Waking the Dead (2000) Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly, Molly Parker, Janet McTeer, Paul Hipp, Sandra Oh, Hal Holbrook, Lawrence Dane. Screenplay by Keith Gordon and Robert Dillon, based on the novel by Scott Spencer. Directed by Keith Gordon. 105 minutes. Rated R, 1 star (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Edward+Johnson-Ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to ejohnsonott@prodigy.net or e-mail ejohnsonott-subscribe@onelist.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
"Waking the Dead," an overwrought, underdeveloped story of a young politician (Billy Crudup) in the '80s having visions of his presumed-dead, activist girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) from the '70s, is one of the most annoying films I have endured in years. Rather than waste valuable composition time following the standard review format, I've decided to simply list some of the reasons why.
A) Time travel abuse: The movie leaps between the '70s and '80s so often that I began to wonder if Dramamine works for temporal motion sickness. Not since "Slaughterhouse Five" have characters been so unstuck in time. But while the time jumping in "Slaughterhouse Five" was an integral part of the story, it only serves to fracture "Waking the Dead," robbing the film of any emotional cohesiveness.
B) Tired premise: It's love at first sight when fiercely dedicated counterculture zealot Sarah Williams meets starchy Fielding Pierce, who believes in working within the system. My, what an inventive concept. Not since, oh… any typical episode of "Dharma and Greg" has such a radical dynamic been so thoughtfully explored.
C) Lame leads: She gives speeches and makes meaningful eye contact. He gives speeches and whines. I get squirmy and check my watch.
D) Lack of chemistry: While both actors have shown promise in previous cinematic outings, Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly's performances here are painfully forced. Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were more convincing lovers than this pair.
E) The dialogue: "I don't know what I'm going to say, what I'm going to do, from one minute to the next,' moans Fielding. "Sometimes meaningless gestures are all we have," Sarah intones somberly. I'm amazed that one of them didn't blurt out "Love means never having to say you're sorry."
F) Billy Crudup's feet: After spending considerable time padding barefoot around Sarah's bohemian pad, Fielding lies down on the bed and we see the pink, squeaky-clean bottoms of his feet. In the real world, a brief walk across any hardwood floor would leave at least a bit of visible dirt. Of course, had the story been even mildly involving, I wouldn't have noticed.
G) Endless posing: Intimate scenes are undermined by director Keith Gordon's insistence on artful placement of the character's bodies. Nude shots of Crudup and Connelly have the actors' forms oh-so-carefully positioned, covering their genitals while making them look less like lovers and more like chintzy erotic sculptures.
H) The hippie brother and his psychedelic office: Paul Hipp overacts shamelessly as Fielding's brother, a counterculture publisher. Even more ridiculous is his tripped-out office, the least convincing hippie set I've seen since Samantha's wacky cousin Serena went club hopping on "Bewitched."
I) Stereotypes galore: While Paul Hipp is the most glaring of the walking stereotypes, talented actors like Hal Holbrook, Janet McTeer and Sandra Oh are also wasted playing animated clichés.
J) The "Is she or isn't she?" gimmick: A decade after the reported death of his honey-bunny, Fielding begins catching glimpses of her everywhere. Are these hallucinations brought on by guilt and longing or did Sarah fake her death for some political purpose, only to resurface to seek out her lost love? By the time the answer was revealed, I didn't give a damn. Gordon's handling of the gimmick makes one appreciate the skilled choreography of "The Sixth Sense" all the more.
K) Election night: Sure, "Waking the Dead" is a low budget film, but the lack of bodies at Fielding's campaign headquarters on election night is embarrassing. Surely the filmmakers could have bought a few cases of beer and lured enough buddies over to fill up the room.
L) The "Second Stage at Lilith Fair" Soundtrack: The film is packed with cut-rate crooning from sensitive young women with acoustic guitars. Quick, grab a pellet gun!
M) Fading to white: Gordon repeatedly ends scenes by fading to white, an effect that grows old quickly and serves only to amplify the fragmented nature of the production.
N) Fake snow: There's a lot of snow in this movie and, while much of it appears genuine, that stuff falling on the actors looks suspiciously like Ore-Ida Instant Potato flakes. If you can't find the real thing, or at least secure the use of a decent snowmaking machine, don't bother.
It would be easy to finish the alphabet, but you get the point. "Waking the Dead" is excruciating. I had to attend – it's in my job description. But you, oh lucky reader, you get to make a choice.
© 2000 Ed Johnson-Ott
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