Sleepwalking |  | Director: William Maher
Actors: Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Hopper, Nick Stahl
Studio: Anchor Bay - ITN
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy Used: $0.78
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Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 17696
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Enhanced, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: ANBD80004D
UPC: 131380004910
EAN: 0013138000491
ASIN: B0015OKWK8
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
JOLEEN REEDY IS A DISILLUSIONED SINGLE MOTHER PRONE TO BAD MEN & RECKLESS BEHAVIOR. HER YOUNGER BROTHER JAMES IS AN UNDERACHIEVER WHO CAN'T HOLD A JOB. WHEN JOLEEN ABANDONS HER 12 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WITH JAMES, UNCLE & NIECE MAKE A FATEFUL DECISION TO FLEE TO THE FARM OF JAMES & JOLEEN'S ABUSIVE FATHER.
Amazon.com
A dark and troubling fable leavened by streaks of hope and redemption, Sleepwalking follows Tara Reedy (AnnaSophia Robb, Because of Winn-Dixie) and her young uncle James (Nick Stahl, Carnivale) after Tara's mother Joleen (Charlize Theron) abandons them. After James loses his job and Tara suffers through the foster-care system, the two set off on a road trip that leads to a heart of darkness: The farm where James and Joleen grew up, where their father (Dennis Hopper) still lives. The bleaker side of Sleepwalking is redeemed not so much by the affection that grows between James and Tara (which feels a bit forced and precious) as by the emotional commitment of the cast. Stahl turns in what may be his best performance yet, delving into the weak and aimless qualities of James yet keeping an active presence in the movie. Robb and Theron, two emotionally compelling actors well-cast as mother and daughter, turn in high-quality performances; Hopper creates another portrait of chilling brutality, all the more terrifying for being so ordinary. The rest of the solid cast includes Woody Harrelson, Matthew St. Patrick (Six Feet Under), and Deborra-Lee Furness (Shame) as a coworker sympathetic to James. --Bret Fetzer
Stills from Sleepwalking (Click for larger image) Beyond Sleepwalking 
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 19
 A dour bummer, plus boring December 15, 2009
Bradley F. Smith (Miami Beach, FL)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Big stars in this downbeat tale, but it never takes off. The depressing stuff is piled on so thick, I actually laughed: not a good sign. Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson and Dennis Hopper just can't rescue this oddly lame picture. The 13-yr-old girl who stars has one expression: blank. Boring.
 superb slices of wounded lives December 2, 2009
Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France)
This film is a very sad and hard look at a family that has fallen apart. With the mother gone, the uncle out of work and floundering, and the niece AWOL from the state home, you see the backgound that they came from. They flee, only to confront themselves.
The father, a cruel brute, is seen as the key to everyone's failures. His farm is depressing in its loneliness and cold, with hard work the only thing to do. Instead of counsel, he decides to take advantage of their situation, which leads to consequences worse than imaginable.
It is not fun to watch, but the power of the drama and acting are undeniable.
Recommended as an excellent art indie film.
 Amazing November 11, 2009
Dawn Marie (USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I completely dig this flick. It was emotionally exhausting but real. This is the side to life that most are lucky enough not to have to live with or see. In the days now of feel good movies and happy endings, this really cut to the chase that not every movie is given a happy ending. For the end of this movie, I wasn't real thrilled with where it ended off with either as some have so eloquently mentioned, however the meat of the story was just outstanding to me. I loved it so much I bought it. I think it's not a movie for some but for me, I found it to be exceptional.
moving and atmospheric indie drama August 24, 2009
Roland E. Zwick (Valencia, Ca USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Sleepwalking" starts off a bit like "Frozen River," focused on a single mother struggling to make ends meet in rural America (though it was actually filmed in Saskatchewan). But the movie quickly veers off in another direction, shifting that focus onto her 13-year-old daughter, Tara, and her younger brother, James (the girl's uncle), who are suddenly forced to rely on one another for comfort and support when Joleen temporarily bows out of the picture.
When her boyfriend is arrested for growing marijuana, Jolene (Carlize Theron) and Tara (AnnaSophia Robb) are forced to move in with James (Nick Stahl), a soft-spoken, good-hearted fellow in his 20s who is two months behind in his rent and who barely scrapes by on what he makes at his low-paying construction job. Soon, Joleen has split the scene, James has lost his job, and social services has taken Tara to live in a foster-care facility. So James and Tara decide to head out onto the open highway, stopping off at roadside diners and motels, and staying one step ahead of the authorities who are in pursuit of them.
"Sleepwalking" is one of those gritty, slice-of-life dramas that sympathetically and accurately depicts what life is like for the working poor. It is rife with authentic details and rich in small town atmosphere. Director William Mahr and cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchia really know how to extract the essence of a locale for mood and effect, making the bleak landscape and stark setting integral elements in the drama - an effect greatly enhanced by Christopher Young`s rich and evocative acoustic-flavored score. Superb, naturalistic performances by the three lead actors make us truly care about the people they are portraying and the things that are happening to them.
"Sleepwalking" is not without its flaws, however. For one thing, the movie undercuts some of its carefully crafted verisimilitude with its casting of "name" actors in a few of the key secondary roles - primarily, Woody Harrelson as James' friend and work buddy, and an over-reaching Dennis Hopper as Joleen and James' abusive dad. These parts would have been more effective had they been played by less-familiar actors (though I do realize that, without such star power attached to the project, a movie like "Sleepwalking" might never have gotten made in the first place). More seriously, the otherwise excellent screenplay by Zac Stanford falls apart a bit in the final third, resorting to stereotyping and hokey melodrama when it most needs to stay true to its characters and their situations.
Still, despite the patness, "Sleepwalking" is a quietly powerful, richly atmospheric tale of a group of troubled but essentially decent people struggling, despite their all-too-human weaknesses, to make their way in the world.
Touching "Sleepwalking" August 16, 2009
Ken Kwan
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoy this movie although the pace is slow. I like Tara and James very much. James is really good in the movies(although he is stupid when he is confront his dad!). It broke my heart when I saw Tara was beaten by her grandfather.
Overall the film is really good and I would rate 5 stars originally. But the scene that Tara smoke is not comfortable to me. How come the film director made the young actress(only 12 years old!) to smoke? And I don't think this scene is really important to the film. So I rate this film 4 stars only.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 19
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