Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- wistful
- earnest
- melancholic
- reflective evening
- romantic drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly found a sincere, well-performed romantic drama whose political ambition and emotional earnestness were undermined by muddled storytelling and abrupt temporal shifts.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Fielding is flooded with thoughts and visions of Sarah nine years after her death, making loss the film's emotional engine.
The story moves between Fielding's 1970s Coast Guard service and law-school years and his later congressional campaign.
Sarah assists members of the Chilean resistance while Fielding's early adulthood is shaped by opposition to the Vietnam War.
The lovers' relationship is presented alongside South American dictatorship, resistance work, elections, and questions of political commitment.
Films like Waking the Dead, and why
The Way We Were
shared tragic romance, political idealism, and emotionally heightened melodrama
The English Patient
shared lost-love grief, memory, and tearjerker romantic drama
Reds
shared countercultural politics, idealistic lovers, and wistful historical romance
Truly Madly Deeply
shared romantic yearning, intellectual themes, and visions complicating emotional reality
Movie Details
- Director
- Keith Gordon
- Release Date
- 2000-03-24
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (108)
Cast
- Billy Crudup
- Jennifer Connelly
- Paul Hipp
- Hal Holbrook
- Ivonne Coll
- Lawrence Dane
- Ed Harris
- Janet McTeer
- Molly Parker
- Larry Marshall
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Waking the Dead about?
- An ambitious politician is pulled between a congressional future and visions of the idealistic lover whose death still defines him.
- What is Waking the Dead like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Waking the Dead as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Waking the Dead violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Waking the Dead as moderate.
- What did critics think of Waking the Dead?
- Critics broadly found a sincere, well-performed romantic drama whose political ambition and emotional earnestness were undermined by muddled storytelling and abrupt temporal shifts.
- Which films are like Waking the Dead?
- Films with a similar feel include The Way We Were, The English Patient, Reds, and Truly Madly Deeply.
- How long is Waking the Dead?
- Waking the Dead runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Waking the Dead?
- In United States, Waking the Dead is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
