Gael Garcia Bernal and Alain Chabat were both great (especially Bernal who is easily one of the best actors of his generation), but as good as a director as Gondry is, his writing leaves a lot to be desired. Also, Gainsbourg and Bernal had no chemistry. I just didn't buy the love story and really, that is at the heart of the film. A huge disappointment.

I dozed off four times in the theater before I finally gave up, hiked my feet on the chair in front of me and slept through the remaining hour. The film gets 3 stars instead of zero because the music was pretty good except for the drumming which was amateurish at best.

I appreciate art, and film, but really, come on people... I think the writer is trying way too hard to be "artsy." The story didn't go anywhere. But it sure pushed me out of the theatre after an agonizing 40 minutes. I'm sorry I wasted $9.

This film accomplishes a perfect balance between comedy and tragedy. Gondry's ability to depict the painful lives of an arguably schizophrenic protagonist and his strained relationships in a romantic and almost approachable way makes this film enjoyable despite the underlying. Perhaps invisible darkness. What you end up with is a movie as engaging as the Spotless mind that you walk out of with a smile.… Expand

A fantastic film, ingeniously surreal, lavishly schizophrenic. To be a set designer on this film must have been a blast. Any reviewer who did not enjoy this film thouroughly clearly has a stunted grasp of the concept that reality is a mere figment of our human perception.

Charming, hilarious, and sad. It says a lot about how a person’s mentality and mental instability affect their capacity for relationships and happiness; Stephane’s overpowering imagination makes him lovable, but it also makes it impossible for him to be in love. This movie isn’t getting enough love. Maybe it just isn’t “obvious” enough. Why do people have such trouble with anything that strays from the classic narrative structure? Why is everyone so quick to label anything different as pretentious?… Expand

Did you ever wake from a dream remembering only fragments like familiar faces and situations yet everything is somehow magical and elaborate and even the horses had wings, well that, my friends, is "The Science Of Sleep". A lovely, simple love story lived and told through the dreams of Gael Garcia Bernal whose reality comes alive in his sleep. Working without the structured destinations of a Charlie Kaufman script, Michel Gondry takes us on a magical mystery tour that is perhaps the most visually stunning, original movie I've seen in years. Charlotte Gainsbourg is a "dream" as the girl next-door, and Mr. Bernal is so convincing as Staphane that you believe there really is no difference between reality and dreams in his world (and what a wonderful world his is!).… Expand

I agree with what Onion AV says. Science of Sleep has this crazy style and feel to it that makes it unique among most other films. Don't sleep on it!

Trying to hard to be artsy? This is the way a real art house film should be. All the 'artsy' things actually served a meaningful purpose to the impact of the movie. I’ve seen this film twice and still want to see it one more time. [***SPOILERS***] There are so many subtle things that others haven’t even mentioned, like the relationship with his mother/father, how he liked Zoe first, how Zoe and Stephanie worked together to play jokes on him rather than get jealous of each other, etc. As others have said, this a great combo of tragedy and comedy with great filmmaking to provide the visuals that complement the story. And for those who don't see the magic of this film, I guess you’re best suited to watch those films with ripple dissolves into dream sequences...because those are real fancy.… Expand

What the heck??!!! Can someone please help me understand this confusing and silly mess? I loved Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and had high hopes for this follow up. This movie is Gumby meets dreamy drug addict with an enormous dose of confusion. Avoid it at all costs.

This movie way amazing.

Great film- trippy- very moving.

The Art Direction is great, just like Gondry's past projects, and the film was overall very sweet. However, Bjork's music videos had better narratives and more momentum that 'Sleep.' Yet, Gael Garcia Bernal is a charmer and even if I didn't like certain moments, you can't help but like him anyways.

I'd give this a 6.5. It was entertaining at most times but boring occasionally as well. Outstanding visually but the film does seem a bit pretentious.

Once again, Michel Gondry makes a film WAY to good for the fumbling masses. "Sleep" is unimaginably inventive, puts pretty much every other movie on the shelf to shame in terms of artistic vision. Gael Garcia Bernal is fantastic, and so is the rest of the awesome cast, who along with Gondry's inimitable brand of movie magic conjure up pretty much the most moving, enteraining, wildly hallucinatory and gloriously whimsical film you will see until, well, Gondry's next. If however, you have your nose pointed tersely in the air and wish to see a serious film that doesn't have all that bothersome ingenuity, genuine emotion and heartfelt innocence, proceed past the Science of Sleep to The Departed or the like, and let someone else have the cathartic experience viewing the latest Gondry masterpiece.… Expand

I loved this movie...it has a manageable amount of confusion & the necessary amount of comedy to really entertain! The involvement of the office colleagues were my one of my favorite elements. I just love the creative handling of this film. I could identify with so many of the so-human emotions that were dealt with -- the embarrassment of mis-understanding when trying to gain favor with somebody...and things going wrong, out of control. The film was a tiny bit long, but Gael Garcia Bernal is so gorgeous, that I didnt mind watching him for the extra time!! Beautiful & subtle, worth watching if you like arty type movies rather than the sensationalist main-stream 1+1.… Expand

It exposes film as an art form. Reminds the viewer that so many films out of Hollywood are such safe and uninspired money makers that steal the live out of you rather than breathe it in like "The Science of Sleep" Yes it is strange and yes being open-minded to artistic urbanites and the beauty of imagination helps give the veiwer a door to open into the depth of this film. If you love and want to awaken to the possibilities of this world then watch this. Best film since "the Cruise."… Expand

An art film without the art.

Delightful. Charming. Food for the mind and the heart.

However wonderfull Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was, however truly agonising this piece of work is. It's semi-artistic, using theatremethods to make it come across as a highly sensitive, thought-trough arty movie. Well it isn't. Their is no message on a deeper level and the concept of the 'imaginary dreamworld' is a mockery. However if you'd like to be addressed as if you were a child, this is your movie.… Expand

Charming and weird. Wonderfully directed.

Highly imaginitive, beautifully shot, excellent story. Gondry is genius.

Tender but boring.

The reviewers are right when they say it has to be seen to be believed. The best I can describe it is by saying it's a semi-surreal love story. there are a few small moments when it strains for real drama, which kind of fail, because they contrast too much, for me, with the whimsy/bizareness of the rest of the movie, which mostly is a comedy. But that's a small complaint--for the most part the story and the emotions more-or-less don't matter, because the imagery and gags are so frequent and inventive. I think this is the sort of movie you could go see, that even if you ended up not liking it, you still would not have minded seeing it, because it is, at the very least, interesting and different..… Expand

Ironically, I think "The Science of Sleep" is a very realistic film. I think it captures, to a certain extent, something that exists in all of us -the desire to be led by our fantasies. Gondry shows that sometimes what we perceive to be real is not in fact reality; rather, it is what we wish could be real. And in this, we can either find a strange sadness or a certain humor.

This beautiful and melancholy film transcends quirky gimmickry to bring to life an almost painfully honest tale of being caught between the world of dreams and the disappointing world of reality. Bernal is a perfect lead in this film, tempering the somewhat disturbing nature of his character's mindset with wide-eyed innocence and genuine wonder. Gainsbourg is lovely as the "girl next door", who finds herself drawn toward Stephanie while unable to deny the childish nature of his personality. And Alain Chabat steals several scenes as the extroverted, womanizing Guy. Through it all, Gondry weaves a visually breathtaking and fascinating story of how hard it can be to accept reality when one's dreams are so much more fascinating. One of the best of the year, and a truly refreshing cinematic experience.… Expand

Absolutely perfect. And just like Eternal Sunshine, the end is left quite marvelously, with the optimists enjoying a happy ending, while the pessimists (like me) see the ending as hopeless. I loved every single moment; never before have I seen a film with such realistically executed dream sequences. Michel is ridiculously ingenious, and Gael never ceases to amaze - he is really rather creepy here. Some of the critics' lackluster reviews completely derive from Gael's creepy and very immature character, which just runs around in circles like a child and never learns a single thing, and never grow up. For those of us who still remember and try and relive our childhoods, and like our movies to be chock full of whimsy, this is perfect.… Expand

Gondry's charming follow up to Eternal Sunshine is even better. A more humane, personal and crazy film than its predecessor. Visually dazzling, whimsical without become precious and in the end, quite moving. Bernal and Gainsbourgh are simply terrific. One of the ten best movies this year.

Doze off... hardly. I stayed up well past my bedtime to watch this almost perfect film. A must see for those of us who like to think during and after viewing a film.

The surreal aspects of the movie were fantastic and intriguing, but the main character is a self obsessed brat, which ultimately ruined what could have been an amazing piece of art.

A bit messy, disfunctional, but sheerly brilliant and ultimately charming. Every second a jewel.

Interesting. It has its great moments.

Captures those moments between sleeping and waking. Oh, and Gael is so darn cute.

What "Eternal Sunshine" did with magic and whimsy, The Science of Sleep accomplishes with confusion and pretentiousness.

The dream sequences are fantastic, and Gondry's direction imbues every scene with certain kiddy energy, but there is no focus to Science of Sleep. The central relationship between Bernal and Gainsbourg never develops or reaches any resolution. Science never offers any insights into relationships or love, or lack thereof. So much potential...

Gondry is a genius in his presentation and artistic vision. It appears that some of the reviewers missed the point of "Science of Sleep" while refering to the dream sequences and the non-dream sequences. The challenge of the film is that you never know what is reality and what isn't. It will make you think and there is a lot of eye candy.

On the plus side: the imagery is very cool and there are a lot of funny bits. On the bad side: it is about 15 minutes too long and by the end of the film I really didn't like the main character. I found him to be so needy and self-absorbed that I couldn't see how any of the other characters could give a hoot about him.

This is a fantastic movie packed with quiet and subtle points as well as loud and obvious visual confusion. There is definitely plenty here to grab onto and think about. It is just a matter of sifting through the relentless changes in scenes from the mind of Stephanie, his dream world, and his reality. This mess made me feel like I missed something along the way, but perhaps and more likely, the movie was too deep to fully grasp, which isn't exactly a bad thing.… Expand

This movie is a huge disappointment. So much "art" was put into this, but it was basically bits of a music video inserted into a terrible plot. None of the characters are all that memorable or likable, and the story (If you could call it that) was shallow and pointless. Very overrated.