Sleepwalking Review

Every once in a while I like to watch a good drama. Browsing through the video store, I came across this movie, SLEEPWALKING. I had never heard of it but seeing the cover of it sparked my interest. You can hardly go wrong with a cast that includes Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson and Dennis Hopper. Plus the picture on the case shows a young girl, fully clothed, wearing roller skates and at the end of a diving board of a swimming pool full of water. Needless to say, this movie is good enough that I have watched it four times. This is my take on it:

Charlize Theron plays the part of Joleen Reedy. It never says how olds she is in the movie, but she has a precocious 11 year old daughter and appears to be worn out and used up. The movie starts with her in the police station because she has been thrown out of the house she and her daughter were living in. Her daughter, Tara, is played by AnnaSophia Robb. And what a brilliant young actress this girl is! Raw emotion spills all over her face. Apparently, Joleen has gone through a string of men and seems to be forever on the hunt. After the two of them end up at Joleen's brother James' house, Joleen takes off again, "with a plan" saying she'll be back in a month, in time for her daughter's 12th birthday. Ultimately, James ends up being the "responsible" adult in young Tara's life. James "Speedy" Reedy is played by Nick Stahl.

A vicious cycle of dysfunction involving Social Services, a kidnapping (even though it is innocent), abuse that has gone on for a lifetime and confirmation that blood is thicker than water, this movie will keep you engrossed from start to finish.

Woody Harrelson plays the part of Randall, a good friend to James. All the main characters up to this point strike me as being hardworking, beer loving, lower middle-class people. It is very obvious that life is a struggle for them regardless of what they do. Randall opens his doors to James even though all he has to offer is a dirty old mattress in the basement. I love Woody Harrelson no matter what part he plays. He's perfect in this role too....beer drinking games and parties for no reason at all.

After a turn of events, James and Tara leave their small mid western town, heading for California to the ranch that James and Joleen grew up on. Dennis Hopper is their father who still lives on the ranch. The surprise visit from James and Tara starts out okay but soon rips open the old wounds of James' past. Their visit is cut short with a very shocking and surprising finish. This made me think that no healing can take place until you deal with the skeletons in the closet. The emotional impact of this movie may just drive you to tears. You'll just have to watch this movie to see how it ends.

I'm not very familiar with Nick Stahl but I have to say, he has a most expressive face in this movie. You can see the emotion oozing from his heart. I am going to pay more attention to him now as I think he is a very talented actor. AnnaSophia Robb epitomizes the struggles an abandoned 12 year old girl would deal with. Dennis Hopper proves his talent one more time in SLEEPWALKING, mean and angry; always been a favorite actor of mine. Charlize Theron shows how versatile her acting ability is as well. All things considered, I think this movie was perfectly cast.

Written by Zac Stanford and directed by Bill Maher, this 2008 movie has a decent soundtrack and is rated R for language and violence. I think the overall reference to child abuse makes it definitely too mature for any child. There is also some reference to drugs and a light sexual scene. I don't think that abuse is the main theme of this movie. What I got out of it is that family bonds are hard to break but impossible to rebuild if never established or destroyed in the beginning.

SLEEPWALKING was filmed on location in Saskatchewan, Canada. Absolutely breath-taking scenery in parts. No real special effects to mention. Amazing that no awards were won.

This is drama at it's best. It's a believable story. It has an excellent cast and was professionally directed. I would recommend this movie for mature audiences and for anyone who appreciates fine dramatic acting.