5/5 Yes, this is a great movie
  by Harry M. Shin (Livermore, CA USA)
1. Others have well documented what this movie is about etc...

2. I just wanted to add my 2 cents that this is an extraordinary movie on all fronts; completely amazing. Get it, watch it and be inspired.

5/5 "for him, it's as if there were thousands of bars and behind the thousands of bars no world..."
  by Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service)
Awakenings grabs your attention from the very beginning and it never lets go. The plot moves along at a good pace and the acting is superb. Moreover, this film is somewhat based on the real life experiences of Dr. Oliver Sacks, a prominent psychiatrist. The cinematography is excellent and the choreography also shines; this is not a film you'll forget anytime soon.

When the action starts we meet a healthy young boy named Leonard Lowe (Anthony J. Nici) and two of his friends playing and going to school in the 1930s. Unfortunately, Leonard develops an illness so disabling he cannot write his exams in school. Leonard must stay home every day and he becomes more and more ill over time. We then flash forward to the summer of 1969 to meet Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Robin Williams) who, despite his relative lack of clinical experience, gets hired to practice psychiatry at a hospital in The Bronx area of New York City. Dr. Sayer's coworkers, including the doctors, think very little of him; and Sayer's only friend is one of the nurses named Eleanor Costello (Julie Kavner). Many of the patients in the chronic care hospital have been either comatose or unresponsive for decades; and clearly the staff has given up on them. Nevertheless, Sayer and Nurse Costello do extensive chart research and they find that many if not all of the patients had encephalitis when they were younger--could this be a clue as to how to treat them?

Sayer thinks he has an answer that can help the patients; but his boss and colleagues bristle when he suggests using a drug called L-Dopa. Sayer thinks that this drug could help the patients at the hospital although it was designed to treat entirely different disorders. Dr. Sayer bravely insists that at least one patient should be allowed to try the drug on an experimental basis; and thus the now grown up Leonard Lowe (Robert DeNiro) is given the drug.

Much to the delight of Sayer, Leonard "awakens" from his relatively catatonic state and experiences the change in the world that has come about during his nearly thirty years of being "away." Leonard is shocked that he is now a man; and his mother Mrs. Lowe (Ruth Nelson) is sometimes hurt when Leonard wants to spend time with a woman instead of her! Leonard also wants to go for a walk alone outside the hospital; but even Dr. Sayer is worried that he could be taken advantage of all alone in the real world without some supervision.

Yes, even more patients get better with the proper dosages of the drug L-Dopa. But will things stay that way? Watch the movie and find out!

In particular, the performances in this film are unforgettable. Robert DeNiro is stellar as the grown up Leonard Lowe; and Robin Williams surely does a huge stretch from being the funny, wacky comedian to playing the role of a somewhat nerdy doctor in this movie. Julie Kavner also turns in a convincing performance as the one staff member who truly believes in Dr. Sayer.

Awakenings deserves to be in your DVD collection. This film will appeal especially to people like me who have worked with troubled or sick individuals in hospitals or clinics; and people who enjoy human interest stories will appreciate this motion picture as well.


5/5 An Incredible, Haunting Story That Endures Like The Patients
  by Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
Here's a good example of how you can still make a great modern-day movie without profanity, violence or sex. It's also a movie which never stops being fascinating.....at least to me.

This is an amazing story, based on fact, about about a doctor who makes great progress fighting an illness that heretofore was considered incurable. These were patients in catatonic states, and the good doctor uses an experimental drug to snap these people back to reality and to a normal life as they once had. The patients, and how they react, both before and after the medications, is really fascinating.

Robert De Niro is outstanding as one of the patients, but that's not a surprise knowing all the fine acting performances he's done over the years. Robin Williams, relatively new to dramatic acting when this came out, was also excellent in a very low-key role. Penelope Ann Miller is extremely sweet and appealing. I wish both she and Williams would do more roles like that.

With multiple viewings, I came to appreciate the minor characters in here a lot more, such as De Niro's mother, played by Ruth Nelson, whom I fondly remember in the 1945 film "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn." What a treat is was to see her again and this was just two years before she died. Also, Alice Drummund as the patient known as "Lucy" was notable.

Language-wise, i's almost stunning to watch a movie which has De Niro, Williams, Miller and John Heard and not hear one profane word uttered! (The film isn't perfect, however, as some idiot decided to insert one f-word, and in a totally unnecessary circumstance.)

This is a memorable, haunting story and one I guarantee you won't forget because the subject matter is so different.


5/5 Open your eyes to this beautifully touching film...
  by Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
If ever I feel like I need a good cry (my wife is always saying I am such a girl, but I appreciate the need for emotional release) then this is one of the four or five films I readily reach for (the others being `The Elephant Man', `Million Dollar Baby', `Of Mice and Men' and the mediocre yet emotionally draining `I Am Sam'). If Ron Howard is the king of schmaltz then Penny Marshall is the queen, for she understands, like Howard, how to create a heavy-handed manipulative film feel natural and inviting. This film slides down smooth as can be, despite the fact that each and every frame is designed to antagonize our emotions.

`Awakenings' is based on the book written by neurologist Oliver Sacks. The book is based on the true story of neurologist Malcolm Sayer who discovers that a drug called L-Dopa has the ability to release patients suffering from encephalitis (a sleeplike sickness), unlocking their minds and allowing them to interact with loved ones for the first time in years. One such patient is Leonard Lowe, who has been suffering from encephalitis for thirty-some years.

The film would have been less effective if acting giants Robert De Niro and Robin Williams hadn't been cast as the two leads. Many have made claims that Williams was unfairly overlooked come awards season for his tamed and controlled portrayal of Malcolm Sayer, and while I loved him I have to agree with the Academy for choosing De Niro's heartbreaking performance over Williams'. Williams and De Niro are perfect compliments, but De Niro is the more memorable revelation if you ask me. As Lowe, De Niro is able to attach himself to our hearts, cycling through his newfound emotions as the drugs begin to work and he rediscovers everything he had feared he's lost. This is such a marvelously constructed performance and De Niro, when you consider the competition, really should have walked away with that Oscar.

The supporting cast is also at the top of their game; everyone from John Heard, Ruth Nelson and Penelope Ann Miller delivering memorable performances.

The film is beautifully shot and directed, allowing the audience to really feel invested in all that is going on. Marshall has a tight grip on the story and on our emotional response and she reins us in when needed and lets us loose when necessary. The film has flow, a flow that compliments each scene marvelously.

Be forewarned; while this film has its heartwarming and uplifting moments it is also tragically depressing and heartbreaking. If you are not a crier, or do not like to cry then you may want to stay away from this movie; but if you appreciate a movie that can move you then this is a beautiful example of emotional purity at its finest. The final frames may wreck you, but it may be just what the doctor ordered. It's movies like this that validate our humanity, for if they didn't move us then it may be time to check our pulses.

3/5 Penny Marshall's finest film.
  by ADRIENNE MILLER (TENNESSEE)
Awakenings is a depressing film but an important one to watch. Directed by Penny Marshall, Awakenings is based on a true story of patients who have come out of mental illness unscathed, well temporarily of course. Robert De Niro gives the performance of a lifetime and Robin Williams proves he is more than a funny, goofy actor. Penelope Ann Miller is stunning in this film as well, very under-rated actress. Give this '90s tearjerker a viewing, enjoy!