Review of Sleeper (2012) by Benjamin X — 12 May 2009

In his early films, Woody Allen proved he was a master of verbal wit. With Sleeper, however, Allen proves he's also a brilliant physical comedian, throwing countless visual and physical gags at the screen, often with hilarious results.

Allen stars, like usual, as Miles, a man who went in for a gall bladder operation and ended up being frozen for two hundred years. When he wakes up, it's a classic stranger-in-a-strange-land tale that ensues.

While the premise may not be Allen's most original, it's the small moments and brilliant gags that make it hilarious viewing. Intended to be an homage to silent-film era slapstick comedies, Allen successfully pays tribute to the genre while also moving himself forward as one of the greatest comedy filmmakers.