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Awake

Play trailer Poster for Awake R Released Nov 30, 2007 1h 24m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
23% Tomatometer 60 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
While undergoing surgery, a young man (Hayden Christensen) experiences intraoperative awareness. He becomes fully alert -- but paralyzed -- and therefore cannot tell his doctors that he is not sedated and is enduring the whole process. Meanwhile, his wife (Jessica Alba) wrestles with demons of her own while her husband suffers through his ordeal.
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Awake

Awake

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Critics Consensus

Awake has an interesting premise but would have benefited from tighter performances and more efficient direction and editing.

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Critics Reviews

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James Dyer Empire Magazine Less painful than having your chest cut open, but a disagreeable experience just the same. Rated: 1/5 Apr 6, 2008 Full Review Adam Nayman eye WEEKLY The twist-happy screenplay holds together, and the actors around Christensen are better than they have to be: not only reliable hands like Lena Olin and Arliss Howard, but also a perfectly cast Jessica Alba, smartly playing with and against her looks. Rated: 3/5 Jan 10, 2008 Full Review Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness Makes one want to assume a state of mind opposite to the film's title. Rated: C- Dec 30, 2007 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Awake may actually be the perfect video rental for even the most hardcore insomniac. Rated: 1.5/4.0 Sep 2, 2020 Full Review Matt Hudson What I Watched Tonight A gripping thriller with a good twist and a fantastic medical plot device, Awake is a good watch and succeeds in providing an uneasy feeling as the knives go in... Rated: 7/10 Oct 20, 2018 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: C- Oct 3, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/04/25 Full Review Thom M. This is an incredible drama. The plot had quite a few entertaining twists and despite what others say about "too much" happening or "not feeling natural", it's a drama, and the point is to bond with the characters only to feel like our hearts are ripped out, pun intended, when those characters we liked betray us. Perhaps people found the awake paralysis to anxiety inducing, but I felt the movie was paced very well and heavily emotional. It's also a great tribute to a mother's innate love for her child, even if it means self-sacrifice to give their child a few more years of life. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/29/25 Full Review Jocelyn H i first saw a guy watching this on a plane and i was snooping…it was already in the surgery scene so i had some spoilers but no clue what was happening. anyways. a few years later & i finally watched it. great drama but too much happening in a short movie. the dad stuff should have been left out Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/15/25 Full Review Noah J The film was full of Hollywood twists that could come off as cliche or extremely unrealistic. Although that’s the point of Hollywood and entertainment, to be cliche and super unrealistic sometimes. Now the acting was actually pretty fantastic for the far fetched story. Definitely one of Hayden’s better films. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/02/25 Full Review Harry J Great movie if watching it in a mood where details don’t matter, sadly I think they take some thing to far making in more fiction then it should be could have been a 4,5/5 but sadly lands at a 3,5 I recommend watching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/06/25 Full Review Kyle M Overall questionable focus between the flawed editing, performative participation and conceptual implausibility only serving as its hooking gimmick, this medical thriller is quite affective through its twisted layered deliverance to an empathetic extent of vulnerable discomfort. (B-) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/16/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Awake

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Cast & Crew

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Joby Harold

Director

Hayden Christensen

Clayton Beresford Jr.

Jessica Alba

Sam Lockwood

Terrence Howard

Dr. Jack Harper

Lena Olin

Lilith Beresford

Sam Robards

Clayton Beresford Sr.

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Awake

Awake (2007) Awake (2007) A scene from the film "Awake." A scene from the film "Awake." A scene from the film "Awake." A scene from the film "Awake." A scene from the film "Awake." A scene from the film "Awake." A scene from the film "Awake." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis While undergoing surgery, a young man (Hayden Christensen) experiences intraoperative awareness. He becomes fully alert -- but paralyzed -- and therefore cannot tell his doctors that he is not sedated and is enduring the whole process. Meanwhile, his wife (Jessica Alba) wrestles with demons of her own while her husband suffers through his ordeal.
Director
Joby Harold
Producer
John Penotti, Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente, Fisher Stevens, Bob Weinstein
Screenwriter
Joby Harold
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
Production Co
Open City Films, GreeneStreet Films Inc., Weinstein Company
Rating
R (Intense Disturbing Situation|Brief Drug Use|Language)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 30, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.4M
Runtime
1h 24m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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