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Awake
MGM, The Weinstein Company


7.2

based on 17 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 64 votes
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MPAA RATING: R for language, an intense disturbing situation, and brief drug use

Starring Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Lena Olin, Terrence Howard, Steven Hinkle, Jennifer Pedersen, Sam Robards, and Poorna Jagannathan

Awake is a psychological thriller about a common occurrence called "anesthetic awareness," a horrifying phenomenon wherein a patient's failed anesthesia leaves him fully conscious but physically paralyzed during surgery. The patient's charming new wife is forced to struggle with her own demons as a terrifying drama unfolds around the couple. (The Weinstein Company)

GENRE(S):	Drama \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Joby Harold
DIRECTED BY:	Joby Harold
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: March 4, 2008 Theatrical: November 30, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	78 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A surprisingly effective thriller.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

Awake is a pleasing if negligible diversion.

Entertainment Weekly Gregory Kirschling

Too bad, because until it essentially turns into a medical-thriller version of "Look Who's Talking," the movie hums along comfortably enough as slick B fare.

Premiere Ryan Stewart

You won't see the twist coming, thanks to a clever and precise piece of casting, but that's the best compliment that can be paid to Awake, a plotty and unfocused medical thriller.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

With a couple of more drafts to mend the plot holes and restructure the middle act, Awake could have been saved.

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

Christensen delivers a low-key performance that is ultimately quite appealing, and he's well matched by the beautiful Alba. Olin brings unexpected depths to what could have been a stock role, and Terrence Howard uses his easy ability to project innate decency to excellent effect.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Awake is short enough (about 85 minutes) that it doesn't wear out its welcome. It's not a good movie but it's silly and lively enough to keep most viewers from dozing off, even if that might be a more profitable use of their time.

Variety Dennis Harvey

Harold's thriller does have an attention-getting plot hook, but piles on too many narrative gimmicks to maintain suspense or credibility.

Los Angeles Times Jan Stuart

Trashily in-your-face thriller, which leans heavily for its effects on intense sympathy pain, improbable reversals and the mystifying star appeal of Jessica Alba.

TV Guide Ken Fox

What a waste. Check out "Breakdown" or Aldo Lado's 1971 Italian giallo "Long Night Of The Short Dolls" for a far better treatments of the same subject.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Only the so-bad-it's-good crowd need apply.

LA Weekly Jim Ridley

Harold’s glum overplotting squashes the sick humor and the innate fear of hospitals that gives the premise what kick it has; not even Craig McKay’s clever editing can defibrillate the preposterous ending.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

With a running time of 78 minutes, Awake is relatively painless, playing a little like a lesser story from one of EC Comics Shock SuspenStories – or a lot like Joseph Cotten's "Breakdown" episode of Alfred Hitchock Presents – updated for the Fangoria generation.

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

The writer and director, Joby Harold, claims to have been inspired to write the film while suffering from a particularly painful kidney stone. Watching it may be for some a comparable experience.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

The movie tries going for a laugh or two. It even makes stabs at irony. But since none of the story is suspenseful, remotely believable, or, at the very least, cheaply entertaining, who cares?

Film Threat Rick Kisonak

This is a movie that should have a medical warning in its trailer. Caution: viewing may be hazardous to your filmgoing fun; side effects can include drowsiness, irritation and difficulty swallowing.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Possibly the worst movie of 2007.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 64 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Bit Burn gave it an8:
I rarely disagree with the critics; they are generally quite on par but this time some of them are waaaay off par. This movie was surprisingly very good, acting was decent but the storyline was amongst the best I have seen in a while.

Jay Higgins gave it a5:
Suspenseful, but way too much of it just makes no sense and the plot is riddled with holes. But, it did hold my interest. It certainly wasn't overlong. It just never convinced me.

Alberto S. gave it a10:
I really liked it! It's amazing to take a glance at the pain of a mother and witness what they're capable of... I went home and gave my mom a hug! Good cast, great acting.. It was great!

Tommy N. gave it a1:
"Awake" doesn't wake me up. I saw a lot of people sleeping and snoring in theaters when watching this boring crap. Their suspenses and thrillers don't thrill me... BOO! Get out of the damn film! (not Jessica, lol).

Eric R gave it a1:
Just returned from seeing this movie and I have to tell you it was laughable from start to finish. C. Haydensen gives the same stiff performance he is famous for, there is a strange oedipal overtone throughout the movie, the plot "twists" are predictable (think absurdly when you predict!). Even the lasy line of the movie was predictable. The dialogue is clunky at best ("My new heart will love you too" Hahahaahahahahaha!) I laughed out loud when the credits rolled. Bad bad bad movie.

Chad S. gave it a7:
If you're awake during open heart surgery, wouldn't you scream gutturally non-stop for an hour rather than have lucid prosaic thoughts about your pain? "Awake" plays like "Next" meets "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". That last sentence sounded like a joke. That's my point. It's not a matter of if you think too hard, we're talking about thinking, period. "Awake" is unintentionally funny. It's Robin Cook gone meta. When one of Clay's ribs is cracked, he forgets to scream. Since Clay(Hayden Christensen) is rich, he chooses Dr. Jack Harper(Terrence Howard), a second-rate doctor, as an extension of his re-education, the crowning touch that follows his first subway ride to Brooklyn and sex with a working-class girl(falling in love with Jessica Alba is not hard). Clay wants to be one of the common people. But c'mon. We're not talking about eating at Taco Bell instead of a five-star restaurant; we're talking about open-heart surgery! "Awake" is a bad film; a hoot. But it's undeniably fun. Evil is fun. If you're going to make a second-rate thriller, it's bound to be fun if your main character recovers his memory. Alcoholic fathers in Santa suits are fun. "Awake" is painless. Clay forgets to scream; you'll forget to, too.

Skyler I gave it a9:
I went to see it with a group of friends, and we all loved it! It's not a horror movie, and is less of a thriller than I expected, so if that's what you're expecting you may be disappointed. However, there are unique and shocking plot twists, and a fantastic end, which may or may not come as a surprising tear-jerker. It's surprisingly like The Invisible, so I would recommend it to all fans of that movie.

Awake MGM, The Weinstein Company

Awake
MGM, The Weinstein Company