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      Wide Awake

      PG Released Mar 20, 1998 1 hr. 28 min. Drama List
      45% 33 Reviews Tomatometer 66% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score Struggling to adjust to his beloved grandfather's death, a boy (Joseph Cross) seeks understanding of God, life and injustice. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Mar 05 Buy Now

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      Wide Awake

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member I had read in an article that M. Night Shyamalan was kind of disappointed with this movie... I think he should re-consider that thought. He stated that he wanted people to be touched by it and identify with the work he produces, yet this movie provides exactly that! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Wide Awake is about a child who is searching for God. The reason for his search relates to the death of his grandfather, but the movie doesn’t do the best job of explaining what he wants out of God if his search is successful. The boy, played by Joseph Cross, is kind of obnoxious. I think they were aiming for precocious, but his antics are so naïve and misguided it comes across as annoying. He damages his relationship with everyone around him in pursuit of this selfish journey, and it takes until late in the third act for him to finally start being nice to someone. I kept waiting for one of these people he was mistreating to turn out to be a physical representation of God to teach him the moral of the story (who knew how close I was.) The shift from being selfish to selfless comes too late in the film, and I never fully got the impression that he understood why things got better for him when he was good to others. It doesn’t help that everyone around him enables him, including the nuns and priests who are ridiculously liberal and accepting. All that being said...I cried watching Wide Awake. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but the emotions of loss that the kid is going through, and the powerful scenes between him and Robert Loggia were enough to push me over the edge. Despite all the ridiculous things that happen and all the frustrating things the main character does, when it comes to losing loved ones I can relate. There is an underlying heart in Wide Awake that worked better than anything else the movie was doing, and I wish they tapped into it more. They should have abandoned the comedy, because it was never funny for even one second. Rosie O’Donnell and Camryn Manheim in this movie as nuns trying to get some laughs, but they struck out every time. I don’t know if we’re expected to laugh at the main character exploring other religions as a path to God, but if we are then the writing failed at that. If they steered more into the emotion, and explored this kid’s need to let go of his grief, I think Wide Awake could have been a winner. As it stands, it’s not the worst film, but it is forgettable. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/18/18 Full Review Audience Member This being M. Night Shyamalan's debut, he described it as "a comedy that he hoped would also make people cry." Thanks to glacial storytelling, a terrible soundtrack, and overbearing narration that manages to guy nearing all the emotion from the story, it does neither. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member It was good. It touched a subject that we don't think about very often and the fact that we see the story through a kid's eyes makes it interesting. However, I don't think that all of these are enough to make an impact as they should Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Sincere, moving, unsentimental. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member An innocent film about a child trying to find God. Great movie for the family to watch together. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Chris Stuckmann ChrisStuckmann.com [M. Night Shyamalan] clearly hadn't quite figured out exactly what he wanted to say or do, but as a film, it does feel like a director who is really trying to make something that feels different from other family entertainment that explores spirituality. Rated: B- Jan 25, 2021 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: F Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times A wonderful family film that deals sensitively, and even with humor, with a fairly unusual situation for the screen: a 9-year-old's struggles with his faith in God. Feb 14, 2001 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com It is an intelligent family film. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 27, 2020 Full Review Sergio Benítez Espinof The power of love, the relevance in the life of religion and, above all, faith, are fundamental cornerstones of the splendid script that Shyamalan writes here. [Full Review in Spanish] Apr 17, 2020 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Earnest, overly familiar coming-of-age tale Rated: C Jul 25, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Struggling to adjust to his beloved grandfather's death, a boy (Joseph Cross) seeks understanding of God, life and injustice.
      Director
      M. Night Shyamalan
      Executive Producer
      Randy Ostrow, Meryl Poster, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein
      Screenwriter
      M. Night Shyamalan
      Distributor
      Miramax Films
      Production Co
      Miramax Films, Woods Entertainment
      Rating
      PG (Language|Thematic Elements)
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Mar 20, 1998, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 4, 2017
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $258.2K
      Sound Mix
      Surround, Dolby Stereo
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.85:1)
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