Wow! Such a good movie.

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

So much average

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Robert De Niro and Robin Williams both play against type in this engaging story of a doctor who makes a connection between childhood encephalitis and a disease that leaves it's patients in a virtual catatonic state well into adulthood. One of the more extreme cases is that of Leonard Lowe (De Niro), who has been non-responsive for over thirty years. Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Williams) initially seems out of his element in a position that requires a deft touch with human beings, as his previous work in research was more suited to his introverted personality. But his perseverance in learning about his patients and their medical histories prepares him to do some head-butting with the administrative staff of Bainbridge Hospital in order to provide funding for a drug he believes will help.At this point in his career, Robin Williams was skillfully taking on more dramatic roles compared to the inspired lunacy that pervaded his earlier work. In a different time and place, he might have portrayed the role of Leonard, with De Niro assuming the role of the doctor. The eclectic casting makes for a surprisingly effective and heartwarming drama, though the feeling becomes muted as the story progresses, with Leonard regressing back into a pattern of tics and spasms that takes it's toll on his self worth. Apparently the effect of the drug seemed to lose it's effectiveness over time, as other patients exposed to the treatment began questioning their own likelihood for relapse.Based on a true story, and realizing the need for a compact narrative, it did seem too coincidental that many of the patients similar to Leonard all responded miraculously to the drug treatment and began functioning more normally again almost instantly. The film's afterword mentioned that the success rate of the real doctor who developed the curative drug never again achieved that of the time frame depicted in the story during the summer of 1969. But for a brief moment in time, the picture evokes the power of the human spirit to overcome the intricate frailties of the human body.

I just watched it for the first time. I feel so emotional, what a good movie! To be honest I hadn't even heard about this movie before.. I saw it on netflix and I thought the actors were great so I pressed play. I am amazed! Really!!!!What makes it so great is the fact that it is based on a true story.. Thats what makes us so emotional, I cried a little bit :( and the actors, wow! Incredible acting by both Deniro and Williams. I can't let go of the characters in this movie, I wonder what happened later in their lifes... I searched google but could not find any answers.You know when you watch a movie and it is so good that you almost wish that you had not seen it so you can see it for the first time again and be as amazed as the first time! Thats how I feel about this movie. I love emotional movies though. I definitely recommend this movie!

A very very slow movie based on a true story, which is remembered particularly for the outstanding performance of Robert de Niro. How on earth did he not win the 1990/91 Oscar hands down after his portrayal of Leonard Lowe? Every time I watch this movie I have tears in my eyes from the scene where he tells the girl he loves he can't see her again, and watches her leaving from the window until the end. Robin Williams is...well, you know what you're gonna get from Robin Williams - for me the best actor of all time (DeNiro is second, in my opinion the two best actors star in 'Awakenings'.) Robin Williams plays a brilliant, yet incredibly shy and nervous doctor who joins a Psychiatric Hospital in New York where many of the patients are in a coma and dead to the World. Thanks to Dr. Sayer brilliance, a number of the patients including DeNiro 'awaken' from their state - some after decades - for a brief period in the summer of '69. There's a sad scene at the end where Dr. Sachs tells his nurse how Leonard had told him what a kind man he was...only for him to effectively give someone their life back, then take it away again and not be able to do anything about it. That's a sad scene played brilliantly by Robin Williams. Incidentally, the leading female is Julie Kavner who plays Nurse Eleanor Costello - she is world famous for the voice of Marge in The Simpsons!

Awakenings follows the story of two men and their will to never give up. Leonard Low (Robert De Niro) fell victim to an encephalitis epidemic at a young age and has been left in a catatonic state for thirty years. His new doctor, Malcolm Sayer (Robin Williams) is determined to to find a cure that will revive his patients. A new drug, L-Dopa, offers hope to the patients. Dr. Sayer ignores the criticisms of his more pessimistic colleagues and drives forward with the drug. During the summer of 1969 the patients of Dr. Sayer awaken and come back to the present after being frozen in time. Led by Leonard the group starts to enjoy life to the fullest. Robert Di Niro and Robin Williams give one of their best performances in this film. Di Niro in particular must have done a lot of research for his role to get down the symptoms of his ailment. Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List) penned this beautiful script, his second screenplay, and director Penny Marshall (A League of Their Own) brings the story to life. Unfortunately good things don't last forever, and the L-Dopa cure fails to work over time. Leonard and Dr. Sayer both fight this fact, but they have to come to terms with the limitations. This doesn't detour Leonard in the end though and he is happy to have experienced life again. It is heartbreaking experience, but Dr. Sayer takes Leonard's words to heart and chooses to be alive.