Awakenings

"There is no such thing as a simple miracle."

1990 2h 0m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

🍅

81%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.8

IMDB

★7.8TMDB · 2,979🍅81%Rotten Tomatoes●74Metacritic★7.8IMDB · 171,002

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician, uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, proves a rebirth for Sayer too, as the exuberant patient reveals life's simple but unutterably sweet pleasures to the introverted doctor.

“There is no such thing as a simple miracle.”

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Cast

Robert De Niro
Leonard Lowe
Robin Williams
Malcolm Sayer
John Heard
Dr. Kaufman
Julie Kavner
Eleanor Costello
Penelope Ann Miller
Paula
Ruth Nelson
Mrs. Lowe
Max von Sydow
Peter Ingham
Anne Meara
Miriam

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Penny Marshall
Writers: Steven Zaillian
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Penny Marshall, shot by Miroslav Ondříček. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Randy Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Editor Gerald B. Greenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Robert De Niro and Robin Williams and John Heard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "There is no such thing as a simple miracle.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0099077 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Penny Marshall directs. Miroslav Ondříček behind the camera. Randy Newman scores. Gerald B. Greenberg cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

136 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Penny Marshall, shot by Miroslav Ondříček. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Randy Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Gerald B. Greenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Robert De Niro and Robin Williams and John Heard carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "There is no such thing as a simple miracle.".
7IMDB entry: tt0099077 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 11 themes, including "coma", "experiment", "based on novel or book", "hope".

The technical file

Cinematography: Miroslav Ondříček
Original score: Randy Newman
Editing: Gerald B. Greenberg
Production design: Anton Furst
Costume design: Cynthia Flynt
Makeup / hair: Ilona Herman
Sound: Matthew Iadarola
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $31,000,000
Box office: $52,096,475
Return: 168% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Awakenings (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 74/100
IMDB rating: 7.8/10 · 171,002 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 3 Oscars. 6 wins & 11 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Penny Marshall

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-01-01
★ 5/10
A ‘hospital film’ with Robin Williams and Robert De Niro, based on a true story A shy doctor (Robin Williams) gets a job at a Bronx hospital in 1969 where he attends to several patients in a catatonic state after the encephalitis epidemic of 1917–28. He experiments with a new drug that offers the hope of reviving them. Robert De Niro plays his key patient, Julie Kavner his nurse and John Heard his supervisor. Penelope Ann Miller is also on hand as a potential romantic interest. "Awakenings” (1990) is based on Oliver Sacks' 1973 memoir of the same name, which chronicled the true event that occurred the summer of ’69. Being a hospital movie about ailing people trying to recover puts it in the same camp as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” (1975) and “Instinct” (1999), but it’s not as compelling. There’s just not enough human interest beyond the viewer being sympathetic toward the patients’ plight and wanting them to get well. It’s also marred by some blatant predictableness, like Leonard’s name on the bench and the “cup of coffee” aspect. Still, this is a tale that needed to be told and I’m not sorry I watched it. It’s just overrated. The film runs 2 hours and was shot in Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, New York City. GRADE: C+

Production companies