Billy Bob Thornton, Brent Briscoe, Charlize Theron

Shelved for two years before its limited theatrical release, Waking Up in Reno is the kind of comedy that makes you feel guilty for laughing. The lowbrow fun begins when Arkansas car dealer Lon...( read more  read more... )nie Earl (Billy Bob Thornton, perfectly cast) cheats on his wife Darlene (Natasha Richardson) with Candy (Charlize Theron), the wife of his best friend Roy (Patrick Swayze). When the couples pack up Lonnie Earl's ill-fated SUV to see the monster-truck jam in Reno, Nevada, Roy's meager sperm count and Candy's surprise pregnancy result in a series of marital repercussions. Stuck in a no-man's-land between road-trip farce and redneck parody, this comedic misfire trades in dimwit stereotypes and white-trash condescension, showing its age with a thankless hot-Latina cameo by Penélope Cruz. It's painless enough to be watchable, and Thornton's character is a likeable fool as he surveys the damage he's caused. Watch carefully, and you'll find plenty of mostly unfulfilled promise along with a half-hearted chuckle or two. --Jeff Shannon

Flixster Users

39% liked it

5,231 ratings

Critics

14% liked it

37 critics

R, 91 min.

Directed by: Jordan Brady

Release Date: October 25, 2002

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DVD Release Date: April 8, 2003

Stats: 146 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (146)


  • May 29, 2008
    Not very good.
  • December 25, 2007
    Hilarious!
  • August 27, 2007
    Actually a really good film with some genuine comic and sad moments throughout.
  • October 17, 2008
    No thankyou - Not interested
  • October 4, 2008
    It was a decent comedy. Billy Bob Thornton is of course an outrageous character actor, and Patrick Swayze does a great dimwit character. However, sometimes this movie can be a little bit one-sided. We hardly seem to get a break between their fighting, and sometimes their jokes ca...( read more)n lead on and go sour. It was still a decent watch.
  • July 10, 2008
    This movie was no good. Booring!!
  • June 2, 2008
    a very dumb movie ...
  • May 27, 2008
    A few funny moments but not enough for me. A bit too simple
  • March 6, 2008
    Patrick Swayze is my favorite actor of all times and I would watch it just because he is in it and that it looks like a good movie

Critic Reviews


October 25, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Nothing in Waking Up in Reno ever inspired me to think of its inhabitants as anything more than markers in a screenplay. full review

February 3, 2002
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Offers big, fat, dumb laughs that may make you hate yourself for giving in. Ah, what the hell. full review

View more Waking Up in Reno reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Waking Up in Reno Trivia


  • Vanilla Sky, Captain Corelli's Mandoline, Waking up in Reno  Answer »
  • Can you name the 2002 movie with Charlize Theron and Patrick Swazye ?  Answer »
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