Waking Life (2001)

Very original

"Waking Life" is probably not like any other film you've seen before: the majority of it consists of philosophical monologues that express different perspectives on the loosely connected ideas which the main character is trying to explore. On the whole, these monologues range from the fascinating to the obnoxiously trite, and even though this film expresses some wonderful concepts, it also manages to present the cliche ideas in a completely serious fashion.

Having said that though, "Waking Life" is still a unique cinematic experience worth watching. Even though the plot line has very little continuity, it's the ideas that really matter. In some ways, the main character is almost irrelevant; it's not so much about him discovering these concepts as it is about us discovering them. Unfortunately though, at times the philosophical monologues are thrown at us in such a haphazard manner that we have very little time to absorb, much less intellectualize them. Although many scenes are truly valuable, others are just jarring or distracting (for instance, in one scene a stranger walks past the main character and simply says, "Kierkegaard's last words were, 'Sweep me up'!").

On the other hand though, I feel like in a way we are meant to be confused, just as the main character is. The animation technique is certainly a good choice for this effect, and is very well-done. Another very positive aspect of this film is the soundtrack, which is superb. Overall, I think this is a pretty decent film, even if its moments of brilliance are broken up by waves of generic pop philosophy. December 30, 2008

trippy visuals; excellent dialogue

This is an excellent movie if you want to think. This movie had me thinking about life in completely different ways. Not only is the dialogue compelling, but the visuals are trippy - emphasizing even more what the movie is about. December 2, 2008

hang on for the ride

Waking Life is a superb loopy deep-dive into a rotoscoped Linklater universe - talking heads made witty & visually interesting, sometimes beautiful, sometimes lurid, sometimes - oh, everything else you might imagine animation can do in the hands of the man who did "Slackers" -- existential, smart, provocative, fun, disturbing & sometimes blindingly articulate: seductive and right the whole way through. Tugs at you multi-dimensionally: teaches you to bring the dream up & go down to the dream: sort of Freud for the new age. Bravo to all of the many who groomed & goosed this into its miraculous being. There's no waking up from it.

Guy Kettelhack
New York City

November 9, 2008

Good movies like this aren't made very often.

this movie covers a lot of ground, things that people need realize or hear at the very least. just a lot of people talking about some very important issues. well presented, well written, properly executed and effectively implemented. should be in every movie aficionado's collection! September 21, 2008

open you rmind

I love the thought provoking dialogue I was expecting that I wasn't completely pleased with the presentation. The way this film is "animated", to me, distracts fom the message a bit... September 16, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...