Awakenings | | Cast : | Robert De Niro, Robin Williams | | Director : | Penny Marshall | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 20, 1990 | | DVD Released Date : | August 28, 2001 | | Language : | French (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 03, 2005 | | Summary | Tragic and compelling. | Content
 | This movie is a large blend of hope and disappointment, triumph and tragedy. A story about a sickness that basically leaves people as vegetables until a doctor makes a discovery. He is able to find a "healing" drug that brings these people "back to life." This movie is so uplifting and beautiful until the reality strikes. The people start to revert back and the medicine is stopped. De Niro and Williams are very good in their roles. Even with the tragic ending you know you have watched a very special story. If you aren't touched by this film you may want to see what's wrong with you! |
| Rating | | | Date | April 20, 2005 | | Summary | Moving and meaningful | Content
| An incredibly moving and touching story that speaks on many levels. DeNiro and Williams do a wonderful job at making this story poignant and believable.
Based on a true story it tells the work of a reclusive and emotionally isolated researcher who works with patients who are initially introduced to him as incurable. These patients are unable to talk and unable to move and in away reflect the social isolation that the doctor-hero suffers. The doctor stumbles on not only to similarities in these patients medical backgrounds but a possible cure for their affliction. The cure is indeed successful but only for a brief time.
The movie is a great metaphor for the human condition, a commentary on the challenges of medical advancements (challenges which are not only academic but sometimes monetary and political) and also gives some insight into the mind of a scientist and why some of them suffer from what many would see as eccentricities and social isolation.
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| Rating | | | Date | April 04, 2005 | | Summary | START ME UP | Content
| Just think if your life was stopped much like someone using a remote control "pause" button - only to have it started with a push of "play" for a short time and then crucially and finally returned back to the paused state. The movie Awakenings, based on the neurologist Oliver Sacks book, does just that. In it Williams as Dr Malcolm uncovers a drug called L-Dopa that can be used to "start" patients from their immobilized state of being.
(CAUTION: SPOILER INFO)
Only to have them return to their previous state after the drug loses its effectiveness. Regardless of the final outcome of these patients, ultimately, it is the journey of the doctors, patients and their families that makes this movie so special.
Especially the chemistry that forms between the Williams and DeNiro.
There is one scene that will never leave my mind. It is when Dr Malcolm completes the black-n-white checked pattern on the hospital floor for a patient he is attempting to help. Look for it when you watch it and you will see what I mean. It's special.
If you like dramas that make you think, (even if they don't always have a happy ending) then this is your type of movie
It's a buy |
| Rating | | | Date | April 03, 2005 | | Summary | A MOVIE OF EXCELLENCE | Content
| A moving masterpiece that shows that Miracles still exist. A
wonderful true story with giant stars (Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro) filling giant shoes. Both who deserved oscars for their powerful roles. Load up on the kleenex. I certainly could watch this film over and over again. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 24, 2005 | | Summary | An Uplifting Film about the Limits of Consciousness | Content
| _Awakenings_ is one of the better movies that I have seen recently. It is based on the real-life story (and book) of Oliver Sacks and his extraordinary work with "sleeping-sickness" patients in the 1960s. In a preview to his work in _Patch Adams_, Robin Williams turns in an outstanding performance as a doctor who refuses to write off the consciousness and humanity of his patients in the neurology ward to which he has recently been appointed. If that wasn't enough, Robert Deniro comes on the scene halfway through the film and delivers a stunning performance that yanks the rug out right out from underneath Williams. His performance is very moving and never fails to get to me.
While his Dr. Sayer's (Williams) techniques and experiments are, from a modern perspective, unethical and surprising, one never doubts his intentions and care for his patients. The movie really churns up debate over the "personhood" of human beings that are in a vegetable state. To whom do we grant consciousness? How can we tell? What are the limits of personality? Dr. Sayer's tireless work with these patients and brief success truly challenge many of our assumptions about medical patients and their rights. Fortunately, Hollywood did not screw this movie up and the film does not end in typical Pollyanna fashion. If you like emotional films, inspirational stories, or the acting of Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro, you cannot go wrong with this film. |
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