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Waking Life

AnimationDramaFantasy

A man shuffles through a dream meeting various people and discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe.

Year

2002

Duration

1h 39m

IMDb

7.6

Hero Poster

Cast

Richard Linklater

Director

Ethan Hawke

Jesse

Trevor Jack Brooks

Young Boy Playing Paper Game

Cast

Richard Linklater

Director

Ethan Hawke

Jesse

Trevor Jack Brooks

Young Boy Playing Paper Game

Lorelei Linklater

Young Girl Playing Paper Game

Wiley Wiggins

Main Character

GG

Glover Gill

Accordion Player

LH

Lara Hicks

Violin Player

AA

Ames Asbell

Viola Player

LM

Leigh Mahoney

Viola Player

SN

Sara Nelson

Cello Player

JA

Jeanine Attaway

Piano Player

EG

Erik Grostic

Bass Player

Bill Wise

Boat Car Guy

RC

Robert C. Solomon

Philosophy Professor

Kim Krizan

Self

EH

Eamonn Healy

Shape-Shifting Man

JS

J.C. Shakespeare

Burning Man

Julie Delpy

Celine

CG

Charles Gunning

Angry Man in Jail

Richard Linklater

Writer

Trailer

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Comments

10 Comments

Nancy MbaniMar 13, 2026

moonitMay 29, 2023

InigoPascual May 29, 2023

source: Waking Life

~{Hasan Marwan}~May 23, 2023

This movie was awful. It drags on with out any inkling of a plot line. All it is is numerous pretentious conversations. The movie is so full of itself its sickening. Its clear the writers thought if they used big words they would come off as poignant. Which may have worked on some people, if a lot of the words weren't used incorrectly or made up completely. I find it sad that people would think that any of the conversations in the movie were insightful, the only time any of them would seem to be is if you were sitting in a circle waiting for the bong to get to you. None of the thoughts contained here are unique, its typical college age 'finding yourself' garbage that everyone has already thought about. The opening quote of the movie which sets the pace for the rest of it is 'dream is destiny' (except its spelt wrong, though understandable since it was a child writing it) sums up the movie best. Pretentiously trying to seem poignant and deep, while really its just an incoherent mess that has no meaning, but can sound kinda catchy to someone who doesn't think too hard. I suppose I can give extra points for trying something new with the rotoscooping, but that was done horribly. Anyone who knows anything about roto knows its not supposed to look like that. To me it just came off as another attempt of being 'ground breaking' when its just annoying and pointless. This is one of the worst movies iv ever seen its only attraction is how laughable it is due to it being completely full of itself. Its not deep its just a shallow impersonation of deep, or a mockery of deep conversation. This movie just screams hippie pot head conversations, I'm reminded of the episode of futurama 'Dude my hands are so big, and they can touch everything but themselves..... oh wait!" If you want to sit and debate the meaning of life then feel free, but to sit and record debating over the meaning of life and make a movie about it to try to come off as smart or deep.... Get over yourself. Just because you have the ability to muster a small amount of brain power and think about philosophy doesn't make you special, or make this movie watchable.

Emmanuel Cœur BlancMay 23, 2023

...who don't know anything about psychology or philosophy. Given the general lack of plot and characterizations in this movie, its ideas are all it's got. And as it turns out, its ideas are catastrophically weak and largely banal. The majority of the ideas in this movie are borderline incoherent and poorly elaborated, steeped in the intellectual waste that is post-modernism and consisting of vague and sweeping rhetoric that only simulates the act of actually thinking about anything. The few ideas that do have merit are used to draw outlandish and untenable conclusions, with only one exception in the entire movie (your job is to figure out which one). Additionally many of these are very basic and simple and could be found just by reading secondary sources on philosophy, psychology, linguistics and evolution. On top of all this, Linklater fails to provide any structure or stance for these ideas, tossing them about all haphazardly, trying to impress the viewer with the sheer volume of ostentatiously dressed but poorly thought out, banal ideas. This makes the movie come across as extraordinarily self-indulgent and mind-numbingly pretentious...which, it is. The only redeeming feature of this film is the use of rotoscoping, which is a very versatile technique and used to decent effect in this movie. Unfortunately, because the movie itself is so bad, rotoscoping is sadly reduced to a gimmick to distract viewers from thinking about how much money they just wasted to see this movie.

JOSELYN DUMASMay 23, 2023

God did I hate this movie! It's an animated one, but done in a way so everything is constantly jiggling and off center--I think it was done to keep the viewer off balance--it just made me want to throw up (I had to keep closing my eyes). There's no real plot--just some guy walking (or floating) around and listening to various people talk about dreams and reality again and again and again etc etc etc. I have no problem with a movie that's all talk (I think "Before Sunrise", for example, is a great movie) but all the dialogue here is stupid and incomprehensible. What these people are saying makes no sense! More than once I was thinking "what the f***" after a few really stupid lines. After an hour I was bored, annoyed and disgusted and I walked out (I NEVER walk out of movies). A total piece of overindulgent crap. Avoid at all costs.

Jean Pierre Dz'boMay 23, 2023

It is rare for a director to return to a film and improve it but Linklater does it here. Taking the general form of Slackers, he adds a metaphysical story line and coats it with extraordinary eye candy. The rotoscoping really provides an acid trip experience of constantly shifting planes with backgrounds going one way and characters going the other. The string quartet tango score also is an excellent use of music to reinforce the exotic aspects of the production. The monologues are thought provoking and compelling. The story line examining dream/death connection is novel. Score points for originality of story, art direction and narrative line. Some quite funny parts (e.g. boat car, bar shoot out, etc.), some creepy parts (e.g. jailbird rant, second boat man meeting, etc.). I have seen this several times and enjoyed it every time. Farily rare is the movie that can really stand up to multiple viewings. This is one. Very refreshing. See it.

MiauuuuuuuuuMay 23, 2023

I greatly enjoyed Waking Life, I was most impressed by the animation and the philosophical dialog that just kept hanging on the characters' every word. This movie is not for everyone, at least not for those who like their films 'light'. The fact is that Waking Life consists mostly of the main character discussing philosophical topics with various colorful characters. At some point it was difficult to remain concentrated to everything the characters say, for they were rambling quite discoursively, making the audience feel like they're attending a lecture. But the animation makes up for that, because the film has so much visual content that one could also watch it with out the dialog, just being immersed in the art. I'm not an expert in philosophy, I've just taken one beginners class, although i am interested in the topic. In reply to complaints condemning the film pretentious or complaining that it's philosophical ideas are old or overused. I'd say that Waking Life, rather than trying to reinvent philosophical theories, tries to present these ideas in the form of a film the same way as Jostein Gaarder's book 'Sophie's World'. It could in that way function as a sort of 'window' into the world of philosophy, a first touch. I'd hesitate calling it a beginners guide to philosophy as the language is demanding, especially for non natives. But on my part, I feel having expanded my horizons, by experiencing Waking Life. This movie can be enjoyed on many levels, and also a whole spectrum of interpretations can be drawn from it, watch it and see what it makes you feel.

Nick🔥🌚🔥May 23, 2023

Waking Life is probably one of the most randomly amazing works that I have seen. It's lack of a plot, random events, and constant motion give it the dreamlike feel. The ideas are all so intriguing that I don't understand how anyone can hate this movie. I can understand that it could be hard to sit through if you're tired, or if you refuse to contemplate the endless possibilities presented. I'll also admit that some people would find it very hard to watch the animation, but to me it keeps your attention. I tried to imagine what this movie would have been like if it hadn't been animated and I don't think it would have had the impact on as many people as it has if it weren't for the animation. I think that anyone who enjoys the topic of dreams would find it worthwhile. I could watch this movie over and over and still find something that I hadn't noticed before. If you don't like movies that make you think, don't watch it. But if you want a movie that gives you a lot of things to think about and allows you the freedom to interpret it in many different ways . . . check it out!

Rupa KarkiMay 23, 2023

I have considered the mysteries of life and have many spiritual bones in my body and I found this movie to be as drab and boring as I've ever seen. The plotless dialogue is filled with unyielding, cliché, sophomoric ramblings. Being involved in this kind of dialogue can be rewarding; however watching people ramble on like this for ninety minutes is another thing all together. Please save your money and talk to people in real life, don't go to this movie to watch other people do it for you.