50
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliI left Wide Awake feeling the same way I did after seeing a number of Frank Capra's movies -- I was aware of the problems, but that didn't diminish the warm, fuzzy glow I was experiencing.
- 75Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrDaring to be low-key and even a little old-fashioned, Wide Awake is a well-intentioned film that steers clear of cheap sentimental miracles and reassuringly holds out a vision of growth and healing measured in small steps. [27 Mar 1998, p.D8]
- 70Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasWide Awake is a wonderful family film that deals sensitively, and even with humor, with a fairly unusual situation for the screen: a 9-year-old's struggles with his faith in God. [20 Mar 1998, p.F10]
- 63San Francisco ExaminerSan Francisco ExaminerA sweet but overly sober look at a child's coming to spiritual grips with the death of his grandfather, Wide Awake occasionally packs an emotional punch. But a meandering script, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and the candy coating it's wrapped in, undermine its effectiveness.
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertI wonder who the movie was made for. Smaller kids, I'm afraid, will find it both slow and depressing, especially the parts about why God allows bad things to happen.
- 50San Francisco ChroniclePeter StackSan Francisco ChroniclePeter StackShyamalan's story is clearly autobiographical, and he imbued the tender tale with a wistful atmosphere as well as a kindly regard for parochial school, hitting some of the details just right.
- 50Chicago TribuneJohn PetrakisChicago TribuneJohn PetrakisOverall, Wide Awake is a sound concept that fell considerably short of its goals. [27 Mar 1998, p.B]
- 50Film ThreatFilm ThreatThe film pursues its sensitive material with the appropriate degree of care, but the direction by M. Night Shyamalan turns potentially provocative moments into dull eddies of melodrama. Would have made a perfect “After School Special,” however, it barely makes it across the finish line as a feature film.
- The interest-generating theme of a boy coping with loss is made top-heavy with cuteness, causing it to collapse a quarter of the way through Wide Awake, never to recover.
- 0Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThe movie actually makes you long for the rockin’ entertainment value of a good catechism session.