Saturday, August 16, 2014

Awakenings (1990)



The victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them.

Heart-wrenching drama with the two male leads giving full force to their characters, on the verge of going over the top.

Halliwell*: "Over-sentimenalized treatment of a fascinating subject, too insistent on leaving its audience feeling good."

Maltin***1/2: "Powerfully affecting true-life story...Williams is superb as the doctor, and De Niro is his match as a patient who awakens from a 30-year coma to deal with life as an adult for the first time."

No comments: