AwakeMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 33 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 OK for kids 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    A surprisingly effective thriller. Read full review

  • 60
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    Awake is a pleasing if negligible diversion. Read full review

  • 58
    Entertainment Weekly |

    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. Read full review

  • 50
    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. Read full review

  • 40
    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. Read full review

  • 40
    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. Read full review

  • 30
    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. Read full review

  • 30
    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. Read full review

  • 25
    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? Read full review

  • 0
    New York Daily News | Jack Mathews

    Possibly the worst movie of 2007. Read full review

View more reviews for Awake on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 15+ Silly surgery thriller is bloody, convoluted.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that even though this grim thriller stars teen favorites Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba, it isn't meant for kids. There are many scenes of bloody open-heart surgery, with some explicit sound effects (cutting, sawing, ribcage cracking). Because Clay is conscious and feels pain during the surgery, there are some gruesome parts in which he internally screams, swears, and makes noises; it's essentially grisly torture (not unlike what passes for plot in the Saw movies). There are several kissing scenes, two of which lead to sex (though more is implied than shown). Expect lots of prescription medication use, some smoking (and discussion of it being bad for you) and drinking, and many uses of both "f--k" and "s--t."
  • Families can talk about what makes a movie a thriller. Do you think this qualifies? Why? What characteristics do most thrillers have in common? Families can also discuss what -- if anything -- the characters in the movie learn. How would you describe the movie's version of morality? Are the characters' sacrifices worth it?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Scheming, careless doctors; anesthesiologist drinks on the job; an accidental murder appears in a flashback; mother and son relationship at first seems too intimate and codependent.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Much bloody and yucky imagery related to surgery. Incisions show blood, organs, and internal goo; operation shows rib separator, cuts into heart; bloody surgeons' gloves. As Clay is "anesthetically aware" during surgery, he yells, screams, and expresses much pain. Clay and Lilith discuss his memories of his father's death. A character is hit with a fireplace poker; the body falls over a balcony, and there's a shot of the crumpled corpse on the floor three stories below. Suicide by pill overdose (body shown). When the cops arrest a woman, they smash her face against the floor.
  • sex false3 Sex: Clayton appears in bathtub, then pulls Sam in with him (they engage in "sexy" talk during the seduction, such as "I was picturing you soaking wet with all your clothes on"). They kiss and embrace passionately before the scene cuts (sex is implied). They stand side by side in front of a mirror, naked; she's brushing her teeth, and the outline of her naked breast is visible. Several scenes show passionate kissing between the two, and at least one other scene shows the side of her breast. She appears in her bra and underwear beneath Clay as they kiss, preparing for sex -- but the scene cuts away before they get all their clothes off.
  • language false5 Language: Many uses of "f--k" and "s--t" (some with "bull"); other language includes "hell," "ass," "damn," and "son of a bitch."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Lots of prescription pills are taken and shown in bottles (Clay has a heart condition). Minor cigarette smoking. Drinking and toasting (one hallucination includes a room full of schoolboys lifting wine glasses in a toast). An anesthesiologist drinks from a flask during surgery. A drunken character snorts cocaine.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

0.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

How freaking boring can you make a movie and still get a theatrical release? Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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