WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
A film review by Scott Renshaw
Copyright 1995 Scott Renshaw
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Jack Warden, Peter Boyle. Screenplay: Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow. Director: Jon Turtletaub.
When--and for that matter, why--did SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE become the sine qua non for any critical blurb for a romantic comedy? "This year's SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE!" they rave, or "SLEEPLESS IN (insert name of city in which film is set here)." Actually, the "why" part is easy; SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE was a huge box office success and an easy point of reference for an idealized modern romance. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING is already drawing comparisons to the 1993 hit with some basis, but not because Bill Pullman is in the cast or the word "sleep" is in the title. Both funnier and more genuinely romantic than SLEEPLESS, WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING seems destined to be for Sandra Bullock what SLEEPLESS was for Meg Ryan: the vehicle that stamps her as one of the few genuinely bankable female stars in Hollywood.
Bullock stars as Lucy, a token collector for the Chicago Transit Authority. Mostly alone since the recent death of her father, Lucy fantasizes about a handsome businessman (Peter Gallagher) who takes the train every day. Their lives cross in an unexpected way when Lucy saves the man's life after he falls onto the train tracks and ends up in a coma. At the hospital, Lucy learns that the man's name is Peter Callaghan, that he has a large and loving family, and that through a series of misunderstandings, the family believes that Lucy is Peter's fiancee. Delighted at being welcomed into the family, Lucy plays along, until Peter's brother Jack (Bill Pullman) arrives. Although Jack is initially suspicious of Lucy, a friendship grows between the two, a potential romance complicated only by Peter's recovery.
In many ways, the recent film of which WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING reminded me most was not SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, but GROUNDHOG DAY. It has a paper-thin, high-concept premise which at any moment could have collapsed under the weight of its contrivances. But it never quite happens; just when you expect the script to go in a predictable direction, it doesn't. Writers Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow don't load the story with awkward little situations that Lucy gets out of by sheer coincidence (although naturally there are a few), nor do they resort to farce or slapstick. Indeed, they provide a surprisingly touching story about mutual need and affection, with Lucy finding herself drawn to the family she lacks, and the family viewing Lucy as a connection to their injured son. In one particularly engaging scene around a boisterous dinner table, WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING becomes more than its easily-summarized plot point.
It also boasts a winning performance by Sandra Bullock and an impressive chemistry between Bullock and Bill Pullman. With her wholesome beauty and radiant smile, Bullock is perfectly cast as Lucy. It is not a particularly complex character, but Bullock has real grace as a comic performer, an under-appreciated skill evident in far too few current screen stars. She has a solid and relaxed partner in Pullman, who previously had seemed in danger of making a career out of never getting the girl. He does not have conventional leading man looks, but there is an appealing self-deprecation in his manner which could make him a natural romantic lead. Their scenes together are well-developed and steadily directed by Jon Turtletaub, and they receive fine supporting help from Glynis Johns as the Callaghans' quirky grandmother and the always-reliable Jack Warden as a family friend who acts as Lucy's confidante.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING loses a lot of its momentum once Peter wakes up, however. There are suggestions throughout the film that he's going to turn out to be a truly narcissistic jerk, but we never get a chance to see that character. Peter Gallagher ends up playing Peter as mostly befuddled, and not very interesting. There is also a throwaway sub-plot involving Peter's hell-on-wheels _real_ fiancee, who is not given a chance to do much of anything. The final twenty minutes of the film become mostly a waiting game until Lucy and Jack end up together, and one that drags on a bit too long. But it's what goes on while Peter is sleeping--a bright, charming romance--that makes WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING a pleasant dream.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 SLEEPING beauties: 7.
-- Scott Renshaw Stanford University Office of the General Counsel
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