takes a peek into that other ninety percent of the possibilities of the cinematic medium that nobody ever explores. Hopefully, others will follow.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
11/12/03
Chris Barsanti
Film Threat

A breath of fresh air.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
10/16/03
Jurgen Fauth
About.com

Fascinante filme sobre a natureza dos sonhos e a forma com que estes refletem e transcendem a realidade. A animação é interessante, embora não explore tanto as possibilidades da mídia.

comment Comment
07/25/03
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

The whole thing comes together in one of those deliriously exciting great leaps forward in film art.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
04/24/03
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

Startling in its originality, dazzling in its erudition, it fearlessly tackles questions of free will, identity and . . . reality. . .

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
04/05/03
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

The pictures are gorgeous, and the words, well, if you listen hard enough, the words say exactly what one needs to hear: that is, to wake up and live.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Kimberly Jones
Austin Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Waking Life

November 14, 2007: Total Recall: Beowulf and Ye Olde Tradition of Animation
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June 02, 2006: Check Out "A Scanner Darkly" Producer's FilmForce Blog!
"A Scanner Darkly" producer Tommy Pallotta has a blog on the IGN FilmForce site. Pallotta, who also produced "Waking Life," has been instrumental in the use... More...

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