RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Waking the Dead
Waking the Dead

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Waking the Dead (2000)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
52 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:52

Fresh:27

Rotten:25

Average Rating:5.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) is a promising young congressional candidate who becomes obsessed with the idea that his dead lover, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), is still alive. Because of her... Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) is a promising young congressional candidate who becomes obsessed with the idea that his dead lover, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), is still alive. Because of her involvement with a group called Sanctuary that harbors Chilean dissidents, Sarah is presumably killed in a car bombing. However, Fielding is never completely convinced that she's truly gone and years later begins to see and hear her presence. Filled with revealing flashbacks, the film follows the deeply involved romance of the ambitious Fielding and the idealistic Sarah during the 1970s while also portraying Fielding's struggle to win his congressional bid in the 1980s. As his political campaign progresses, so does his belief that Sarah is still alive, leading him to question his sanity and begin a desperate search to find her. WAKING THE DEAD is an eerily atmospheric drama, awash in chilling shades of black, white, and gray. Director Keith Gordon's use of flashback and nonlinear storytelling effectively conveys the deep power of memory and love that transcends traditional conceptions of time. Alternating between the past and the present, Gordon's adaptation of the novel by Scott Spencer is a dreamy, mysterious affair that features supremely convincing lead performances by Crudup and Connelly as well as solid supporting turns by Janet McTeer and Hal Holbrook. [More]

Starring: Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly, Hal Holbrook, Janet McTeer

Starring: Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly, Hal Holbrook, Janet McTeer, Molly Parker, Paul Hipp, Sandra Oh, Lawrence Dane, Tony Calabretta, Ivonne Coll, Leah Pinsent

Director: Keith Gordon

Director: Keith Gordon
Screenwriter: Robert Dillon
Producer: Keith Gordon, Stuart Kleinman, Linda Reisman
Composer: Tom Hajdu, Andy Milburn

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Waking the Dead

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/15/09
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/03/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Waking the Dead is D.O.A., and none of its manifest good intentions are capable of resuscitating it.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
12/06/05
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

No review available.

comment Comment
09/27/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

An enticingly adult drama that frustratingly loses the nerve to follow its richest threads.

comment Comment
08/19/05
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

You can embrace this movie's message, which has less to do with political agendas than basic human decency and the enduring power of love. And if that's not enough to make a film worthwhile, we don't know what is.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Connely's great, but Crudup's a revelation in this serious and sobering romantic tragedy.

comment Comment
04/03/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

As boring as batshit

comment Comment
03/31/05
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Film Threat

No review available.

comment Comment
06/10/04
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com

I really liked the fragmented structure and was impressed as usual by Billy Crudup.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
02/15/04
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

The specter of the film lingers long after it's over, and the memory of it grows more affectionate.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/13/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

No review available.

comment Comment
11/25/03
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Painfully earnest.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Waking the Dead may put you to sleep.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/25/03
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

Great performances by Crudup and Connely can't quite save it from a tedious and meandering script.

comment Comment
03/19/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

A moving drama about loss that is not what you'd expect.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Chris Gore
Chris Gore
Film Threat

Moving tale about love, regret and redemption boasts standout script and performances.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…
19% 19% Transformers: Revenge …
55% 55% Orphan
43% 43% The Proposal
26% 26% Land of the Lost

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
98% 98% Up
88% 88% Ballast
67% 67% The Merry Gentleman

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Your first look at the swashbuckler.

Vampires

Vampires

We rank cinema's bloodsuckers.

Avatar

Avatar

The full trailer for Cameron's epic.

2012

2012

12 facts about Emmerich's disaster flick.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Can Avatar Make Money? Source: New York Times
4
  • Robert Pattinson Says Breaking Dawn Could Roll in Fall 2010 Source: Collider.com
0
  • Joe Johnston Talks The Wolfman Source: Ain't It Cool News
1
  • Jason Schwartzman Talks Scott Pilgrim Source: Collider.com
0
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
87
  • J.J. Abrams Producing Micronauts Movie? Source: Wall Street Journal
11
  • Peter Murphy Filming Twilight Saga: Eclipse Cameo Source: MTV
18
  • David Goyer Promises "Existential" Ghost Rider Sequel Source: MTV
164
  • Emmerich Plans 2012: The TV Series Source: Entertainment Weekly
21
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
42
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • 12 Facts About 2012
132
  • Total Recall: George Clooney's Best Movies
91
  • Critics Consensus: A Christmas Carol Dazzles But Disappoints
43
  • Ho-ho-horror! 10 Scary Christmas Movies
36
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
29
  • Friday Harvest: Prince of Persia, The Road, and more!
23
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Christmas Carol Tops, Precious Rocks
19
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
14
  • New Moon Fan in the UK? Meet the Cast!
4
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
14
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
15
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
  • Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
40
  • Michael Moore: The RT Interview
139
  • Andrea Arnold talks Fish Tank - RT Interview
4
  • Neill Blomkamp talks District 9 - RT Interview
51
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Waking the Dead at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.