Sleepwalking (film)
Encyclopedia
Sleepwalking is a 2008 dramatic film starring Nick Stahl
, AnnaSophia Robb
, and Charlize Theron
(who also produces the film). It centers around the bonding of a 30-year-old man and his 12-year-old niece after she is abandoned by her mother. The girl is taken in by the state after he loses his job and apartment. The two then depart on a road trip to his father's farm, a place he and his sister never intended to go back to. 'Sleepwalking' was an original screenplay by Zac Stanford and was the directorial debut of William Maher. Shooting began in October, 2006 in Moose Jaw and Regina
, Saskatchewan
, Canada
under the working title Ferris Wheel. It was filmed on a 29-day shooting schedule often under sub-zero conditions. The film featured the song "Come On, Come Out" by A Fine Frenzy
. Sleepwalking is rated R for language and a scene of violence. It premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
on January 22, 2008.
), have been evicted from the house where they were staying with Joleen’s latest boyfriend, who was busted for growing marijuana. Tara has no choice but to trail along glumly as Joleen is reduced to begging her meek, ne’er-do-well younger brother, James (Nick Stahl
), to take them in.
No sooner have they moved into James’s dingy apartment than Joleen runs off with a truck driver, leaving Tara with her uncle, who works on a road-building crew. After missing one too many days on the job, he is fired. He and Tara end up crashing in the basement of his married best friend, Randall (Woody Harrelson
). It isn’t long before Tara lands in a foster home.
In a last-ditch effort to put down roots, James snatches Tara from foster care, packs them into a car and drives to the childhood home he and Joleen fled many years earlier. The scenes of James and Tara, who agree to pose as father and daughter, developing a familial bond while on the road give the movie its only glimmer of sweetness. Once they arrive at the Reedy homestead — a run-down cattle and horse farm that is an American gothic house of horrors — they are immediately put to work as unpaid slave labor by the monstrous paterfamilias (Dennis Hopper
).
Mr. Reedy treats Tara with contempt, often spanking her for her incompetencies at farming. James tries to stand up to his father, but is quickly rebuked and threatened with a shovel. After silencing his son, Mr. Reedy continues to abuse Tara. Enraged, James picks up the shovel and beats his father to death.
newspaper The Christian Science Monitor
praised the film, commenting that "Despite its deficiencies, and the inadequate screen time allotted to Theron (who's quite good), "Sleepwalking" has a core of feeling. It's about a do-gooder who, lacking all skills for it, does good anyway. His emotional odyssey has real poignancy," concluding to give it a final rating of "B". In a review for USA Today
, Claudia Puig called the film "Portentous and dull," adding that "[the film] features one of the worst over-the-top performances by Dennis Hopper, who plays an abusive father." The New York Post reacted negatively to the film, writing that it is "relentlessly depressing", whereas The New York Times
gave a neutral review, noting that "Sleepwalking sustains a mood of unrelenting bleakness, wearing its aesthetic of desolation like a badge of integrity."
Reviewing the film negatively, Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post
called the film "an inert, sloppily written melodrama as grim and featureless as its frozen Midwestern setting." The Chicago Tribune wrote negatively of the film, noting that "Despite honorable work from Theron, Robb, and Stahl, "Sleepwalking" makes good on its title in a not-so-good way."
As of May 2010, the film has an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
.
Nick Stahl
Nicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
, AnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
, and Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
(who also produces the film). It centers around the bonding of a 30-year-old man and his 12-year-old niece after she is abandoned by her mother. The girl is taken in by the state after he loses his job and apartment. The two then depart on a road trip to his father's farm, a place he and his sister never intended to go back to. 'Sleepwalking' was an original screenplay by Zac Stanford and was the directorial debut of William Maher. Shooting began in October, 2006 in Moose Jaw and Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
under the working title Ferris Wheel. It was filmed on a 29-day shooting schedule often under sub-zero conditions. The film featured the song "Come On, Come Out" by A Fine Frenzy
A Fine Frenzy
Alison Sudol , known professionally as A Fine Frenzy , is a US alternative singer and songwriter and pianist. Her debut album, One Cell in the Sea, was released on July 17, 2007, and peaked at number 91 on the Billboard 200 chart...
. Sleepwalking is rated R for language and a scene of violence. It premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
2008 Sundance Film Festival
The 2008 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 17, 2008 to January 27 in Park City, Utah. It was the 24th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was In Bruges and the closing night film was CSNY Déjà Vu.-Films:...
on January 22, 2008.
Summary
How is an 11-year-old girl brought up in such conditions to find a better life? That’s a question Tara Reedy (Anna Sophia Robb) hardly dares ask. As the film begins she and her reckless, slatternly mother, Joleen (Charlize TheronCharlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
), have been evicted from the house where they were staying with Joleen’s latest boyfriend, who was busted for growing marijuana. Tara has no choice but to trail along glumly as Joleen is reduced to begging her meek, ne’er-do-well younger brother, James (Nick Stahl
Nick Stahl
Nicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
), to take them in.
No sooner have they moved into James’s dingy apartment than Joleen runs off with a truck driver, leaving Tara with her uncle, who works on a road-building crew. After missing one too many days on the job, he is fired. He and Tara end up crashing in the basement of his married best friend, Randall (Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
). It isn’t long before Tara lands in a foster home.
In a last-ditch effort to put down roots, James snatches Tara from foster care, packs them into a car and drives to the childhood home he and Joleen fled many years earlier. The scenes of James and Tara, who agree to pose as father and daughter, developing a familial bond while on the road give the movie its only glimmer of sweetness. Once they arrive at the Reedy homestead — a run-down cattle and horse farm that is an American gothic house of horrors — they are immediately put to work as unpaid slave labor by the monstrous paterfamilias (Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
).
Mr. Reedy treats Tara with contempt, often spanking her for her incompetencies at farming. James tries to stand up to his father, but is quickly rebuked and threatened with a shovel. After silencing his son, Mr. Reedy continues to abuse Tara. Enraged, James picks up the shovel and beats his father to death.
Cast
- Nick StahlNick StahlNicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
as James Reedy - AnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
as Tara Reedy - Charlize TheronCharlize TheronCharlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
as Joleen Reedy - Woody HarrelsonWoody HarrelsonWoodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
as Randall - Dennis HopperDennis HopperDennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
as Mr. Reedy - Deborra-Lee FurnessDeborra-Lee Furness-Biography:Furness attended Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne where she graduated in 1973. She subsequently graduated at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1981....
as Danni - Mathew St. PatrickMathew St. PatrickMathew St. Patrick is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Keith Charles on the HBO drama television series Six Feet Under.He was born and raised in Philadelphia and graduated from Olney High School....
as Detective #1
Reception
AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newspaper The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
praised the film, commenting that "Despite its deficiencies, and the inadequate screen time allotted to Theron (who's quite good), "Sleepwalking" has a core of feeling. It's about a do-gooder who, lacking all skills for it, does good anyway. His emotional odyssey has real poignancy," concluding to give it a final rating of "B". In a review for USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Claudia Puig called the film "Portentous and dull," adding that "[the film] features one of the worst over-the-top performances by Dennis Hopper, who plays an abusive father." The New York Post reacted negatively to the film, writing that it is "relentlessly depressing", whereas The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
gave a neutral review, noting that "Sleepwalking sustains a mood of unrelenting bleakness, wearing its aesthetic of desolation like a badge of integrity."
Reviewing the film negatively, Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
called the film "an inert, sloppily written melodrama as grim and featureless as its frozen Midwestern setting." The Chicago Tribune wrote negatively of the film, noting that "Despite honorable work from Theron, Robb, and Stahl, "Sleepwalking" makes good on its title in a not-so-good way."
As of May 2010, the film has an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.