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Awakenings
(directed by Penny Marshall, 1990)
Awakenings is a fun movie that is, in the end, rather depressing. It's fun because you know that soon enough, all the catatonic people in the mental hospital are going to wake up and become normal. You should know this going in, at least, since the movie is called Awakenings and it would be strange if Robert De Niro just acted like a vegetable the whole time. I mean, it's not like he's Keanu Reeves (sorry, Keanu.) The movie is also - I think - purposely funny at times. When a large, fat black woman starts screaming and going crazy because she sees a pen, I laughed good and full of jolly. Add Robin Williams to the mix as the doctor, Dr. Sayer, a character based on brain researcher and author, Oliver Sacks, and you're practically expecting a comedy on the level of Mrs. Doubtfire (I just had to mention that movie.)
The lead catatonic mental patient in this movie is played by Robert De Niro, who plays Leonard Lowe. This movie is based on a true story, so it all really happened, I guess. Now, in the beginning, when he's catatonic, Robert De Niro is helpless and can't go anywhere. This, to me, was kind of hot. It's like sexy celebrity meets bondage in a loony bin. Although, maybe they don't call it a loony bin, exactly, but some kind of clinic. Whatever it is, I wouldn't mind getting to have total control over Robert De Niro's body. When he eventually wakes up, he tries to escape the place and go after girls -- see? Guys being catatonic is just better.
With the help of a drug that was used to treat people with Parkinson's Disease -- called L-DOPA -- Robin Williams is able to bring Robert De Niro back to life, along with the rest of the catatonic people, who have been suffering from a meningitis related illness. It's kinda like the 1987 movie, Mannequin, where the mannequin in the department store came to life and became Kim Cattrall, except there's no gay window dresser played by Meshach Taylor (Hollywood!) and no message about finding out who you are creatively. But, both movies feature inanimate beings coming to life, then shutting off for awhile, then coming back again, and so on and so on. Randy Newman scores this movie and there's no song like "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship to be found.
It's a very nice, very enjoyable movie, but like I said, it's ultimately depressing. It tries to give us a hopeful message about the human spirit and I can see why they're doing it... but, here, let me spoil it for ya:
In a way, I can't understand why Awakenings needed to be made. But, I enjoyed the two hour adventure with these people. It's an easy watch and as far as mental hospital dramas go, this baby is way better than something like the overrated One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, with its dominatrix nurse fetish. I am warmly enveloped by the sensuous, enthusiastic, beastly presence of Robin Williams, the old, good daddy bear of Hollywood. And Robert De Niro is better here than in a lot of other films of his that I've seen. His skill, which earned him an Oscar nomination, is perfected to the point of reminding you of the great Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver -- how unique and memorable that was. This is kind of a blah movie, which if it had starred lesser actors, would have probably flopped at the box office. Bill Murray was apparently a first choice for Robert De Niro's character and that would have just been ridiculous, especially on the heels of Ghostbusters II. So, these are all top performances. It makes Awakenings a sort of mesmerizing movie.
(directed by Penny Marshall, 1990)
Awakenings is a fun movie that is, in the end, rather depressing. It's fun because you know that soon enough, all the catatonic people in the mental hospital are going to wake up and become normal. You should know this going in, at least, since the movie is called Awakenings and it would be strange if Robert De Niro just acted like a vegetable the whole time. I mean, it's not like he's Keanu Reeves (sorry, Keanu.) The movie is also - I think - purposely funny at times. When a large, fat black woman starts screaming and going crazy because she sees a pen, I laughed good and full of jolly. Add Robin Williams to the mix as the doctor, Dr. Sayer, a character based on brain researcher and author, Oliver Sacks, and you're practically expecting a comedy on the level of Mrs. Doubtfire (I just had to mention that movie.)
The lead catatonic mental patient in this movie is played by Robert De Niro, who plays Leonard Lowe. This movie is based on a true story, so it all really happened, I guess. Now, in the beginning, when he's catatonic, Robert De Niro is helpless and can't go anywhere. This, to me, was kind of hot. It's like sexy celebrity meets bondage in a loony bin. Although, maybe they don't call it a loony bin, exactly, but some kind of clinic. Whatever it is, I wouldn't mind getting to have total control over Robert De Niro's body. When he eventually wakes up, he tries to escape the place and go after girls -- see? Guys being catatonic is just better.
With the help of a drug that was used to treat people with Parkinson's Disease -- called L-DOPA -- Robin Williams is able to bring Robert De Niro back to life, along with the rest of the catatonic people, who have been suffering from a meningitis related illness. It's kinda like the 1987 movie, Mannequin, where the mannequin in the department store came to life and became Kim Cattrall, except there's no gay window dresser played by Meshach Taylor (Hollywood!) and no message about finding out who you are creatively. But, both movies feature inanimate beings coming to life, then shutting off for awhile, then coming back again, and so on and so on. Randy Newman scores this movie and there's no song like "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship to be found.
It's a very nice, very enjoyable movie, but like I said, it's ultimately depressing. It tries to give us a hopeful message about the human spirit and I can see why they're doing it... but, here, let me spoil it for ya:
WARNING: "Awakenings" spoilers below
The L-DOPA eventually fails and all the catatonic people, including Robert De Niro, shut off again and become nothing. In a way, it's like they all - including Robert De Niro - just die. And all we're left with is Robin Williams and the ugly nurse (played by Julie Kavner, the voice of Marge Simpson) who wants to get coffee with him and eventually jump his hairy bones. And that subplot felt very thin and underdeveloped -- and not at all interesting.
In a way, I can't understand why Awakenings needed to be made. But, I enjoyed the two hour adventure with these people. It's an easy watch and as far as mental hospital dramas go, this baby is way better than something like the overrated One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, with its dominatrix nurse fetish. I am warmly enveloped by the sensuous, enthusiastic, beastly presence of Robin Williams, the old, good daddy bear of Hollywood. And Robert De Niro is better here than in a lot of other films of his that I've seen. His skill, which earned him an Oscar nomination, is perfected to the point of reminding you of the great Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver -- how unique and memorable that was. This is kind of a blah movie, which if it had starred lesser actors, would have probably flopped at the box office. Bill Murray was apparently a first choice for Robert De Niro's character and that would have just been ridiculous, especially on the heels of Ghostbusters II. So, these are all top performances. It makes Awakenings a sort of mesmerizing movie.