WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
A film review by Eric Grossman
Copyright 1995 LOS ANGELES INDEPENDENT
Test screenings for the new romantic comedy, WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, which stars Sandra Bullock (SPEED), Bill Pullman (SPACEBALLS) and Peter Gallagher (SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE), received a 95 out of 100 approval rating. At first, that number seemed high, but since there are so few well-made, good-natured movies out there, the score makes more sense.
Bullock's career, which began before but really started with DEMOLITION MAN, is going to get a big push from this film which should launch her into the upper atmosphere of stardom. She plays Lucy, a lonely Chicago transit worker who gains a fian and a family when she saves Peter Callaghan (Gallagher) from a speeding subway train.
Unfortunately for Peter, he lands in a coma and a misunderstanding leads his family to believe that Lucy and he are engaged. Lucy's quandary becomes worse when she falls in love with Jack (Pullman), Peter's brother.
Cute and nice, the two worst adjectives in the English language, instantly come to mind when describing WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING. Yes, the plot is predictable but director Jon Turteltaub (COOL RUNNINGS) and screenwriters Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow create many "happy" moments that pin smiles to our faces. I looked around and saw people grinning from ear to ear during the scene in which Jack escorts Lucy across an icy walkway to her apartment, slipping and sliding, falling into each others arms.
Bullock doesn't show a great deal of acting chops, but her role allows her to be adorable and endear herself to us. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING is what many in Hollywood have called, "the perfect vehicle for her," which means it showcases Bullock in a manner best suited to her talents and makes her a big star.
With his wackiness and facial expressions toned down, Bill Pullman believably plays a normal guy and adds another solid performance to his filmography. Gallagher is fine, although he spends most of his part in a coma. Jack Warden, a great character actor, returns to the screen and offers the film some needed weight.
My score for WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING is more like an 85. 95 does not give me much room to go higher and films can definitely reach greater heights than this one. Still, it is perfect for dates and brings us some much needed cinematic water in what has been the movie-drought of 1995.
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