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While You Were Sleeping poster

While You Were Sleeping

year 1995decade 90sdirector Jon Turteltaubgenre Romantic comedy

103 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Sandra Bullock Lucy Eleanor Moderatz
Bill Pullman Jack Callaghan
Peter Gallagher Peter Callaghan
Peter Boyle Ox Callaghan
Glynis Johns Elsie
Micole Mercurio Midge Callaghan
Jack Warden Saul Tuttle
Jason Bernard Jerry Wallace
Michael Rispoli Joe Fusco Jr.
Ally Walker Ashley Bartlett Bacon
Monica Keena Mary Callaghan

While You Were Sleeping | The Rewatchables

host Juliet Litmanhost Amanda Dobbins format 25th anniversary
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:22Read transcript
  • Per the hosts, Ebert gave the film three stars and, in his review, agreed that viewers know every beat the movie is going to hit.
  • The review is quoted as saying there are few movie actors audiences simply like, Marilyn Monroe being one, and that on the basis of Speed and While You Were Sleeping Sandra Bullock may be another.
  • A host defers to Ebert as a man of Chicago but counters that Monroe is remembered partly for her sex appeal, alongside her screen presence.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Wedding-day confession to the family

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:51Read transcript
  • Lucy's early bedside speech to the comatose Peter, about loneliness, is called extremely moving and the center of a movie about loneliness, grief and family; Saul looking over her adds to it.
  • Jack and Lucy slipping on the ice as he walks her home after delivering the love seat is a favorite, recalling Cameron Diaz's physical comedy in The Holiday and showing their palpable chemistry.
  • While You Were Sleeping, The Holiday and Sleepless in Seattle are noted as available on Showtime.
  • The ice scene is the moment the romance becomes clear, though visible non-iced sidewalks sit on either side; the hosts say Chicago had an unseasonably warm fall during the shoot, so the cold was faked.
  • The one-testicle scene, where Lucy volunteers that Peter lost a testicle in a freak basketball accident with a pencil and the family jokes about who will check, is praised as good writing.
  • The hosts say the writers wrote 20 scripts together and this was the only one ever made.
  • The wedding that isn't, where Lucy objects at her own wedding, is a favorite rom-com wedding scene; one host calls the ill-fitting sailor-collar dress one of the worst movie wedding dresses, while the other likes it.
  • The confession to the whole family pairs with the coma speech and is compared to Tom Hanks's final scene in You've Got Mail: a character confessing unforgivable things done for love, which only great actors can sell.
  • The family ensemble is underrated; having everyone in the room makes it the best-scripted scene, and the real fiancee storming in makes it the most rewatchable too.
  • Saul, played by Jack Warden, telling Peter in the hospital not to be an asshole is another sweet option.
  • The wedding scene ultimately takes the cake; a host adds that Peter Gallagher is just lying there in a coma through it.

What’s Aged the Best?

Casting; fashion; furniture-making boyfriend

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:09Read transcript
  • The cast of Sandra Bullock, Peter Gallagher and Bill Pullman goes three for three; all three have to relate to one another, and all went on to successful careers.
  • The casting is strong enough that the film does not miss a best friend; Lucy only has coworkers, making hers one of the sadder rom-com heroine backstories.
  • Her clothes nail an Eileen Fisher aesthetic; the sweaters, jeans and boots feel current, though the muddy long belted skirts at the family house are an exception.
  • Her deep red velvet New Year's Eve outfit echoes Meg Ryan's Christmas Eve outfit in Sleepless in Seattle, and the coat is back in style.
  • The handcrafting furniture maker played by Bill Pullman is an artsy boyfriend ahead of its time, a forerunner of Aiden in Sex and the City, and his furniture has aged better than Aiden's.
  • Walk-up apartments sucked in 1995 and still do.
  • The simple engagement ring is loved and likened to the ring Aiden gives Carrie; it also has to fit under the token slot.
  • The film is aspirational but not out of touch with how normal people live.
  • Jack's reversible jean jacket is loved; the hosts cite Ashley Spencer's Washington Post oral history, in which Bill Pullman is quoted as still having and wearing it.
  • The ranking settles on casting first, fashion second and the furniture boyfriend third.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Lack of checking up on who Lucy is; Lucy's self-deprecating body lines; Joe Jr.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:29Read transcript
  • No one looks anything up in the yellow pages or fact-checks anything; today someone would check Instagram, and the obvious move of going to her workplace comes only at the end.
  • Citing the oral history and a Peter Gallagher interview with Vulture, the hosts say the script changed on set for the worse; two throwaway lines about Lucy's body (a flat chest, and fitting into her pants) are out of sync with the rest of her portrayal.
  • Joe Jr. is an unneeded, distracting C plot filling the best-friend comedy slot and is a little scene-chewy; more time with the family would have been better.
  • Ultimately the lack of checking up on who she is has aged the absolute worst.

Casting What-Ifs

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:44:47Read transcript
  • Julia Roberts is rumored to have passed; one of the writers is quoted saying lots of big actresses passed, which a host believes he told BuzzFeed UK in 2015. A host thinks it is described as one of her most regrettable decisions, but the hosts doubt she was ever seriously considered.
  • The hosts say the Vanity Fair article reports Demi Moore was wanted, which would have been her first rom-com; she would have made it more serious and anxious.
  • The Washington Post oral history is cited for Davis passing, funny because she and Pullman were married in A League of Their Own; when the director signed on, Harrison Ford and Davis were attached and both backed out.
  • Harrison Ford would have been great, if more of a jerk and less believable as the spare brother.
  • The hosts cite the Washington Post as saying Dennis Quaid was rumored for Jack; a host speculates he and Meg Ryan shared representation.
  • Patrick Swayze, also mentioned for Jack, is a no: too much charisma for a reticent role, leading into a tangent about Dirty Dancing and Ghost.
  • The hosts report Nicole Kidman was also mentioned for Lucy but deemed too pretty, which the hosts call mean to Sandra Bullock.
  • Matthew McConaughey was reportedly a top choice for Jack until his Texas accent got in the way; a host calls it a hard yes and invents a Texas-family fix, noting the grandmother's British accent goes unexplained.
  • The hosts report Pierce Brosnan was rumored for Peter; his accent hardly matters since Peter is asleep, and Peter Gallagher plays a yuppie better than almost anyone.
  • James Spater (as transcribed) was mentioned somewhere on the list, probably for Jack, but a host thinks he should have been Peter.
  • The Jack role could have worked with several actors, which is a testament to the writing; Jack is probably the best-written character even if Bullock sells hers best.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:59Read transcript
  • Monica Kina (as transcribed), who plays Peter and Jack's much younger sister, is one pick because she later turns up as a menacing character on Dawson's Creek.
  • Peter Boyle is a top option for their age group, known more for TV work.
  • Jack Warden is nominated after being seen in about four movies in one week of rewatching; his credits are listed as All the President's Men, Shampoo as his signature role, Being There and The Verdict.
  • The hosts say Warden suffered a Korean War injury that left him in pain when walking, which they believe Peter Gallagher recounted in Vulture.
  • The mother from Mary Poppins has the most defining look; the hosts debate whether the award is for someone known as someone else or someone in many movies, leaning to the latter.
  • The award goes to Jack Warden, who is more than a that-guy but still prompts an oh-my-God reaction here.

Recasting Couch

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:43Read transcript
  • Only Lucy is recast; it is hard because asking an actress to be universally likable is no longer how female actors are thought of.
  • Florence Pugh is floated in bangs and a beanie; she would be more aggressive, a "fire hose" in a Big Picture colleague's phrase, committing to the intensity and the slapstick.
  • Victoria Justice is suggested as a Nickelodeon star who might have remade herself five years ago, though probably not a good enough actress.
  • Rachel McAdams brings the same antic, determined energy seen in Morning Glory, a shared favorite, and could sell the implausible elements; the choice amounts to recasting for Bullock herself.
  • Elizabeth Olson (as transcribed) is raised but rejected, since the role needs someone who fills the space of doubt and goes on offense.
  • Emma Stone is floated for physical comedy, but her wryness would make the audience too aware that the circumstances are wrong; "it's just a no."
  • Rachel McAdams is named the best answer.
  • A second closing "final answer" is garbled in the transcript ("I'm going on a stone") and may name Emma Stone; the speaker and choice are unresolved.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Coma Guy working title; gender-flipped premise; original New York setting; train-track electricity precautions; improvised Oreo moment; Gallagher's real head injury

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:20Read transcript
  • The hosts report the working title was Coma Guy.
  • The hosts report the premise was originally a man in love with a woman in a coma, flipped as too lecherous and creepy; the hosts think the movie could not be made now at all because of Google.
  • The hosts report the film was originally set in New York with Joe Jr. an over-the-top Brooklyn Italian, which a host calls a stereotype.
  • The hosts report that, shooting on location in Chicago, the crew turned off the track electricity and, worried about conduction in the platform rescue, filmed the train in reverse.
  • The hosts report Bullock is allergic to cats despite Lucy's cat, and say dunking her Oreo in the cat's milk was her improvised idea, echoing Two Weeks Notice.
  • The hosts say Peter Gallagher really hit his head filming the train scene, recounted in both the Washington Post and Vulture pieces.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:56Read transcript
  • Wanda the nurse is nominated for doing the most with the least screen time, including her "don't wonder out loud" line.
  • Peter Gallagher, in a coma for half the movie, wakes up to what the hosts call an improvised Jell-O line and conveys yuppiness, untrustworthiness and handsomeness from a hospital bed.
  • The nurse's backer concedes and the award goes to Peter Gallagher.

Apex Mountain

No affirmative selection

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:15Read transcript
  • Peter Gallagher's apex is Sandy Cohen.
  • Sandra Bullock's apex is winning the Oscar for The Blind Side, which set up Gravity.
  • A case exists for Bill Pullman because he finally gets the girl, but his apex is the megaphone speech in Independence Day the following year.
  • It is a great movie but no one's apex; Bullock's breakthrough needed the one-two punch of Speed and this film.

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

"Do you believe in love at first sight? I bet you don't. You're probably too sensible for that."

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:05Read transcript
  • Lucy's monologue is pretty unassailable among rom-com speeches, if not at the level of "I'm just a girl" or Tom Hanks at the end of You've Got Mail.
  • Coming in the first third, it sets up a more nuanced, human heroine motivation and innovates on the form.
  • Ashley Bartlett-Bacon, Peter's real fiancee, has a killer line calling him a one-balled bastard and could have been a heat-check nominee alongside Wanda.
  • Jack's speech on leaning versus hugging is a good rom-com trope, though Pullman is preferred less verbose.
  • The hosts agree on the monologue; an act-one monologue is called revolutionary.

Picking Nits

Lucy's lie to the family; lax hospital; Jack pursuing his brother's fiancee; murky timeline; rushed printed invitations; hospital wedding

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:39Read transcript
  • Baskin-Robbins is not an ice cream flavor, and no one should carry a passport around at all times. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Elsie's heart attack gets attention and is then dropped, and the hospital's visiting rules are very loose.
  • The family does not know their son is engaged, and Lucy lies to them at length, which a host thinks is attempted fraud.
  • Nurse Wanda never intervenes, which a host believes violates medical-information rules, while unsure whether they existed in 1995.
  • Saul as the lone Jewish neighbor hanging around is called weird (a host assumes they wanted Jack Warden); he never tells the family, which is understandable but not sound.
  • Feeding the cat is technically trespassing, repeated bedside visits border on stalking, and the hospital verifies nothing beyond the testicle test.
  • Jack immediately hits on his brother's fiancee, making him a bad sibling; neither lead makes sound decisions.
  • The timeline between Christmas and New Year's is murky, and the little sister prompting a mistletoe kiss has the whole family encouraging it.
  • Printed wedding invitations arrive in the week after New Year's; the timeline is called the number one problem.
  • Why hold the wedding in the hospital, and why can Peter not put his arms through his jacket?
  • The hosts are willing to overlook it all, a testament to the movie; don't do this at home.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Why we don't learn more about Lucy's mom; whether it is a Christmas movie; whether it has the most crimes of any rom-com

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:14Read transcript
  • Why don't we learn more about Lucy's mom? The voiceover intro efficiently establishes her loss; more parent material would shift focus from her loneliness.
  • It is not a Christmas movie: the climactic event needs to be at Christmas, and this one peaks too soon.
  • Is this the most crimes ever committed in a rom-com? Nothing in the Nora Ephron or Nancy Myers (as transcribed) canons compares; How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days has bribery and betting, but this still takes the cake.

More from the conversation

A trailer cold open introduces the film after the State Farm ad.
Approx. transcript time · 00:00:33Read transcript
The episode opens on the film releasing 25 years ago with Sandra Bullock, Peter Gallagher and Bill Pullman in the middle of big 90s runs; the hosts place it in the 90s rom-com pantheon.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:24Read transcript
A host notes the film's hospital is Northwestern Memorial; the film coincided with season one of ER, and 90s Chicago rom-coms and You've Got Mail are tied to where the hosts went to school and lived.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:01Read transcript
The premise is laid out: a CTA token collector saves her crush from the tracks nine minutes in, is mistaken for his fiancee, and falls for his brother Jack.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:08Read transcript
The coma premise has stuck to this movie more than other rom-coms' problems, but on rewatch it plays as lovely, charming and well scripted; a line-by-line crimes section is promised.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:04Read transcript
Bullock carries the film; the hosts say she auditioned while shooting Speed and was recommended by a friend of a friend, and a host believes the film grossed $182 million.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:25Read transcript
The hosts say 1995 coverage, including a Vanity Fair "America's Sweetheart" cover story, pitted Bullock against Julia Roberts; they reject the framing and call Bullock underrated.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:03Read transcript
The hosts walk through Bullock's IMDb credits from Demolition Man to Two Weeks Notice as a killer seven-year run, and rank Roberts, Meg Ryan and Bullock as the main three rom-com stars, with Jennifer Lopez fourth.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:18Read transcript
Lucy's wispy bangs are a disaster, and people failing to recognize someone this beautiful strains credulity.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:10Read transcript
From Vanity Fair, the hosts relay that Bullock had just broken up with Tate Donovan and faced an age scandal; they discuss her privacy and the Interview magazine piece in which she and Jennifer Aniston both discuss dating Tate Donovan.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:12Read transcript
The hosts think Bullock faced less dating speculation than Julia Roberts; the hosts plug their My Best Friend's Wedding and Pretty Woman episodes.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:43Read transcript
Bullock's later career runs from Crash and The Lake House through The Proposal, The Blind Side and Gravity.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:46Read transcript
Bill Pullman's defining role is Independence Day; here he gets the girl a year after losing her in Sleepless in Seattle, and a host has read he took the role to be seen as a leading man.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:18Read transcript
Jack is credited with inventing the Aiden archetype, and Lucy prefigures Bullock's Two Weeks Notice character, also named Lucy.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:26Read transcript
Sign-off plugs more Rewatchables and Jam Session.
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:06Read transcript