Awakenings (1990)
**** (out of 4)
Incredibly powerful drama based on a true story about Dr. Sayer (Robin Williams) who gets a job at a mental hospital where many patients are suffering from some sort of catatonic disease that leaves them motionless. Sayer begins to experiment on a man named Leonard (Robert DeNiro) who hasn't moved in over thirty-years but soon the drug works and brings the man out of this state. This is an extremely fascinating and at times very depressing tale that works on several levels. One level is that we can look at Leonard and ask ourselves what life would be life if it was taken away for thirty years, given back to us for a short period only to have it taken away. This is where the film remains the most powerful because Leonard is someone we can feel sorry for but at the same time his level of wonder is something that we can all hope for. DeNiro's performance here gained him an Oscar-nomination and it's certainly one of the strongest of his career, which is saying quite a bit considering how many great performances he has out there. What makes this one so special is that when we think of DeNiro it's that tough guy but here he brings so much heart and passion to Leonard that we quickly fall in love with him and care for everything that's going to happen. All the various ranges and emotions this character goes through is something pretty remarkable and DeNiro takes each one and really does a marvelous job with it. Whether it's the early stages of Leonard's awakening where he's pretty much like a child learning again or towards the end when the drug or the illness starts to take his life back over. Even if you withdraw yourself from the emotions of the story and just watch DeNiro, the way he walks, talks and has the seizure like movements are just amazing to watch and he doesn't miss a beat. Williams also turns in one of his strongest performances. It's important that we can believe him in this role and for the most part he holds his own with DeNiro. The two work extremely well together and have countless memorable moments. Julie Karver, John Heard and Penelope Ann Miller add nice supporting performances as well. This is at times a hard film to watch due to how depressing it gets at times but it's still a very rewarding experiences due to its message as well as the excellent performances.
**** (out of 4)
Incredibly powerful drama based on a true story about Dr. Sayer (Robin Williams) who gets a job at a mental hospital where many patients are suffering from some sort of catatonic disease that leaves them motionless. Sayer begins to experiment on a man named Leonard (Robert DeNiro) who hasn't moved in over thirty-years but soon the drug works and brings the man out of this state. This is an extremely fascinating and at times very depressing tale that works on several levels. One level is that we can look at Leonard and ask ourselves what life would be life if it was taken away for thirty years, given back to us for a short period only to have it taken away. This is where the film remains the most powerful because Leonard is someone we can feel sorry for but at the same time his level of wonder is something that we can all hope for. DeNiro's performance here gained him an Oscar-nomination and it's certainly one of the strongest of his career, which is saying quite a bit considering how many great performances he has out there. What makes this one so special is that when we think of DeNiro it's that tough guy but here he brings so much heart and passion to Leonard that we quickly fall in love with him and care for everything that's going to happen. All the various ranges and emotions this character goes through is something pretty remarkable and DeNiro takes each one and really does a marvelous job with it. Whether it's the early stages of Leonard's awakening where he's pretty much like a child learning again or towards the end when the drug or the illness starts to take his life back over. Even if you withdraw yourself from the emotions of the story and just watch DeNiro, the way he walks, talks and has the seizure like movements are just amazing to watch and he doesn't miss a beat. Williams also turns in one of his strongest performances. It's important that we can believe him in this role and for the most part he holds his own with DeNiro. The two work extremely well together and have countless memorable moments. Julie Karver, John Heard and Penelope Ann Miller add nice supporting performances as well. This is at times a hard film to watch due to how depressing it gets at times but it's still a very rewarding experiences due to its message as well as the excellent performances.