Review of Awakenings (1990) by Bradley W — 11 Jan 2012

Awakenings is an astounding and beautiful film to witness and one of the best performances on De Niro and Williams careers. Its a film about true happiness in life, a movie about the beauty of the human mind, and a movie that can just up lift your spirits where its very hard to be depressed watching a masterpiece like this. This movie showed me much about how a mind can be just in a vegetable like state and it also reminded me of one of my favorite films One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, both are just perfect movies and Awakenings is a movie that showed me and taught me so much about life.

The story follows Dr. Sayer (Robin Williams) and his patient Leonard (Robert DeNiro). Leonard has been in a mentally ill state for about 30 years and he lives at a mental institution. Sayer has discovered a drug that maybe able to help Leonard and decides to try and help him, and then when the drug is a success Sayer decides to use it on his other patients. Leonard however is new to this world and is trying adjust to life and love when he meets a beautiful woman. These two men might find what they needed in life after all.

The plot was incredible and showed me so much about life and its surroundings. The way Leonard is adjusting to life and is learning all these new skills and you wonder what it would be like to be cut off from the world for that long, and his awakening just made me smile, such a masterpiece. The characters are incredibly detailed and interesting if you ask me. Dr. Sayer is a great man and I could easily like him and how he just wants to help these peoole with the goodness of his heart. Leonard however is the show stealer, his awakening into a new life is something to behold and he grows to be very smart and kind and gets many emotions which showed me a lot about a human life, such a beautiful character. This story was incredible as were the characters and just everything about it.

The cast stars two of some of the best actors I can think of and they both play Oscar worthy performances. Robert DeNiro is a incredible actor and this is one of those movies he will be remembered for, his performance as a mentally ill man is uncanny at how beautiful he does it. Robin Williams is a amazing actor, whenever he plays an emotional role he does it with perfect aim and he is impossible not to love. The entire cast fo their role great but these two actors will be remembered for a few roles in life, and I believe this will be one of them.

Awakenings is a film I consider almost impossible to not like. Its has everything a movie needs to be perfect, a true and honest story and characters, a great cast, and great production that form this to be a movie that I found extremely insightful. If you need a film that will show you a true side of human life and makes you think about things that you have botheted to overlook, which is something Leonard mentions in the film that humans overlook the little details in life which I found to be a beautiful theme that the film taught and I can honestly recommend this movie to everyone who wants the perfect drama.