Awakenings

Incredibly carelessly written. The premise has a lot of potential, but the way the script deals with it couldn’t have been much worse. A shallow celebration of the human spirit that leisurely walks down the path of very trodden clichés, and the viewer can very easily figure out not only what will happen next, but also the ending (the twist) of any scene (made easier by the fact that most scenes don’t have any twist at all, they are only there to deliver another empty humanistic blabber). What is inarguably great are the performances of De Niro and Williams, though it should be noted that both of them have better roles under their belts. Chronic illness is in principle a very touching subject and Awakenings really failed to exploit its potential. (02/06/2009)

Awakenings is a very beautiful movie. Robin Williams and Robert De Niro put in absolutely incredible performances, which elevate the movie to a whole new level of greatness, and the movie isn’t mean in the least, quite the contrary. The kind character portrayed by Robin Williams made me realize that you don’t get to see many characters like this in American movies these days anymore. Quite the contrary. It’s interesting that movies today are so mean and depressing, and the thing is that a little bit of kindness goes a long way, like with this movie. What’s nice is also that it was Miroslav Ondříček behind the camera, who has done a lot for the fame of our nation in the USA. This is a very nice movie in all respects. (24/02/2013)

A masterpiece in its genre, though still well behind Forman’s One Flew Over the Cookoo’s Nest. The protagonists give quite possibly the performance of a lifetime, Marshall behind the camera lets the story run free and the beautiful musical score acts as a magnet for the viewer's mind from the beginning. The premise of the psychiatric hospital is perhaps destined to be quickly forgotten, but when you have De Niro at his best and a story half as compelling and moving as this one is, I can only tip my hat in approval. (06/07/2012)

A strong story and top-notch performances, especially Robert De Niro, who gave me chills at times. The awakening of catatonic patients is incredible and shows the effect of chemicals on the human brain in all its nakedness. Zaillian's script does not forget the necessary digressions, the revolutionaries and the romantic subplot that makes the whole story a little more bearable. A brilliant and restrained Robin Williams and a fantastic small role of Peter Stormare. “You talking to me.” (01/04/2023)

The story itself is powerful, so it was expected that it would be a good film. Directorially or script-wise, it's certainly not a masterpiece, but that doesn't matter so much because what elevates this film are the performances, with Robert De Niro simply being unmatched and nailing the role perfectly. Robin Williams also acts brilliantly, confirming once again that he was always unique in more serious roles. (23/02/2015)