Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Waking Life

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Love-it-or-hate-it film best for older teens.

Movie R 2001 99 minutes
Waking Life Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 4 parent reviews

bigisaac20
bigisaac20 Adult
July 20, 2020
age 14+

This title has:

Great messages
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Rarityfan
Rarityfan Adult
September 5, 2018
age 15+

Must be seen

Must be seen by yourself as I can't describe this real dream of a movie. I guess this is one of the movies that soon will be forgotten. Some violence and romance. Mostly to be wached in the class for students in their late teens

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

WAKING LIFE doesn't really tell a story. It is just a journey by an unnamed main character (played by Wiley Wiggins) who wanders through an Alice-in-Wonderland-style journey that may or may not be a dream, meeting all kinds of very odd people, many of whom tell him their views on consciousness and the purpose of existence. It recalls director/screenwriter Linklater's first film, Slackers, which showed us a series of loosely linked people expressing views on everything from Madonna's pap smear to the assassination of William McKinley, and his later film, Before Sunrise, in which a young couple meets on a train and spend the rest of the movie walking around Vienna and talking about just about everything. The couple from Before Sunrise, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, reprise their roles in one scene, lying in bed talking about consciousness after death. Other actors and characters from Linklater's earlier films flicker through this one as well, their out-of-context familiarity adding to the dreaminess and disorientation. This film is animated. Actually, it is rotoscoped -- originally shot on film (digital film, in this case), then animators paint over the photographed images of real people. Each scene or character had a different group of animators, though the overall look of the film is very consistent.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (3 ):

People will react very strongly to this movie – they will either love it or hate it. Those who will enjoy it are people who have a lot of tolerance for all-night college dorm discussions of the meaning of life, because this entire movie is a series of monologues and dialogues that are variations on that theme. The animation here offers an extraordinary sense of documentary, even hyper-reality from the ambient noise of the audio and the fact that many of the monologues are delivered by people who are not actors. At times, shapes shift to reflect the discussion.

The monologues themselves are like jazz improvisations, wildly playful, bringing in an astonishing assortment of references and concepts. I think the secret to enjoying this movie is not to engage too much with the individual arguments and points of view but just to allow your ears and spirit to enjoy the fact that there are people who feel passionately about these ideas and who are willing to talk about them to other people with an openness I find humbling and touching. The people who want "real human moments," or "holy moments" of genuine connection come across as authentically vulnerable. Of course, other characters come across as people who talk all the time and barely notice if anyone is listening, but most of the people Wiggins meets want to help him in their own way.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about their own views on the meaning of life and which, if any, of the characters are closest to their own thoughts about dreams and reality. Is it possible to create "lucid dreams?" Is there a reason that a film-maker might be particularly attracted to this idea – could film be a kind of generalized lucid dream? When you are dreaming, are you aware that you are dreaming? How do you know? What does it mean to say that there's only one moment or to talk about the eternal yes? Does this movie make you want to know more about any of the authors or ideas it raises?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate