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Awakenings (1990)
7.6
Ratings: 7.6/10 from 41,288 users
Metascore:
74/100
Reviews: 135 user | 20 critic | 18 from Metacritic.com
The victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them. Director:Penny Marshall |
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121 min - 
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Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another
6 wins
&
4 nominations
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Robert De Niro | ... | ||
| Robin Williams | ... | ||
| Julie Kavner | ... |
Eleanor Costello
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Ruth Nelson | ... |
Mrs. Lowe
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| John Heard | ... |
Dr. Kaufman
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| Penelope Ann Miller | ... |
Paula
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Alice Drummond | ... |
Lucy
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| Judith Malina | ... |
Rose
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Barton Heyman | ... |
Bert
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George Martin | ... |
Frank
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| Anne Meara | ... |
Miriam
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| Richard Libertini | ... |
Sidney
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Laura Esterman | ... |
Lolly
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Dexter Gordon | ... |
Rolando
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Jayne Haynes | ... |
Frances
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Edit
Storyline
A new doctor finds himself with a ward full of comatose patients. He is disturbed by them and the fact that they have been comatose for decades with no hope of any cure. When he finds a possible chemical cure he gets permission to try it on one of them. When the first patient awakes, he is now an adult having gone into a coma in his early teens. The film then delights in the new awareness of the patients and then on the reactions of their relatives to the changes in the newly awakened. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Plot Summary | Add SynopsisTaglines:
There is no such thing as a simple miracle.Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
(USA) See more »Also Known As:
Despertares See more »Box Office
Opening Weekend:
$417,076 (USA) (25 December 1990) (12 Screens)Gross:
$52,096,475 (USA)Company Credits
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company contact information on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Dr. Sullivan: Really!
Dr. Sayer: Yes. I was on the project for 5 years. I was the only one who believed in it. Everyone else said it couldn't be done.
Dr. Kaufman: It can't.
Dr. Sayer: I know that now. I proved it.
See more »
Written by Gene Rodemich (as G. Rodemich) & Larry Conley (as L. Conley)
Performed by Fletcher Henderson
Courtesy of MCA Records See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Prior to filming, the actors portraying patients studied films of Dr. Oliver Sacks's actual post-encephalitis patients, and Robert De Niro and Robin Williams spent time with Sacks in the hospital observing him and his patients. See more »Goofs
Continuity: During the scene in the parking lot just before Eleanor tells Dr. Sayer she believes his theory about the "will of the ball", Dr. Sayer is first shown from the passenger side of his Plymouth Valiant, which has no gear shift knob on the right side of the steering column. Valiant models in the '60s had what was known as "typewriter drive", where the driver changed gears by pressing buttons in a column on the dash to the left of the steering wheel. In the next shot, Sayer is shown from the driver's side and after he starts the car, he shifts gears with a knob on the right side of the steering column that wasn't there in the previous shot. See more »Quotes
Dr. Sayer: [in job interview] It was an immense project. I was to extract 1 decagram of milan from 4 tons of earth worms.Dr. Sullivan: Really!
Dr. Sayer: Yes. I was on the project for 5 years. I was the only one who believed in it. Everyone else said it couldn't be done.
Dr. Kaufman: It can't.
Dr. Sayer: I know that now. I proved it.
See more »
Soundtracks
"Shanghai Shuffle"Written by Gene Rodemich (as G. Rodemich) & Larry Conley (as L. Conley)
Performed by Fletcher Henderson
Courtesy of MCA Records See more »
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