While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Rédigée par Filipe Manuel Neto le 12 août 2023

A good and really funny romantic comedy.

I don't consider myself a fan of romantic comedies, so I feel free to talk about them with complete dismay. And what I want to say about this romantic comedy is that it manages to be much better than we might expect at first glance.

In fact, this film manages to associate an excellent lead actress with a good story, full of comic moments. It all starts with a platonic passion that a young woman feels when she sees a man going to work every day. One day, she ends up saving his life, and a succession of misconceptions ends up making his family believe that she was going to marry him without them knowing. The comedy, of a familiar and friendly nature, has a Christmas background and is extremely appealing to watch in the company of the whole family.

Sandra Bullock, however, is what makes the film work. I can't see an actress with more talent to be naive and nice at the same time as being funny. She has the time, space and material to shine, and she never misses an opportunity to dazzle us with her extraordinary creativity and skill. Bill Pullman also does a very nice job, and there are other actors (Peter Boyle, Jack Warden) who add even more talent to the film.

On a technical level, the film is much simpler. Cinematography, sets, costumes and effects are quite regular, there is no real investment in these aspects, just an effort is made to keep the film within industry standards. However, this is not a real problem if we allow ourselves to be seduced by the story told and the moments of comedy that the film gives us.