“Awakenings” made me cry three times. I cried my ass off when Robert DeNiro’s character comes out of his catatonic state and stumbles to his mom who sees him like this for the first time in 30 years. “Mama, mama,” he says walking to her smiling. The other time I cried was when Robin Williams’ character, the doctor sees the effect of the drug he’s administered to all of the other catatonic patients on his ward — they’re all walking around and talking for the first time in ages. The other scene where I cried was when all of the ex-catatonic patients are dancing at the club after taking the drug for a while. They’re all flipping around, swinging, jumping and hopping and shit – it’s great!
This is a fucking feel good movie! And I generally hate anything categorized as a ‘feel good’ movie. It was directed by Penny Marshall and released in 1990. I also liked it because it was in the Bronx, even though I was raised in Manhattan. But we were a stones throw from the Bronx. They had a scene on Fordham Road and they had a shot of Alexander’s Department Store, where I worked in 1979 when I was a 16 year old foxy young thing. The movie took place in 1969, so it made me imagine walking on Fordham road back then when I was but a lass holding my mummy’s hand.
I want to write something like this that makes people cry. Why can’t I write something like this? One question: What the hell was Dexter Gordon doing in this movie?
I’m sorry that I’m too tired to remember the character names and have only referred to the actors. I know I’m 22 years late, but you have got to see this movie! Goodnight.
1800ukillme 