Parents' Guide to

While You Were Sleeping

By Common Sense Media, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Appealing family comedy with old-fashioned feel.

Movie PG 1995 103 minutes
While You Were Sleeping Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 11+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Colourful Threads
Colourful Threads Parent of 13, 17 and 18+-year-old
May 20, 2018
age 13+

Sweet and funny

This was perfect for a girls-night-out with my 13 year old daughter. It was a great balance of humor and romance without being cheesy or sappy. Lucy is competent and capable and just gets in a little bit deep with a misunderstanding. She isn't a princess will needs rescuing, just a young woman looking for more familial connection.
danzhr
danzhr Adult
January 23, 2016
age 12+

Love this movie!

This is one of my favorite movies! My daughter and I watch this almost every time we have a movie night. It is a total romantic comedy, and Sandra Bullock is great as Lucy. In the end, it also has a good message.
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, Lucy (Sandra Bullock) is a Chicago El train token collector who has a crush on a man (Peter Gallagher) who doesn't even know her. Then one day she sees him being mugged and pushed onto the El tracks -- she rescues him and goes with him to the hospital, where a nurse overhears her say to herself, "I was going to marry him." Soon everyone, including Peter's family, thinks she's Peter's fiancé, and Lucy soon finds herself too caught up in the affectionate madness to tell the truth. Even after Peter wakes up -- not remembering her but assuming it's amnesia -- and Lucy realizes she actually loves his brother, Jack (Bill Pullman), she still can't tell the truth. Will she end up marrying the right brother?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (19 ):

This sweet, romantic fairy tale made a star out of Sandra Bullock, and gave Bill Pullman the chance to show off his softer side. Both give charming performances, and they're supported wonderfully by Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, and Glynis Johns. As Jack's eccentric family, these screen veterans provide a humorous backdrop for the story. Their good-natured warmth makes Lucy's pretense understandable, if not acceptable.

While You Were Sleeping has an old-fashioned feel. While it's patterned after the classic romantic comedies of the 1930s and 1940s (It Happened One Night, The Philadelphia Story), it's not up to the lofty standards of these predecessors. Still, the movie's clever writing, gentle humor, and strong performances make up for its shortcomings. It is a good choice for parents to watch with their older kids, because there's something here to appeal to both generations. A 14-year-old viewer identified with the main character's romantic longings, and her adult companion liked the movie's light humor and happy resolution.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the great tradition of romantic comedies. How does While You Were Sleeping fit in?

  • What makes them funny?

  • What's the tension that gets resolved?

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