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Movie Review | 'Awake'

Down but Not Really Out

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Dec. 1, 2007

In the loopy medical thriller “Awake,” Hayden Christensen plays Clayton Beresford Jr., a wealthy young man who suffers a condition called anesthesia awareness during a heart transplant. Conscious but immobile, he gives us a voice-over play-by-play of the proceedings, and if you are one of those who viewed his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker as the ne plus ultra of lifelessness, prepare to be proven wrong.

Before this trauma, Clayton’s heart is already overburdened. Nursing an overbearing mother (Lena Olin), suppressed memories of his father’s death and a clandestine relationship with the sultry Samantha (Jessica Alba), he is relieved when a donor organ becomes available. The last-minute appearance of a substitute anesthesiologist, however, is not quite so encouraging.

Shot partly at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, “Awake” is filled with risible medical behavior (the sterility of the operating room is repeatedly compromised) and a horizontal Mr. Christensen screaming variations on “Oh no, I can feel that!” Made bearable solely by the impeccable Terrence Howard as Clay’s troubled surgeon, the movie is ultimately likely to alarm only those responsible for paying medical malpractice premiums.

The writer and director, Joby Harold, claims to have been inspired to write the film while suffering from a particularly painful kidney stone. Watching it may be for some a comparable experience.

“Awake” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has bathtub sex and operating-table trauma.

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Eye For Film >> Movies >> Awake (2007) Film Review

Reviewed by: Val Kermode

Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is a billionaire businessman trying to live up to the even greater success of his late father. He has a beautiful girlfriend, Sam (Jessica Alba). When we first hear the two of them talking about “when are you going to tell her?” we assume he’s married. But the woman he hasn’t told about the relationship is his very controlling mother. Sam works as a PA for Clay’s mother (Lena Olin) in the family home, which is how the two of them met. They have been secretly engaged for six months.

Clay also happens to be waiting for a heart transplant. Dr Harper (Terrence Howard) is the surgeon who has become Clay’s friend since he saved his life after a previous heart attack. He urges Clay not to waste time, but to confront his mother and to get on with his life with Sam. When Clay does decide to tell his her, she takes it as a betrayal but, having told her, he decides to get married right away in the middle of the night. Dr Harper helps him set this up and is there as a witness for the happy couple. Within hours the call comes through that a donor heart is available.

Clay’s mother has a top surgeon whom she wants to perform the transplant. But Clay goes against her wishes and insists upon having his friend, Dr Harper. We see him being prepped for the operation, the small medical team assembling, Sam tearfully wishing him well.

What follows is the most gripping sequence, as Clay is given the anaesthetic, but it doesn’t work. He counts down and stops counting. But he realises that he is not falling asleep and can still hear everything that is being said. He is trapped, paralysed. We can hear his inner voice, see his thoughts, as he desperately tries to focus through the pain - the stuff of nightmares. This is extremely well done, but is only the beginning of a plot which owes something to film noir. To say more about what happens would be to spoil it.

The plot device of the patient being awake is crucial in showing us events past and present through his own eyes. It is very cleverly handled, as is the use of the oft-reported "out of body" experience, so that Clay, desperate to move and communicate, is allowed to get up and see beyond the operating theatre, where his wife and mother are waiting for him. Flashbacks, so often overused, serve a dual purpose here, both giving us essential information and helping the central character to survive. The use of lighting is impressive, especially a scene in his mother’s apartment where the lights go out one after another as Clay struggles to hold onto life. In another scene the mother lights a cigarette and this light in the darkness forms a fragile bond between mother and son, which in turn reminds us of an earlier scene on a subway train when Sam breaks up a cigarette, saying “You don’t need these.”

I am not sure how surgically realistic this film is and I don’t believe the statistics given at the beginning about how many people wake during surgery. It certainly isn’t recommended for anyone about to undergo an operation. But it is a very well made film and an amazing debut from Joby Harold, certainly a director to watch out for in future.

Director: Joby Harold

Writer: Joby Harold

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin, Christopher McDonald, Sam Robards, Arliss Howard, Fisher Stevens, Georgina Chapman, David Harbour

Runtime: 84 minutes

Country: US

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Awake Reviews

Awake may actually be the perfect video rental for even the most hardcore insomniac.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4.0 | Sep 2, 2020

A gripping thriller with a good twist and a fantastic medical plot device, Awake is a good watch and succeeds in providing an uneasy feeling as the knives go in...

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Oct 20, 2018

so far fetched that I couldn't swallow the story

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Sep 4, 2014

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Oct 3, 2012

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 16, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 16, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 0.5/5 | Apr 4, 2011

Writer-director Joby Harold's debut is stylishly self-assured and suspenseful enough to quicken the pulse.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 5, 2008

Outlandish, preposterous, contrived,and implausible thriller which happens to be fun if you ignore the fact that it's outlandish,preposterous,contrived and implausible.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 2, 2008

Imagine it's a comedy and pray for the end.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Apr 25, 2008

Less painful than having your chest cut open, but a disagreeable experience just the same.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Apr 6, 2008

Se um ator admirvel como Terrence Howard surge to constrangedor neste longa, que chances teriam pobres aspirantes a intrpretes como Hayden Christensen e Jessica Alba?

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Apr 4, 2008

Sex, Lies and Surgical Tape meets I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus!

Full Review | Mar 19, 2008

It becomes more and more fun as the twists pile up -- not entirely convincing, but diverting, like something concocted by a bright eighth-grader.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 10, 2008

Harold sustains an unsettling tone and the graphic depiction of what goes on under the knife is, well, a surgery-phobic patient's worst nightmare

Full Review | Jan 10, 2008

The twist-happy screenplay holds together, and the actors around Christensen are better than they have to be: not only reliable hands like Lena Olin and Arliss Howard, but also a perfectly cast Jessica Alba, smartly playing with and against her looks.

Makes one want to assume a state of mind opposite to the film's title.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Dec 30, 2007

Unloads a volley of plot twists that'll have you slapping your head in disbelief, provided you haven't figured them out by the end of Act I.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 16, 2007

While much of "Awake" simply doesn't work, there are just enough things on display that do to make you wish that someone had taken the time to elaborate on them

Full Review | Dec 14, 2007

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Drama , Horror , Mystery/Suspense

Content Caution

In Theaters

Hayden Christensen as Clay Beresford; Jessica Alba as Sam; Terrence Howard as Dr. Jack Harper; Lena Olin as Lilith Beresford

Home Release Date

Joby Harold

Distributor

Movie review.

This is a movie with heart. In fact, it has several.

That’s because Clay Beresford, a fabulously wealthy twentysomething tycoon, has a faulty ticker. He’s got to get it replaced. But you can’t just buy these things on eBay—at least not yet—and doctors tell him that suitable hearts are tricky to come by.

Still, he’s losing less sleep over that predicament than he is over the problematic women in his life. First, there’s his controlling mother, who loves her son with an almost creepy vehemence. Then there’s his beautifully sweet fiancée—and his mother’s personal assistant—Sam, whom Clay sees on the sly because he doesn’t think his mom would approve of their relationship. Clay’s going to stand up to his mother … one of these days. But Sam wants to stop all this sneaking around sooner rather than later and get rich—I mean, hitched.

“I deserve my happily-ever-after, too, Clay,” she says.

Finally, one rainy evening, the ever-obliging Clay decides enough is enough. He tells his mom about the relationship, makes an honest woman of Sam and then, just as they’re embarking on their first church-sanctioned roll in the hay, an electronic pager notifies him that a new heart— his new heart—is on its way.

It’s a red-letter day for Clay, and he has ever-so-much confidence he’ll make it to the credits alive, because his best friend is also the surgeon who’s going to be working on him. Clay assumes he’ll just take a four-hour, drug-induced nap on the operating table and wake up with a new heart, a new wife and a big new scar sure to wow the boys at the board meetings. What could be better?

But for some reason, the anesthesia isn’t working right. He can’t move, but he can hear and, more disturbingly, feel everything: the razor shaving his chest; the cold, antiseptic sponge; the scalpel.

If that wasn’t bad enough, he learns that the doctors—including his best friend—want him dead. And they’re in a pretty good position to do something about it.

Positive Elements

They say blood is thicker than water, and this movie seems to want to prove it—particularly if it’s O negative. Turns out, Clay’s mom—while a little clingy—really just wants what’s best for her son. And she’s willing to do anything for him, including making the ultimate sacrifice. (But there’s more to that story, and it can’t be told underneath a header that reads, “Positive Elements”—so I’ll come back to it later.)

Clay is largely a stand-up guy. He cares for his mom, loves his best girl and is loyal to his friends to a fault—in this case, a very literal fault. Awake seems to laud Clay’s loyalty and honor on one hand, but that makes us feel his sense of betrayal all the more when the folks he trusted turn out to be less than, um, trustworthy.

Sam tells Clay to quit smoking. And Sam and Clay give money to a down-on-his-luck vagrant in the subway.

Spiritual Elements

Clay and his mother, Lilith, throw a lavish Halloween party, and Lilith dresses up as a nun. Clay and Sam get married in a beautiful stone church in the middle of the night, the ceremony presided over by a pastor who owed Clay’s best man (and soon-to-be surgeon) a favor.

The drugs the anesthesiologist gives to Clay right before surgery cause Clay to say, with feeling, “Oh, my, god!” “Yeah, that’s Him all right,” the anesthesiologist answers. Some characters, either dead or on the brink of death, walk through settings familiar to them, like ghosts. And they chat with one another in soft, yellow light. Whether the afterlife, in the film’s morality, just consists of a handful of familiar rooms is never really addressed.

Sexual Content

Clay is taking a bath as the film opens, holding his breath underwater. Sam interrupts him, wonders aloud what he was thinking about down there, and then surmises he must’ve been “thinking of making love to me all morning and then taking me out for a really big breakfast.” Clay tells her that he was just wondering what she’d look like with her clothes dripping wet and promptly pulls her in. They engage in much passionate kissing, Sam straddling Clay in the bath. Later, the two brush their teeth while nude. (They’re shown from behind and the waist up with possibly some mirrored reflections from a few other angles.) In flashback mode, we again see Sam’s bare back and part of her side.

Once the two are married, Clay and Sam return to Sam’s place and start stripping off each other’s clothes, with Clay writhing around on top of his new wife.

In the early going, Awake does its best to wink at the idea that there’s something vaguely incestuous about Lilith and Clay’s relationship. Among other things, the costume party recalls a critical scene from 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate , which featured an inappropriate lip-lock between the film’s mom and son.

Violent Content

In any R-rated thriller that largely takes place inside an operating room, audiences are almost guaranteed to see some serious surgical gore. And so it is here.

We queasily watch as doctors slice open Clay’s chest with a scalpel, then saw through his rib cage with some sort of rotary device one might seemingly buy at Home Depot. They insert another gizmo that spreads the ribs apart—and one of them snaps.

“That’s going to hurt in the morning,” an M.D. quips.

Only thing is, Clay’s hurting right now : He’s still fully conscious, though apparently paralyzed, and he feels every slice, snip and saw. We watch as doctors remove one slimy heart, stitch in another, and even slap in a third. We’re “treated” to the sight of Clay—in the midst of an out-of-body experience—grasp at his own gaping chest. And we see him then sit up and spew clear liquid out of his mouth.

[ Spoiler Warning ] Outside the OR, in flashback mode, we see from a distance Clay’s father slap Lilith across the face, and then watch as he moves menacingly toward Clay. Lilith warns him to leave Clay alone and, when he doesn’t stop, she apparently whacks him on the back of the head with something long and metal. Clay’s father puts his hand to the back of his neck, feels blood, and then tumbles from a nearby staircase to the floor below. (He’s dead, but we don’t see the impact.)

One evildoer, when captured, has her face pressed into the floor by police as they handcuff her.

Crude or Profane Language

Characters utter nearly 30 f-words and another 15-plus s-words. They also misuse God’s name about a dozen times, a few times mixing it with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is abused at least another 10 times.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Both Clay and his mother smoke. We see Lilith puffing on the occasional cigarette. And Sam takes a cigarette away from Clay. Several guests carry around drinks during the Halloween party. Clay’s anesthesiologist takes a swig from a metal flask while talking on the phone. From a distance, we see Clay’s father snorting cocaine.

Sam puts a couple of pills—apparently heart medication—into Clay’s mouth, and doctors give him drugs via IV before the operation.

Other Negative Elements

Doctors and nurses display a frightening disregard of the Hippocratic oath.

[ Spoiler Warning ] Remember Lilith’s “ultimate sacrifice”? Well, it comes in the form of her committing suicide.

According to Awake , about 30,000 people a year experience what experts call “anesthetic awareness.” It’s what happens, supposedly, when a person is unable to move, but is aware and awake. Though the jury’s still out on whether victims feel pain, The Anesthesia Awareness Campaign reports that half of them experience post-traumatic stress disorder. Anesthesiologists, for their part, say these figures are outrageously inflated: After asking more than 200,000 people whether they had any recollection of their operations, only six said they did—one per every 14,560 procedures.

No matter. The “event” is just a gimmick to set up a reasonably clever, pull-the-rug-out-from-under-you thriller—a film that has, for the record, more in common with a jigsaw puzzle than Jigsaw, that evil mastermind who headlines the torture-porn Saw films.

But take note: Awake is an R-rated puzzle, sporting lots of really slimy internal organs and language that could’ve easily been surgically removed. That leads me to conclude that absolutely nothing, not even a modest sense of decorum, was to be allowed to get in the way of the film’s primary purpose. Which is? To scare the wits out of anyone who needs (or might ever need) major surgery.

Like surgery isn’t scary enough.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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Awake (United States, 2007)

As is often true of "high concept" movies like this one, the most interesting aspect - the hook that gets us into the theater - does little more than add some color. Awake , the writing/directing debut of Joby Harold (who might not be given another chance after this one), is a cheesy thriller that takes place almost entirely within the confines of a hospital with the protagonist lying on a table having his chest cavity opened and his heart cut out. That description functions figuratively as well as literally. Since he is afflicted with a condition called "anesthetic awareness" (which, according to a helpful opening caption, impacts about 1 out of 700 people who undergo general anesthesia), he lies paralyzed on the operating table, apparently unconscious, but actually completely aware of everything going on around him. And one of the things he learns by listening to the doctors talk is that he isn't as well-loved a figure as he thinks he is. His bad ticker isn't the only reason why his days on Earth might be limited.

Ultimately, it doesn't make much difference that Clay (Hayden Christensen) is awake as his open-heart surgery is being performed. The progression of the plot, with all of its tacky twists and turns, would have progressed just as readily without Clay's awareness. All of the deep-rooted horror associated with the concept of a person who can feel every scalpel cut yet cannot cry out or find some other means of release is glossed over. Christensen does some screaming and whimpering and overacting, but that's about it. The film uses Clay's perspective to unveil past episodes in his life via flashback. We soon discover he's more interesting when he's lying flat on his back in the operating theater.

He is surrounded by refugees from Hitchcock films: the angelic woman (Jessica Alba) who's probably not as doting as she seems to be, the helpful doctor/best friend (Terrence Howard) who's probably not as helpful as he appears to be, the inebriated anesthesiologist (Christopher McDonald) who's probably not as inept as the flask in his pocket would lead one to believe, and the controlling mother (Lena Olin) who's probably not as bitchy as she seems to be. The way these characters interact with each other and the manner in which the master plan unfolds will stretch the credulity of even the most generous viewer. If you go with the flow, there's some dumb fun to be had, but be sure to place the emphasis on the word "dumb."

In this season when nearly every movie highlights its actors in the hope of getting them onto Oscar's short list, Awake has elected to bypass this route and head straight for the Razzies. Hayden Christensen reinforces my belief that his acting is at its strongest when he's playing a low-key character. As soon as he's forced to emote, his voice begins cracking like a boy in puberty. One half-expects him to start complaining that Obi-Wan and the other Jedi are holding him back. Jessica Alba does her usual good job of providing eye candy. She doesn't show any more acting ability here than in her previous roles, but at least she provides a few tantalizing glimpses of flesh. Still no full nudity, but this is as far as she's gone. For a couple that's supposed to be very much in love, these two have about as much chemistry as Anakin and Padme. One wonders whether the revered romance writer George Lucas was brought in to pen the love scenes.

Some of the sequences with Clay on the operating table are effective, if only because the situation gets us thinking what it would be like to be in his position. Ultimately, however, keeping Clay awake is just a convenient short-hand method of getting the treacherous plot into the open and giving us a protagonist who isn't kept immobile for the movie's length. While Clay's body may be stuck, his mind lets him roam free, uncovering clues from lost memories and putting all the pieces together (in case we're too stupid to figure things out for ourselves). Awake is short enough (about 85 minutes) that it doesn't wear out its welcome. It's not a good movie but it's silly and lively enough to keep most viewers from dozing off, even if that might be a more profitable use of their time.

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So here’s a question. How does a movie featuring Jessica Alba, Hayden Christensen and Terrence Howard just sneak into theaters with hardly anyone even knowing the movie exists? The answer is simple… it’s a HORRIBLE BORING movie that the studios knew well enough to not bother blowing more money on a marketing campaign for.

THE GENERAL IDEA

Hayden Christensen plays one of the wealthiest men in the world who also happens to have a heart of gold who uses his wealth to not only build MORE wealth, but also to improve the city and create jobs for people. Such a nice guy. Problem is, even though he has a proverbial heart of gold, his LITERAL heart is bad and he’s in need of a heart transplant. He’s also secretly engaged to Jessica Alba’s character who he loves with his whole defective heart… but he’s been hesitant to tell his mother who he fears will freak out at the news.

One thing leads to another and when a heart becomes available, Hayden goes in for the transplant operation with his best friend (Terrence Howard) performing the procedure. The problem is, Hayden experiences a real condition called “anesthetic awareness” where the patient is put under, but is fully conscious and aware of what is going on and can still hear and feel everything. That would SUCK! While lying helpless and yet fully awake on the operating table (to everyone else it looks like he’s under) Hayden discovers that someone has a plan to kill him and profit from his death. DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN!

There is one pretty decent plot twist in the film.. and another AWESOME plot twist that total caught me off guard and I did not see coming. I obviously can tell you what it is except to say that it was set up in such a way that it really got me, and not only was it a twist just for the sake of a twist… it actually played perfectly into the story. It really was well done.

Terrance Howard as the Hayden’s best friend and doctor was very good. He played the role with a lot of subtlety and made great use of gestures and mannerisms to express and communicate things about his character.

The operating scenes looked VERY real. I’m not kidding… it was outrageously uncomfortable to watch… which leads us to…

Ok, we frigging get it. Open heart surgery looks gross. I kid you not… at least 20 minutes of the film the camera was on a ripped open chest. I can completely see the need for it up to a certain point (ie. seeing the doctors break his chest open so we can identify with and experience some of the horror Hayden must be experiencing being awake), but after that it was just gratuitous. It’s almost as if the producer said “Damn, we spent $300,000 on this realistic open chest… lets use it on screen as much as possible”. It became a total distraction from the story (not that there was much of one) and just felt needless as if they were just killing time.

No pace. People often misunderstand me when I say a film lacked pace. Slow movies are fine if there is a sense of motion to them, a pace. This movie from the first 5 minutes felt like it was trying to drive 2 wheel through thick mud. Entire sections of the film were just at a stand still with no progression or development. The best way to describe it is that it felt like at times the movie was just loitering.

Pointless. Here’s the thing… the movie is called “AWAKE” which suggests one of the key things to the story is that fact that Hayden is conscious during the procedure and over hears secrets in the operating room. Great…. but it has NO EFFECT on the story whatsoever. If this movie were done again, only Hayden was actually out cold… EVERYTHING else in the movie would have been 100% the exact same. I’m not kidding. Hayden being “AWAKE” has NOTHING to do with the rest of the story or the movie at all. It was completely pointless. Very frustrating for someone who sat through the whole thing waiting for the relevance that never arrived.

Some respectable performances (even by Alba) and an AMAZING little plot twist are wasted on this motionless, boring and by the end pointless film. Gore gimmicks that are better suited for the SAW series became a distraction, and having your main premise of the film end up being irrelevant to the actual story didn’t help either. AWAKE is a boring, uncomfortable film that felt much longer than it actually was. Don’t bother with it. I end up giving Awake a 3/10.

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Joby Harold
Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin, Christopher McDonald, Sam Robards, Arliss Howard, Fisher Stevens, Georgina Chapman, Steven Hinkle.

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What would happen if humanity completely lost the ability to sleep? This simple catastrophic premise opens the world of Mark Raso ’s “Awake” to all sorts of chaos, as humanity descends into madness with each waking moment unless a miracle cure can be found in just a handful of days.

It turns out that the cure may rest in a bright-eyed young girl named Matilda ( Ariana Greenblatt ). Somehow, she’s one of a few souls still able to sleep. She was in a car accident with her mother Jill ( Gina Rodriguez ) and brother Noah ( Lucius Hoyos ) just as a solar flare wiped out most human technology. Briefly, it looked like the little girl may have drowned from their car careening into a lake, but she miraculously survived. While the family avoids tragedy on that first day of the apocalypse, it’s just the beginning of humanity’s descent into sleep-deprived mania. Jill, a wayward security guard and a veteran with PTSD, learns from her job that psychologists and doctors are rallying to find a cure at a distant location. But having seen the torture Dr. Murphy ( Jennifer Jason Leigh ) inflicted on prisoners of war, Jill doubts she can trust the scientists to save her and her kids.

Raso, who co-wrote the apocalyptic thriller with his brother Joseph, keeps tensions high throughout “Awake” by compounding the stakes for our main characters. Not only does Jill have to fight off desperate zombie-like sleep-deprived assailants, she’s dealing with her own deteriorating acuity, plus that of her son’s decline and the hordes of people who want her daughter to see if she can restore their sleep. There’s a “ Bird Box ”-like essence in the “desperate mother saves her kids from untold evils” approach, but Raso and cinematographer Alan Poon give “Awake” a brighter color palette to work with, and the characters don’t look like they’re plunged into darkness until the grim end. The Raso brothers’ story touches on many ideas, like Jill’s traumatic wartime experience and her tumultuous return to the civilian life, the human instinct towards violence in times of a crisis, and finding hope for the future in a younger generation. Sometimes, these ideas can feel insufficiently explored for the sake of moving the story to its next altercation.

In “Awake,” Rodriguez plays Jill with such forceful determination that when her mental health declines, the change is drastic. Her body language shifts from that of an action hero and combat training to someone near death, complete with a hazy unfocused stare, heavy limbs and unable to hold herself up. The character’s relationship with her son Noah begins on a strained note but subtly and gradually shifts during the movie, giving Hoyos the chance to play both a moody teen resentful of his absentee mom and one humbled by tragedy, the eldest child stepping up and taking care of his mother. As heartfelt as Rodriguez’s performance is, she’s almost outshone by her youngest co-star, the ten-year-old Greenblatt. Greenblatt is her own force of energy, propelling the film's emotional scenes. Greenblatt has a number of tough moments and meets each challenge on its own level.

There are a handful of moments that don’t quite work as well as the family drama at the heart of “Awake.” A few special effects looks terribly fake, like a starry night background that pushed my mind away the emotional moment playing out in front of it. Leigh’s brief appearance as Dr. Murphy reunites the actress with her “ Annihilation ” co-star Rodriguez, and Leigh’s character seems to be a spiritual successor of sorts to the character in their previous film, tight-lipped and commanding, but Dr. Murphy’s part in the story seems slight in comparison.

“Awake” has just enough scares and strangeness, plus a sense of dread and paranoia, to make its horror creepy and enjoyable. It’s not a flawless thriller, but enough different elements click into place, like Rodriguez and Greenblatt’s performances. There's also the storyline weirdness that the Rasos included from their research on sleep deprivation, about how the few days it takes to destroy one’s mind fly by at a quick pace. At the center of violence and chaos, one family’s drive to stick together keeps them sane and grounded.

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Monica Castillo

Monica Castillo is a critic, journalist, programmer, and curator based in New York City. She is the Senior Film Programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center and a contributor to RogerEbert.com .

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Awake (2021)

Gina Rodriguez as Jill

Ariana Greenblatt as Matilda

Shamier Anderson

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Frances Fisher

Barry Pepper

Joseph Raso
Gregory Poirier

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Michele Conroy
Antonio Pinto

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Common sense media reviewers.

Silly surgery thriller is bloody, convoluted.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Scheming, careless doctors; anesthesiologist drink

Much bloody and yucky imagery related to surgery.

Clayton appears in bathtub, then pulls Sam in with

Many uses of "f--k" and "s--t" (some with "bull");

Lots of prescription pills are taken and shown in

Positive Messages

Scheming, careless doctors; anesthesiologist drinks on the job; an accidental murder appears in a flashback; mother and son relationship at first seems too intimate and codependent.

Violence & Scariness

Much bloody and yucky imagery related to surgery. Incisions show blood, organs, and internal goo; operation shows rib separator, cuts into heart; bloody surgeons' gloves. As Clay is "anesthetically aware" during surgery, he yells, screams, and expresses much pain. Clay and Lilith discuss his memories of his father's death. A character is hit with a fireplace poker; the body falls over a balcony, and there's a shot of the crumpled corpse on the floor three stories below. Suicide by pill overdose (body shown). When the cops arrest a woman, they smash her face against the floor.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Clayton appears in bathtub, then pulls Sam in with him (they engage in "sexy" talk during the seduction, such as "I was picturing you soaking wet with all your clothes on"). They kiss and embrace passionately before the scene cuts (sex is implied). They stand side by side in front of a mirror, naked; she's brushing her teeth, and the outline of her naked breast is visible. Several scenes show passionate kissing between the two, and at least one other scene shows the side of her breast. She appears in her bra and underwear beneath Clay as they kiss, preparing for sex -- but the scene cuts away before they get all their clothes off.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Many uses of "f--k" and "s--t" (some with "bull"); other language includes "hell," "ass," "damn," and "son of a bitch."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Lots of prescription pills are taken and shown in bottles (Clay has a heart condition). Minor cigarette smoking. Drinking and toasting (one hallucination includes a room full of schoolboys lifting wine glasses in a toast). An anesthesiologist drinks from a flask during surgery. A drunken character snorts cocaine.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that even though this grim thriller stars teen favorites Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba, it isn't meant for kids. There are many scenes of bloody open-heart surgery, with some explicit sound effects (cutting, sawing, ribcage cracking). Because Clay is conscious and feels pain during the surgery, there are some gruesome parts in which he internally screams, swears, and makes noises; it's essentially grisly torture (not unlike what passes for plot in the Saw movies). There are several kissing scenes, two of which lead to sex (though more is implied than shown). Expect lots of prescription medication use, some smoking (and discussion of it being bad for you) and drinking, and many uses of both "f--k" and "s--t." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Kids say (7)

Based on 3 parent reviews

Not suitable for people under 15.

Gives you a graphic look at the potential yet grisly complication known as anesthesia awareness., what's the story.

At 22, successful Clay ( Hayden Christensen ) is touted as a brilliant, social-minded businessman who creates jobs, looks after properties, and is a good son to his doing mother, Lilith ( Lena Olin ). But as his best friend Jack ( Terrence Howard ) makes clear at the start of AWAKE, Clay is in trouble. One, he has a bad heart -- in fact, he needs a transplant. And, two, his surgeon is Jack, who starts the film by describing the pain he feels at losing Clay on the operating table. What happened? Despite the fact that his friend was facing four malpractice suits and Lilith disapproved, Clay was perversely determined to have Jack perform the surgery. And Lilith became even more upset when she learned that Clay had a secret girlfriend, Sam ( Jessica Alba ) -- with whom he has several bouts of lively sex during the movie, despite his much-remarked weakened "condition." But even with all these pressures weighing on him, Clay was upbeat as he was finally wheeled into the operating room, imagining that he'd wake up on the other side with a new life. Or not.

Is It Any Good?

The gimmicky premise of Awake is the fact that one in 700 patients experience what's called "anesthetic awareness" during surgery. They feel every cut, every rib crack, and every stitch during surgery, but are paralyzed and unable to communicate the agony. Ouch. But this pain, uncomfortable as it is, has nothing on the pain of the movie's increasingly convoluted and contrived plot.

First of all, Clay's unfortunate condition is discovered by an out-of-body version of himself, who proceeds to run around the hospital in scrubs (why is never explained, as he lies on the table in a hospital gown), yelling at various relatives and doctors in an effort to get them to see that he's "awake." What's more, there are so many betrayals by so many characters that it's hard to care much about what happens to them -- unless you worry about the careers of folks like Howard and Olin, who outclass this silly material in every imaginable way. By the time Lilith has to explain to Sam how she can "feel" something is wrong in the operating room ("He's not just my son: we grew up together"), you've got the feeling that something is indeed very wrong -- with this film.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what makes a movie a thriller. Do you think this qualifies? Why? What characteristics do most thrillers have in common? Families can also discuss what -- if anything -- the characters in the movie learn. How would you describe the movie's version of morality? Are the characters' sacrifices worth it?

Movie Details

In theaters : November 30, 2007
On DVD or streaming : March 3, 2008
Cast : Hayden Christensen , Jessica Alba , Lena Olin
Director : Joby Harold
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
Studio : Weinstein Co.
Genre : Thriller
Run time : 84 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : language, an intense disturbing situation, and brief drug use.
Last updated : April 20, 2024

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A wealthy young man undergoing heart transplant surgery discovers that the surgical team intend to murder him.
While undergoing open heart surgery, a man's failed anesthetic leaves him completely alert, but paralyzed and unable to tell his doctors — Anonymous
Clay Beresford is wealthy, young and in love. He also needs a new heart. After a spur-of-the-moment wedding to his fiancee, Sam, he undergoes heart transplant, with the chief surgeon his friend, Dr Jack Harper. However, the anesthetic has a strange effect on him, paralyzing him but not putting him to sleep. The surgical team are not aware of this and continue with the operation. They also reveal that they intend to murder him. — grantss
In "Awake," a psychological thriller that tells the story of a man undergoing heart surgery while experiencing a phenomenon called "anesthetic awareness," which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make life-altering decisions while wrestling with her own personal drama. — Anonymous
The story focuses on a man who suffers "Anesthetic Awareness" (An occurrence where during surgery where not enough anesthetic medication for the patient's body weight), and finds himself awake and aware, but paralyzed, during heart surgery. His wife must wrestle with her own demons as a drama unfolds around them — Anonymous
Capital-investment firm chief Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is in love with Sam (Jessica Alba) but can't tell his mother Lilith Beresford (Lena Olin). Sam is his mother's personal assistant. Clay suffers from a heart condition & transplant will be carried out by Dr. Jack Harper (Terrence Howard) who had previously saved Clay's life and is now his good friend. His mother and her famous surgeon boyfriend try to dissuade him from going through the operation with a team of surgeons that have so many malpractice suits pending. Clay doesn't like that & tells his mum about Sam. Lilith disapproves of Sam as a match for Clay. Clays gets married to Sam privately by Dr Harper. As the surgery approaches, Lilith again begs Clay to reconsider his surgery at the hands of Jack, but Clay trusts Jack & goes ahead. During surgery Clay encounters "anesthetic awareness", completely paralyzed, but able to hear the doctors, and feel pain. Clay has an out-of-body experience and uncovers a murder plot against him. He finds that Dr. Harper, one other surgeon and a nurse will inject his transplanted heart with a chemical that will cause it to be rejected. Dr. Harper has doubts when Sam comes in. She is the main person in the conspiracy. The doctors want Clay to die because now that him and Sam are married, his millions will go to her, and in turn, pay for all the hospital's malpractice suits (later we find out that Sam used to be a nurse there). She proceeds to encourage Harper to go through with the plan and inject the transplanted heart. Clay is a rare blood type (O-) & they won't find a replacement in time. As the surgery goes on, Sam tries to befriend Clay's mother Lilith. One of the other doctors hits on Sam suggesting he has seen her before. Clay's mother is suspicious & finds that Sam was a nurse at the hospital under Harper. Clay, during his out of body experience, is dejected and accepts his fate. Clay's mother Lilith takes an overdose of some of her son's medicine, and calls her boyfriend, the prestigious surgeon, and tells him to come save her son. Her surgeon boyfriend returns to evict Dr. Harper, and, upon seeing Lilith's death, realized that she overdosed so that he could save her son (they had the same rare blood type). He then transplants the mother's heart into the son. Dr. Harper and his associates are arrested. As the transplant is complete Clay refuses to leave "limbo" since he has nothing left in the outside world after the death of his mother. His mother then proceeds to remind Clay that limbo with his mother and an afterlife with his father may not be that ideal. She reminds him that his father was an addict who was abusive to his son. During one such quarrel she had accidentally murdered her own husband as he was about to harm a young Clay. Dr. Harper continues to narrate the story, noting that Clay eventually had his revenge. Clay then "wakes up", or "becomes movement mobile", while Dr. Harper's words close the movie with "He is awake".

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COMMENTS

Awake movie review & film summary (2007)
The movie involves a very, very rich young man named Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen), who lives with his loving but dominating mother (), and fears to tell her about his engagement to the beautiful Samantha (Jessica Alba).But "the clock is ticking," he is warned by his friend and surgeon Jack Howard (Terrence Howard).Jack saved Clay in the E.R. after he had a massive heart attack, and ...
Awake
Jelisije J A movie with an interesting premise, but fails with its highly unrealistic third act. Still was worth a watch though. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/14/24 Full Review ...
Awake (2007 film)
Awake is a 2007 American conspiracy thriller film written and directed by Joby Harold (in his directorial debut). It stars Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard and Lena Olin.The film was released in the United States and Canada by The Weinstein Company and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on November 30, 2007.
Awake (2007)
Awake: Directed by Joby Harold. With Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin. A wealthy young man undergoing heart transplant surgery discovers that the surgical team intend to murder him.
Awake
Awake. Directed by Joby Harold. Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller. R. 1h 24m. By Jeannette Catsoulis. Dec. 1, 2007. In the loopy medical thriller "Awake," Hayden Christensen plays Clayton ...
Awake (2007)
Stay Awake for This. anaconda-40658 16 February 2016. Warning: Spoilers. Awake (2007): Dir: Joby Harold / Cast: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin, Arliss Howard: Intriguing thriller about awareness as Hayden Christensen goes for open heart surgery but doesn't fully render sleep.
Awake [2007] [Reviews]
Summary. Awake is a psychological thriller about a common occurrence called "anesthetic awareness," a horrifying phenomenon wherein a patient's (Hayden Christenson) failed anesthesia leaves him ...
Awake (2007) Movie Review from Eye for Film
Eye For Film >> Movies >> Awake (2007) Film Review Awake. Reviewed by: Val Kermode. ... The plot device of the patient being awake is crucial in showing us events past and present through his own eyes. It is very cleverly handled, as is the use of the oft-reported "out of body" experience, so that Clay, desperate to move and communicate, is ...
Awake
Awake is a psychological thriller about a common occurrence called "anesthetic awareness," a horrifying phenomenon wherein a patient's failed anesthesia leaves him fully conscious but physically paralyzed during surgery. The patient's charming new wife is forced to struggle with her own demons as a terrifying drama unfolds around the couple.
Awake
Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4.0 | Sep 2, 2020. A gripping thriller with a good twist and a fantastic medical plot device, Awake is a good watch and succeeds in providing an uneasy feeling as ...
Awake Movie Review
Kids say ( 8 ): Gina Rodriguez gives a powerful performance as a flawed but resilient and courageous woman trying to save her kids, but other elements of this high-concept thriller fall short. Awake seems in a hurry to plunge us into mayhem at the expense of a bit more time spent developing its story and characters.
Awake (2007)
Read movie and film review for Awake (2007) ... Read movie and film review for Awake (2007) - Joby Harold on AllMovie - Awake is one of those psychological thrillers… AllMovie. New Releases. In Theaters; New on DVD; Discover. Genres › Moods › Themes ... because the movies are so different in scope and subject matter. But both performances ...
Awake
Movie Review. This is a movie with heart. In fact, it has several. ... Awake seems to laud Clay's loyalty and honor on one hand, ... Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He's written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The ...
Awake
Awake (United States, 2007) A movie review by James Berardinelli. As is often true of "high concept" movies like this one, the most interesting aspect - the hook that gets us into the theater - does little more than add some color. Awake, the writing/directing debut of Joby Harold (who might not be given another chance after this one), is a ...
Awake Review
November 30, 2007 November 30, 2007 John Campea 9 Comments. Watch our Awake review here: ... umm i personally thought that the movie awake was a very good movie. I understand the non relevance to the "awake during surgery" but imagine the movie without him being awake. I loved hayden in it and i loved jessica alba in it and the twist to the ...
Awake [2007]
All Reviews Editor's Choice Game Reviews Movie Reviews TV Show Reviews Tech Reviews. Discover. Videos. ... Awake [2007] News. Latest. Articles. Reviews. Mar 15, 2012. Hollywood's Fake Latinos.
Awake (2007) Movie Reviews
Awake (2007) Critic Reviews and Ratings Powered by Rotten Tomatoes Rate Movie. Close Audience Score. The percentage of users who made a verified movie ticket purchase and rated this 3.5 stars or higher. ... Purchase one or more movie tickets to see 'Tarot' using your account on Fandango.com or the Fandango app between 6:00am PT on 4/30/24 ...
Dustin Putman's Review
2007 - 84 minutes. Rated: (for language, a disturbing situation, and brief drug use). Reviewed by Dustin Putman, December 1, 2007. "Awake" revolves around a less-rare-than-you'd-think occurrence known as "anesthesia awareness," wherein a person undergoing surgery remains fully alert, yet paralyzed, despite the use of anesthetic.
Awake movie review & film summary (2021)
Advertisement. "Awake" has just enough scares and strangeness, plus a sense of dread and paranoia, to make its horror creepy and enjoyable. It's not a flawless thriller, but enough different elements click into place, like Rodriguez and Greenblatt's performances. There's also the storyline weirdness that the Rasos included from their ...
Awake Movie Review
December 30, 2012. age 16+. Gives you a graphic look at the potential yet grisly complication known as Anesthesia Awareness. Awake is a film that mostly showcases you the rare yet deadly risk of anesthesia awareness, which the patient is still awake throughout surgery but completely paralyzed, and is unable to speak or move.
Awake (2007)
A wealthy young man undergoing heart transplant surgery discovers that the surgical team intend to murder him. While undergoing open heart surgery, a man's failed anesthetic leaves him completely alert, but paralyzed and unable to tell his doctors — Anonymous. Clay Beresford is wealthy, young and in love. He also needs a new heart.
Awake (2007)
Our thoughts on Awake (2007) - Directed by Joby Harold - Starring Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard and more! - What do you think of this fil...