AWAKENINGS. Directed by Penny Marshall; written by Steven Zaillian; produced by Walter F. Parker and Lawrence Lasker for Columbia. Starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro. Rated PG-13.
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Awakenings is a minor miracle of a movie. Its story is the kind that Hollywood seems unable to tell without oversimplifying and over-sentimentalizing. But this time, by mixing in a little humor and some large doses of real, complex human interactions in with the pathos, they get it right.
Don't misunderstand, Awakenings is definitely a 2- or 3-Kleenex movie for sure. But the tears it jerks, for the most part, aren't cheap shots but are legitimately earned.
Williams is Malcolm Sayers, a neurologist more accustomed to dealing with test tubes than people. One of his new charges, though, is Leonard (De Niro) whose unhappy case history is dramatized in a moving prelude.
For many years Leonard, along with several other patients, has resembled a human statue. Seemingly awake, but totally unresponsive, everyone assumes they are unconscious of their surroundings. But Sayers isn't so sure and he soon devises treatments that gradually, then dramatically, "awaken" Leonard and the others.
All the "Oscar talk" you hear about this movie is justified. Particularly in the acting category, although I wouldn't be surprised at a Best Picture nod as well.
De Niro's performance is outstanding even in comparison to his always excellent work. Williams' role isn't as flashy, but he does an equally good job with it. In fact, his low-key, understated portrayal might have been more difficult to achieve, considering the abnormally high energy level he usually brings to his characters.
Along with the performances, one of the best things about Awakenings is its refusal to simplify the consequences of the patients', especially Leonard's, revivals.
It's inspiring, certainly, but also frightening and frustrating. The ad for the movie read "There's no such thing as a simple miracle," and that sums it up perfectly.
January 30, 1991