19902h 0mDir. Penny Marshall

Awakenings

Name: Awakenings
Genre: Drama
Released: 1990-12-04
Duration: 2 h
Rating: 5
Cast: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, John Heard, Julie Kavner, Penelope Ann Miller

“There is no such thing as a simple miracle.”

Drama

5.0 / 5.0

1 Community Logs

1st Half: 5.0 ★vs2nd Half: 5.0 ★

CineFriendz Split-Rating Metric (Pacing & Climax breakdown)

Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician, uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, proves a rebirth for Sayer too, as the exuberant patient reveals life's simple but unutterably sweet pleasures to the introverted doctor.

Starring:Robert De Niro,Robin Williams,John Heard,Julie Kavner,Penelope Ann Miller

Featured Cast

(12 actors)

Robert De Niro

Leonard Lowe

Robin Williams

Malcolm Sayer

John Heard

Dr. Kaufman

Julie Kavner

Eleanor Costello

Penelope Ann Miller

Paula

Ruth Nelson

Mrs. Lowe

Max von Sydow

Peter Ingham

Anne Meara

Miriam

Dexter Gordon

Rolando

George Martin

Frank

Alice Drummond

Lucy Fishman

Richard Libertini

Sidney

Key Production Crew

Director

Penny Marshall

Screenplay & Writers

Steven Zaillian, Oliver Sacks

Cinematography

Miroslav Ondříček

Original Score

Randy Newman

Producers

Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes

Film Details

Budget$31,000,000

Box Office Revenue$52,096,475

Original Languageen

Production Studios

Parkes/Lasker productions

Keywords & Themes

#coma#experiment#based on novel or book#hope#miracle#based on true story#hospital#illness#woman director#comatose

Community Reviews & Logs

Aniket Shukla @aniket11

Oct 13, 2026

1ST WATCHImported Log

5.0

Oh, Awakenings. If only words could bottle the tenderness, the yearning in this film—this journey. But here I am, fumbling with words, hoping to find even a little bit of the grace that this story holds. Imagine: pati...

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