While You Were Sleeping (1995)

reviewed by
Chad Polenz


While You Were Sleeping Chad'z rating: *** (out of 4 = good) 1995, PG, 103 minutes [1 hour, 43 minutes] [romantic comedy] starring: Sandra Bullock (Lucy), Bill Pullman (Jack), Jack Warden (Saul), Peter Gallagher (Peter), written by Daniel G. Sullivan, Fredric Lebow, produced by Joe Roth, Roger Birnbaum, directed by Jon Turtletaub.

"While You Were Sleeping" is truly a modern day fairytale. It's a story so fantastic and romantic you don't realize how impossible it seems. After all, what are fairytales for?

The film stars Sandra Bullock as a Lucy, a cute but lonely token collector for Chicago's famous elevated transit system. Everyday she goes through the same routine, but there is one man (Gallagher as Peter) who comes to her line everyday who makes it all worthwhile. She adores him, but she knows he'll never ask her out and she isn't brave enough to ask him. She doesn't even know his name.

One day the man is mugged and pushed on to the tracks and knocked unconscious. Lucy runs to his rescue and miraculously saves him, and rushes him to the hospital. But when the hospital staff won't let her in to see him, she accidentally leads them to believe he is her fiancee just as the man's family walks in. And so the typical comedy where everyone is mislead ensues, but it works perfectly here. It's very romantic as you hope that somehow the man will come out of his coma and the two really will fall in love.

Enter Jack Callahan (Pullman), the brother of Peter (the mystery man), who becomes suspicious of Lucy. The two start to hang out and get to know each other, and it's obvious an unspoken attraction here. This makes for an original situation, because you'd expect the two would fall madly in love right away... but thankfully this doesn't happen.

Most of the film shows Lucy's relationship with the Callahans and her involvement with Jack. Jack doesn't know the truth about the "engagement," but Lucy never tells him. Here is where a real problem starts to occur, do we hope Lucy will tell the truth and get together with Jack? Or is this just a bad idea altogether and should she somehow try to marry Peter? After all, she did say he was her dream man - why would she turn down the opportunity to finally be with him?

Eventually Peter recovers from his coma, and when the family tells him about Lucy he doesn't know what they're talking about. There are some pretty funny scenes in which Peter tries to remember everyday things, but doesn't understand why he can't remember meeting and falling in love with Lucy. We also learn Peter's character is a Scrooge-like greedy lawyer who chases ambulances and fakes his own heroics in order to make himself look good. Even though Peter can't remember Lucy, he feels reborn and does fall in love with her. He even proposes to her in a scene that's unlike anything you've ever seen before.

The ending might be a little typical but at least it's funny and very charming. I can't believe it works as well as it does, which is quite an accomplishment for such a mainstream film.

Maybe the premise to "While You Were Sleeping" is a little cheesy, but darn it, I liked it. It's funny, romantic, creative, and makes you feel good and shows the mysterious power love has.

Please visit Chad'z Movie Page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz - over 140 new and old films reviewed in depth, not just blind ratings and capsules. Also, check out The FIRST Shay Astar Web Page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz/ShayAstar.html

e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com
(C)1997 Chad Polenz

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