ChanBot
i must have seen a different film!!
AnhartLinkin
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Fatma Suarez
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Deb Bee
Brian Wimmer and Peter Berg star as best friends Willie and Frank. In 1962 Willie is unemployed with a wife and daughter and is about to lose his home and Frank is his mentally challenged brother-in-law with a bad kidney. While running from a crime they didn't commit, they meet Dr. Chilblains. The Dr., eager to try out his cryonics theory, promises Frank he'll wake up and be able to get a new kidney after a restful sleep while Willie is unconscious and unaware of what he has been committed to. The story evolves as they wake up in 1991 and find they've slept for 29 years and seek to get back to the loved ones they left behind.I think this movie is lovely. It's a reminder of simple times and the power of love and family. I saw it back in 1991 at the theater when it came out and have been thinking of it now and again for years - more so recently - so I finally broke down and bought the DVD. It is reminiscent of Forever Young, but Forever Young came out a year after this one and is very big-budget, Hollywood. I like this film much more. The characters are believable and really pull you into the story. It's definitely a sleeper and very good for weekend afternoon viewing. It is now my guilty pleasure as well.
ccthemovieman-1
This was kind of a 'sleeper' in that I have never heard much about this film - it's not well-known, but it's very good: almost like an old-fashioned classic era story in that is guaranteed to bring a tear or two to your eyes at the end. I say "almost" because, unlike classic films, there is some profanity in here and a few unnecessary political cheap shots typical of Hollywood.Otherwise, it's a nice drama (not a "comedy" as it's often labeled) featuring two men (brothers-in-law), one older one looking after his younger, mentally-slow relative. Brian Wimmer plays "Willie," the caring older in-law and Peter Berg is the younger "Frank." There is some action in the beginning, the film then turns a bit sci-fi as the brothers are accidentally frozen in time, and then the last third is a romance. Along the way, there is comedy from time to time.In other words, you get a little bit of everything in here, but in the end it is a drama that entertains throughout the hour-and-a-half. I'm still waiting for this to be issued on DVD.
angela-147
Not the best movie in the world, but if you're up late at night and it's on the TV, it's worth watching.I can imagine it being done far more successfully with a bigger budget, better performances and a better screenplay.Performances (mainly) are fairly poor. Why does the realisation of the date mean they want to have their lives back? They haven't LOST their lives, are still the same age, look the same, etc. A couple of bits are baffling. mostly the "frozen-bits". And why make Frank ill AND (apparently) mentally defective? However, not really as bad as all that - suspension of disbelieve strongly advised.
Jim Haddix
I've not seen this for several years, and I hope I'm not exaggerating this recollection, but there is one thing about this film that you might find interesting: one of the main characters is portrayed as mentally challenged. ("Mildly retarded" is an old fashioned way to put it.) Throughout, he is treated as a 'person', rather than a 'problem'. This character is done so well, and with such grace - and the manner in which he is treated by the other characters is so decent - that I would recommend seeing the movie if only for that. Otherwise, I remember it as a quirky, pleasant movie... the kind that you feel good about afterward, and were pleased to have spent some time with.
