Wiley Wiggins, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Steven Soderbergh, Timothy Levitch ...( see more  see more... ) , Trevor Jack Brooks , Nicky Katt

A boy has a dream that he can float, but unless he holds on, he will drift away into the sky. Even when he is grown up, this idea recurs. After a strange accident, he walks through what may be a dream...( read more  read more... ), flowing in and out of scenarios and encountering various characters. People he meets discuss science, philosophy and the life of dreaming and waking, and the protagonist gradually becomes alarmed that he cannot awake from this confusing dream.

Flixster Users

87% liked it

52,697 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

136 critics

R, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Release Date: January 19, 2001

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DVD Release Date: May 7, 2002

Stats: 4,812 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,812)


  • January 13, 2010
    A young man has a series of dreams, animated in various styles, from which he cannot awake; he gradually comes to realize that he is dreaming and asks the characters he meets how he can awaken. An interesting experiment featuring great animation, but there are problems in that t...( read more)here is no sense of threat or urgency to the protagonist's plight, and many of the talkier sequences seem more like philosophical excerpts from the director's personal journal than depictions of dreams.
  • August 20, 2009
    Very academic, like 97 minutes of animated college philosophy (but without all the homework).
  • July 19, 2009
    "The worst mistake that you can make is to think you're alive, when really you're asleep in life's waiting room."


    Every once in a while, you

    ...( read more) get an epiphany about how the world works, but how much do you ponder about them? Have you ever asked yourself, how did 'words' come about? Do you ever think about wavelengths?

    --- Or, how about, have you ever experienced dreaming within a dream? Are you aware of yourself when youre in a REM state? How about when youre having a nightmare? Do you try to control it, or do you just go and "float" along in that world thats inside your head?
    The film is definitely worth watching. Its a double bombardment of visuals and ideology, if you dont want to think too much you can just look at the screen, but I suggest you enjoy both of the elements that the film offers.

    The movie is in english, but with the kind of conversations that goes on in this film, I have to suggest that you view it with the subtitles on. --- And for anyone whos into multimedia, dont forget to check out the Special Features!

    Other movie info: The film had several nominations and had won 5 awards which include "Best Experimental Film" and "Best Animated Film" in 2001-2002.

    Director: Richard Linklater
    Rewatchability: High


  • December 2, 2008
    Very intriguing concept and conversations about being. The one problem: I actually did fall into a dream while watching.
  • August 3, 2008
    Some neat ideas, but a lot of the time I found myself thinking "boy I wish they'd shut up." Kinda makes you feel like you're in high school again, where all your "intellectual" friends were trying real hard to use big words.
  • January 26, 2010
    Clever and innovative as it is mind-boggling, Waking Life seeks to draw a line in the sand between our lives in reality and our lives in our dreams, that is, if they are seperate lives at all.
  • January 15, 2010
    yes, it can make you dizzy and/or nauseous due to the animation, but it reflects amazingly how a dream can actually be..it has the feeling that it just flows... Most of the ideas or ponderings in this movie are not entirely new, but it's a great way to map some differences betwee...( read more)n all the concepts relating to philosophical problems.
  • January 10, 2010
    Each time I've watched it I have been left in a contemplative, dreamy state. Really good movie.
  • January 9, 2010
    this is one of a kind movie, a brilliant piece of cinema by the brilliant richard linklater, visually exhilarating and philosophically flabbergasting, this feels contemplative but cheerful at the same time, an extravagantly inventive film, brilliant !
  • January 7, 2010
    Watched it for a philosophy class, of all things. Still found its lessons interesting. Love Linklater.

Critic Reviews


December 5, 2001
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Exhilarating, transporting, funny and haunting -- and at times maddeningly heady or narcotically logy -- Waking Life doesn't compare to any other movie experience I've ever had. full review

October 28, 2001
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

It may not be for everyone -- the movie requires a high tolerance for statements such as 'there's only one instant, and it's now, and it's eternity' -- but it's like nothing else in theaters right now. full review

October 28, 2001
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Adds up to little more than a series of disconnected impressions, but it holds interest despite an almost nonexistent narrative, and that's something. full review

October 23, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Linklater's cerebral provocations allow for tickling visuals -- check out that car-boat -- and lively humor. full review

October 19, 2001
David Edelstein, Slate

One of the most inspired cases of the medium embodying the message ever captured on celluloid. full review

October 19, 2001
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Like a long day in the college coffee shop, it's more provocative than original and profound, but still time well spent. full review

October 19, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This movie seems alive, seems vibrating with urgency and excitement. full review

View more Waking Life reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • kanokaan
    June 19, 2009
    You dont need to wake life people.Just live life!
  • SandovalFilm
    November 19, 2007
    reaally poetic,
    for me..
    just the dream issue was interesting,
    the whole movie as it is.. is kind of boring :/
  • Yakwhacker
    March 7, 2007
    I love seeing people who can't spell sing praises for a movie about existentialism.
  • Bremaine
    September 13, 2006
    A truly brilliant film. Artsitic and Poetic in may sences. I myself loved the film, basically for it's art. I also loved how it made it hard for the so called "ignorant People" to understand what's going on and so forth. Anyways do so and check this film out, it's a true work of art.
  • rockerbaby18
    September 9, 2006
    Seriously, people...
    Stop going to see movies like "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Deuce Biggalow" and see this film.
    As a friend of mine put it, you might need a reading comprehension level higher than that of a third grader to understand this film. Its definitely not for those of you who want to check your brain at the door and be entertained. It serves the sole purpose of provoking thought and conversation. But its so worth it. Give it a chance.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Waking Life Trivia


  • Who directed Waking Life?  Answer »
  • Name the actor who starred in Before Sunrise, Reality Bites, Waking Life, Hamlet and Training Day  Answer »
  • In which film does a character played by Ethan Hawke discuss with his girlfriend/wife a philosphical theory about her present life being merely her life "flashing before her eyes" as she's on her death bed?  Answer »
  • In what is there the line "They say that dreams are only real as long as they last. Couldn't you say the same thing about life"  Answer »

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