12 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, May 3, 1995 'Sleeping' is a summer moviegoer's dream Rt Dvlan -.."UInnlue" By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer The summer movie season always pmmises an overflow of two types of film genres -the explosive action-thriller and the light hearted romantic comedy. Given the overabundance of these two film styles, it often becomes difficult for mov- ies of these type to separate themselves fom the rest of the pack. Of course, there are exceptions, such as "Speed" last year, and "Sleepless in Seattle," the year before. Although Director John Turtletaub's latest work "While You Were Sleeping" may never approach the enormous popularity of these other two films, itis a perfect ex- Whlle You Were Sleeping Directed by John Turtletaub; with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman At Showcase ample of how entertaining a summer ro- mance movie can be. Sandra Bullock stars as Lucy, a lonely transit worker who, from a dis- tance, admires Peter (Peter Gallagher), a handsome lawyer. When he is pushed off the train platform by a couple of muggers, Lucy comes to the rescue and saves the unconscious Peter from an on-coming train. The attorney is rushed to a hospital where he lies in a coma. Lucy is not permitted to see him until a nurse mistakenly gets the idea that she is Peter's fiancee. At the hos- pital, the nurse also tells Peter's family that the two are engaged. Although shocked, the family immediately em- braces Lucy, who has no relatives of her own. Eventually, Lucy meets Peter's brother, Jack (Bill Pullman), and the two developa strong emotional bond. However, Lucy finds herself in too deep to tell anyone the real story, and is left to worry until Peter comes out of his coma. When he does, the movie climaxes with an enjoyable, al- beit predictable ending. The film itself is a modern version of the screwball comedies of the late'30s and early '40s, with a bit more romance thrown in. The plot relies on a series of mix-ups that mesh together perfectly. Filmsbased on several misunderstandings often have the ability to be really fmnny, or really annoying. Thankfully, the result in this case is positive. In all likelihood, the movie works be- cause itis true to its nature. The film was made for people to enjoy, and fortu- nately there is no pseudo-intellectualun- derlying social theme. Simply stated, it doesn't try to be something it ain't. Of course, the plot isn't realistic, but who really cares? All that matters is that the film does its job by stirring the audience's emotions, while being hu- morous. However, without Sandra Bullock the film would probably fall flat on its face. She is incredibly sincere and charming as the main character. She plays every scene perfectly, while being an irresistible presence. Bullock grabs the audience early on, and never lets go. It is impossible not to root for her. Bul- lock provides one of the finer female lead performances in a while. Pullman does a fine job opposite Bullock. He is convincing as a simple, yet extremely likable working stiff. The chemistry between he and Bullock is quite successful in the few scenes that they worktogether. Also, supporting ac- tors Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, and sev- eral others are amusing portrayals of Pe- ter and Jack's loving, typically suburban family. Essentially, therole of summer mov- ies are simply to entertain the audience. Yet considering how facile this task seems to be, notthat many films achieve their tasks. However, when they do, it4 turs out to be quite a treat, as "While You Were Sleeping"proves. q ' , ' , z . } _ _ x " ' r '' , x _. c .. .. ,. . t .. K ': .. .. " .. Yri . . . . . . . ,. "v KL r _ .. Yr :. . IU. Join the real world with the right career, We're Hewitt Associates LLC, a global benefits consulting firm based in suburban Chicago. You'll find us listed in The 100 Best Companies To Work For In America. And due to our unparalleled growth, we're out to find the best can- didates for career entry analyst opportunities in our innovative client-server environment. Formal training will be pro- vided. If you have an outstanding GPA, an analytical mind, and the desire to get into exciting project work right away, lets find out more about each other. Send your resume including GPA (transcript preferred) to: Dave Quinn, Hewitt Associates LLC, PO. Box 221, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Or, fax to 708 883' 0076. Equal Opportunity Employer. Hewitt Associates Helping Cients Around The World Improve Business Results Through People.