Rude Awakening (1989)

15% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(349 ratings)

Cheech Marin and Eric Roberts play two draft-dodging hippies who flee to a commune in Central America where they stay for 20 years. When they return in 1989 and seek out some of their old NYC buddies, they find they've turned yuppie and things just aren't what they'd expected. ~ Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: David Greenwalt
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 16, 1989 Wide
Studio: HBO Video

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
A sincere, somewhat nuanced, relatively uncliched, and actually judicious look at both the 60s and 80s and what they mean in relation to each other.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
The characters are more interesting than their circumstances.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The dialogue of the characters is half-witted, their actions are inexplicable, and to the degree that they possess personalities, they are boring, self-important clods.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
A stupefyingly idiotic comedy about the way we were vs. the way we are.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A promising premise -- 60s hippies confronting 80s yuppies -- goes badly awry in this comedy from directors Aaron Russo and Robert Greenwalt.
, Time Out
Only Louise Lasser, as the vivacious owner of the Nouveau Woodstock vegetarian restaurant, gives any hint of what might have been achieved with a little imagination.
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
The result is a movie with only a few amusing gags -- all emanating from Marin's spaced-out character -- while the rest of the film is at best bland and at worst obnoxious.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Surprisingly pleasant and moving little social commentary film.

Read all 8 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Leo L

Hilarious! A personal favorite.

Cast

            Cheech Marin as Jesus Monteya

            Eric Roberts as Fred

            Julie Hagerty as Petra

            Robert Carradine as Sammy

            Buck Henry as Lloyd

            Louise Lasser as Bonnie

            Cindy Williams as June

            Andrea Martin as April

            Cliff De Young as Brubaker

            Aaron Russo as Fish

            Dr. Timothy Leary as Diner at Ronnie's

            Jerry Rubin as Diner at Ronnie's

            Bobby Seale as Diner at Ronnie's

            David Peel as Hippy Singer

            Greg Rex as Hippy Singer

            Dion Anderson as Dr. Binibon

            Peter Boyden as Dr. Childs

            Nicholas Wyman as Dr. Albert

            Michael Luciano as Martin

            Ed Fry as Agent Drome

            Timothy L. Halpern as Lance

            Davidson Thomson as Amos

            Kevin Dornan as Jay

            Deena Levy as Wanda

            Larry Attile as Agent Blandish

            Daniel Chapman as Agent in Jungle

            Rae Dawn Chong
            
            Elzbieta Czyzewska as Eema

            David Eigenberg as Lawrence

            Denholm Elliott
            
            Amy Glass as Twin

            Becky Glass as Twin

            Patrick John Hurley as Agent in Jungle

            Lainie Kazan
            
            Robert Kramer as Aaron Russo

            Peter Nevargic as Julian

            Tom Sizemore as Ian

            Melora Walters as Punky

            Frederikke Borge as Mona

            William C. Carraro as Agent on Street

            Rodney L. Clark as Cowboy

            Charlie Gates as La Fleck Model

            Janet Harper as La Fleck Model

            Darrick Harris as La Fleck Model

            Rosanna Iversen as La Fleck Model

            Michael Louden as La Fleck Model

            William C. Paulson as Phil

            John Rowe as Student

            Edward James Hyland
            
See full cast