Wide Awake (1998)

When his beloved grandfather passes away, fifth-grade Catholic schoolboy Joshua (Joseph Cross) has a crisis of faith. He asks both the nuns and his parents (Denis Leary and Dana Delany) difficult questions as he sets out on a mission: to find God and make sure his grandfather is OK. As if that weren't enough, he also has to contend with schoolyard bullies, the sudden appeal of girls, needy schoolmates, and the recklessness of his best friend David (Timothy Reifsnyder). Though the precociousness of the children is a little hard to believe, there's a genuine feeling and a surprising complexity of thought about faith that makes Wide Awake unexpectedly affecting. Despite the largeness of the theme, the movie is made up of small images and gentle humor, which keep it grounded in reality and consistently engaging. The strong supporting cast includes Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You), Camryn Mannheim (Happiness, TV's The Practice), and Rosie O'Donnell (A League of Their Own, The Flintstones, Harriet the Spy), as a nun who explains the Bible with sports metaphors. A pleasantly subtle comedy from M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense). --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Simply one of the best movies ever made.

Simply put, this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. There are a few slow parts in the movie which could have easily been eliminated, but the content was overwhelming and the story compelling.

It's a story of a boy's awakening to his spirtual side and his quest to find meaning in a confusing world. He faces mockery from some and kindness from unexpected sources and, in the end, finds himself 'wide awake' for the first time.

So is this a story of a spiritual seeking or simply a metaphor for the journey we all take as we come of age? The beauty of this movie is you don't need to choose. You get two stories for the price of one.

Not only did I find myself thinking about this movie several days later, this is also one of the few movies which actually made me cry out loud and I'm impressed by any movie which can move me to this extent. February 11, 2007

Great Film

My rating on this one is based solely on the movie itself. My wife and I love this film and have watched it once or twice a year since it was released. I really like the message it sends about the value of looking beyond yourself and your own concerns and getting involved in others lives.

Not your typical M Night fare here. True, there is still the element of the 'supernatural' as seems to be true of all his films, be this one is definitely not a thriller or suspense flick, as most of his others are.

In contrast to the show itself, the DVD extras on this one are truly unspectacular. No matter,though. The movie more than makes up for it. January 4, 2007

Misadvertised and underestimated

This is one of the great films I have seen lately. Although I am closer to the age of Joshua's grandfather, it conjures up memories of a youthful search and more than a little disappointment to learn how things really are. Other reviews have covered the material. I believe this movie should never have been advertised as a comedy, although it does have humor. It is tasteful and should be offensive to no one. However, the advertising does a disservice to the young character Joshua. He is altogether serious in his quest. By the end he has learned the challenges of life and "knowing", not just about the existence of God, but the problems and discouragements of living. Finally, in spite of the challenges, hard knocks, disappointments, and doubt, there was someone watching out for him. Although the final scene is a bit over the top, it occurs to me that it is a wonderful use of symbolism, a tool of mankind to understand his own spirit. We are always being watched and cared for, even when we aren't paying attention. October 22, 2006

One of Shyamalan's best movies

Wide Awake will be a very pleasant surprise for fans of Shyamalan's more recent movies; this is one of his best. Even if you're not a Shyamalan fan, look this one up; other than a very strong story, it has no connection to Shyamalan's horror movies. This is a funny-serious, Christian-themed family movie. Many stereotypes about Catholic education are used, but these are done in a light-hearted manner, one might say lovingly; the positives of a Catholic education can be discerned right along with the stereotypically bad. Religious questions are presented in ways that should not offend.

Joseph Cross carries this movie in the lead as the 11 yr old Joshua, who is struggling with the passing away of his beloved grandfather. Joshua decides to go on a mission: being enrolled in a strict Catholic school, and having strong religious memories with his grandfather, Joshua decides he needs to talk directly with God about his grandfather's passing. The mission is to figure out how to get God to agree to this. Not surprisingly, Shyamalan's story is very strong. More surprising are the many funny scenes involving school hi-jinks, along the lines of many lesser kids' movies. Shyamalan smartly keeps these under control; they are not overdone or screechy, and not surprisingly, are a lot more fun and memorable than the usual fare. These are mixed in with many serious scenes that carry meaning for young and old alike.

Although Cross and the story carry the movie, they are buttressed by many other fine performances. Rosie O'Donnell as a nun, Dennis O'Leary and Dana Delany as Joshua's parents, and Robert Loggia as the grandfather are excellent in providing a solid and caring adult base for Joshua. There is a great cadre of child actors surrounding Cross, led by Timothy Reifsynder as Joshua's best friend.

The final resolution to the movie is a bit too supernatural for my tastes. Even so, everything leading up to that ending, especially Rosie's school-ending commentary and Joshua's "Wide Awake" speech, both recapping the movie, are excellent. Highly recommended. August 14, 2006

Twist Ending!

I thought Sixth Sense was Mortimer Shyamalan's first film, but when I happened across this at a local flea market, I just had to snap it up.

Yes, I buy fleas. You got a problem with that? Anyway, true to the style of Mortimer's distinctive oeuvre, the movie is crafted around a clever genre conceit which is carefully hidden away behind the seemingly mundane plot line and then hinted at throughout with lots of arty little boluses of symbolism, foreshadowing, subtext, and big red neon signs that flash on and off in Morse code for no apparent reason.

I think this movie is pretty hard to find, so I'm revealing the ending below the line of hyphens that is below this paragraph...

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At the end, it turns out that the school is actually a *magnet school*, and Joshua is the only student enrolled there who is not actually made of IRON. October 5, 2005

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