Christmas 2020 Reviews: Day 20 - While You Were Sleeping (1995)

This poster is different from those attached to the other films I've reviewed this month in that there is nothing that suggests this is a Christmas film. While the other films have red or green as their main colours, or the film titles allude to Christmas, usually from some awful gimmick or pun, this one has no hint of that.

Yet I've come to the decision that While You Were Sleeping is in fact a Christmas film. It's set around Christmas time, the houses are decorated with lights on the outside and Christmas ornaments on the inside, people give each other presents and the main events that start off the central plot all occur on Christmas day.

Therefore, this is a Christmas film. It's just that Christmas is over after the first half an our of the film or so. Also, if I had to watch Holidate when that barely had any Christmas in it, then I get to watch a film with a similar issue that I actually liked.

While You Were Sleeping follows Sandra Bullock as Lucy, a lonely ticket collector at a train station, who has developed an unspoken crush on Peter (played by Peter Gallagher), a handsome man whom she watches get on a train each day.

While working on Christmas Day, Lucy sees Peter getting mugged on the platform, and he falls onto the tracks as a train approaches. Lucy saves his life, but when she goes to visit him in the hospital, she finds that Peter is in a coma, and after a misunderstanding, his family believe that she is his fiancé. For the first time in years, Lucy is welcomed into a family, and accepted as one of them by everyone except for Peter's brother, Jack (Bill Pullman), who is suspicious about who Lucy really is. However, as Jack and Lucy spend more time together, it seems that Peter might not be the brother Lucy is in love with after all...

This film has a very creepy concept, and that's probably it's biggest issue. A lonely woman takes on the identity comatose man's fiancé, and lets his loved ones believe it so that she can become a part of their family and not feel lonely anymore. If that plotline alone bothers you, then you should know that she receives no repercussions for this. Normally, I would be horrified, and writing out that synopsis didn't leave me with a good feeling, but Sandra Bullock is charming in this role, that you can just about forgive her. Her character shouldn't be likeable, but Bullock makes her so appealing, and even relatable somehow. You do feel bad for her for having been lonely for so long, and you understand why she has allowed herself to be accepted into this family, even though it's more than a little morally dubious.

Bill Pullman as Jack is an attractive male lead. The way we see him make up his mind about Lucy, and start to like her himself feels natural, and the two share good chemistry together. He sells the parts where he's unsure of Lucy, and later, more affectionate towards her, authentically. The supporting cast is also very strong, with Peter Gallagher as Peter, Lucy's supposed fiancé. He's not in the film very much (not consciously anyway) but when he is, he brings an innocence and vulnerability to a character who on the page, I think was conceived as more of a spoilt snob.

I also really liked Jack and Peter's family members, such as their parents (played by Peter Boyle and Micole Mercurio). Peter Boyle as the father was particularly well done, as he was a bit gruff, but when it came to his children and their feelings, he was very understanding, even when that hurt him, which you want in a dad. I also liked Jack Warden as Saul, the lonely older man who is friends with Jack and Peter's family, who becomes an ally to Lucy after he is the only one to know the truth of her situation. I think some of his advice was a bit misguided, but he was still likeable.

So, it seems like I really liked this film. And I did like it. It wasn't flawless though.

There's nothing really memorable about the cinematography or music used in this film, although in its defence, that's highly standard in the chick flick world. The premise is a bit creepy for my taste, and I found that the humour could be a bit off too, but again, that may be down to personal taste. There's a character called Joe Junior (played by Michael Rispoli) who I think gets a bit more screen-time than is needed, but he's a decent comic character to have here, and his intentions towards Lucy, while not wanted, are never threatening or malicious in any way. He's actually rather caring towards her, which is nice.

It does bother me that Lucy is never forced to deal with the seriousness of the position she put herself in, especially when there are several characters who know about it and just go along with the fact. I wish there had been a moment for her to really feel the weight of this.

This is a very standard chick flick. It's enjoyable, will pass the time nicely, and there's a strong cast here that make these characters memorable. It's one of the better films I've reviewed this year, but not a must see. If the premise bothers you, you probably won't like it, but if you're willing to forgive it in order to watch these actors play their parts well, then you'll enjoy it.

THE SCOREBOARD

Would I recommend this film? Yes

Christmas quote of the film: "You know, Jack, I've had a really lousy Christmas. You've just managed to kill my New Year's. If you come back on Easter- you can burn down my apartment." - Lucy

Film rating: 6/10