Wide Awake

I caught this unique, heartwarming film on cable in one of those "there is nothing on television" moments. I did not expect to fall in love with this beautiful story of a young boy in search of God. It deals with themes such as family, faith, and acceptance. What started out as a "kid" movie ended up in being a movie for people of all ages. It even made me kind of like Denis Leary. Look for a good performance by Robbert Loggia as the grandfather. If you've ever had or wished for a special relationship with a grandparent, watch this movie. You'll laugh, cry, and it might make a believer out of you.

My husband and I thought this was an excellent movie! We watched it with our 2 young daughters and it opened a great deal of doors for discussions with them. The casting was wonderful! I had read in an article that M. Night Shyamalan was kind of disappointed with it over-all, and I think that he should re-consider that thought. He states that he wants people to somehow be touched by and to identify with the work that he produces and this movie does exactly that! It hits home on all different levels for young and old.

This is a must see for families!!

This was the first film written and directed by M. Night Shyalaman, who would go on to make a film called "The Sixth Sense" a few years later. They're not exactly the same genre of movie, but they both have a very similar feel to them, in both dialogue and overall tone & pacing.

This movie was a lot of fun to watch, and worth the rent, if you can dig it out of the children's section at your local video store (it's rated PG). Good performances from all, with maybe only 1 or 2 scenes giving themselves away, something "The Sixth Sense" wasn't guilty of at all.

That said, it's worth something as a milestone, as well... compare the early works of David Fincher or even Ron Howard, and notice how they got better as they went along, making more movies. This movie is a solid B+, with The Sixth Sense being the obvious A. We can only guess what "Unbreakable" may hold for us.

Great actors and writing in this one, regardless. It is very much the story of young Josh and his search for God, and is not at all a Rosie O'Donnell movie as you may have been led to believe. Well worth watching. Denis Leary never looked so nerdy.

I came upon this movie purely by accident when it was being shown on cable, and found myself riveted to my seat, not wanting to miss a minute of it. The performance by Joseph Cross was captivating, but what was even more compelling was the story itself. I was constantly trying to figure out how it was going to end.

The ending turned out to be a real surprise, but I was also impressed by the portrayal of boyhood that the audience receives in the process of getting there. It was so true to life that I found myself wondering how much of it was based on the film writer's own experiences. Above all, I was impressed by the amount of respect the movie seems to have for boys, and by its willingness to recognize that 5th graders sometimes think deep thoughts and ask deep questions.

An average drama of M. Night Shyamalan right before his most successful film. The film revolves around a 10 year old in search of God. Though some interesting parts are there, the film as a whole is little boring. It was a goosebumps moment to see the name of Indian cinematographer Madhu Ambat in the end credits.