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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]

Reviews for Wide Awake

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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: Reel.com | comment Comment
07/22/06
Reel.com

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

Click to read the article

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

No review available.

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

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

No review available.

comment Comment
07/01/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
07/22/06
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

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
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

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

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

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

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

No review available.

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

Click to read the article

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

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
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Wide Awake

July 20, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Lady" Is All Wet; "Ex" Is Not Super; "House" Is Scary, "Clerks" Is Funny
This week we've got some magic in ordinary dwellings (M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water" and "Monster House") and some funny couples ("My Super... More...

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