While You Were Sleeping
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Sandra Bullock. She’s seems like a right laugh doesnt she? She definitely walked so Jennifer Lawrence could run. In the mid 1990’s while Julia Roberts was dabbling in ill-advised “serious” films, newcomer Sandra really took advantage. She got the teenage boys on her side playing the eager sidekick to Sylvester Stallone in Demolition Man, a year later she owned the summer blockbuster with Keanu Reeves playing the spunky, lead-footed, unqualified bus driver in the epic thriller Speed, and then in ‘95 she cemented herself as romcom royalty with this festive farce.
Quintessentially 90’s, this delivers the right balance of mush and cynicism. The comedy is spot on with a lot of the humour found in the characters recognising the absurdity of the situation. There’s a reason there’s an episode of Friends riffing on this ruse.
Bullock plays Lucy, who is always relied upon to work national holidays due to her lack of family commitments. Come Christmas morning she’s on the clock in time to rescue her secret crush Peter (the dad from The O.C) from certain death. One thing leads to another and while he’s in a coma his family are lead to believe she’s his fiancé.
Peter’s likeable noisy clan of family members (including the suffragette from Mary Poppins) charm Lucy into guilty submission. And to be fair she did risk her own life by jumping down on the tracks as an express train sails into view. Why shouldn’t she get a week of free meals out of it? Oh and as if things weren’t messy enough she only goes and falls in love with Peter’s brother (the dad from Casper). It’s quite a corrupt week!
The sharp and funny screenplay allows you to go along with this subterfuge but it hinges on Bullock’s incredible crisp and adorable performance for you to buy it. And boy can she deliver a sincere monologue. Each line succeeds in making you fall absolutely in love and root for her.
Prepare to submerge into 90s grunge fashion, a lot of laughs and a few welcome warm tears.
10 Layered Plaid Thumbs Up!
