The Minute You Wake Up Dead
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
The Minute You Wake Up Dead
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.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Minute You Wake Up Dead is a murder mystery/thriller set in a small Southern town, where a bad stock deal leads to several murders. Expect guns and shooting, blood spurts, bloody wounds, a toe getting snipped off with bolt cutters, poison, a person being whacked in the head with a shovel, car crashes, and more. Language includes several uses of "f--k" and "s--t," plus "motherf----r," "son of a bitch," "goddamn," and more. Characters kiss, a man hoists a woman up by her thighs and carries her away; sex is implied, but is nothing shown. Characters drink socially, sharing beers, whiskey, and wine, and there's background cigarette- and pot-smoking.
What's the Story?
In THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD, stockbroker Russ Potter (Cole Hauser), who's returned to his small Southern town after a big city education, isn't very popular. After he convinced many of the locals to invest in a potential merger, the deal didn't through, and everyone has lost money. Russ even receives threatening phone calls, asking "where will you be the minute you wake up dead?" Only Delaine (Jaimie Alexander), a server in the corner cafe, sticks by him, and soon they begin to form a tender relationship. Unfortunately, Delaine's father (Andrew Stevens) is unexpectedly murdered. They go to Sheriff Thurmond Fowler (Morgan Freeman) and decide that perhaps Russ was the actual target, and that the murder was a mistake. But then there are more killings, and the mystery deepens.
Is It Any Good?
This shockingly bad murder "mystery" centers on people who commit crimes, confess them too soon and to the wrong people, then do the same again, with no plan for how not to get caught. (Not very bright, are they?) The Minute You Wake Up Dead starts with one of those flash-forwards to an "exciting" event that occurs two-thirds of the way in, which makes no sense and simply disguises the fact that the filmmakers have no confidence in the actual beginning of the story. It also begins and ends with Freeman reading some "life is funny that way"-type narration because, why not, so long as you have Morgan Freeman on hand? Even before the murders start, the characters seem a little off, as if the actors didn't quite know what approach to take.
But when the killings do start, everything gets really screwy. Characters willy-nilly confess their transgressions to whoever happens to be listening, and no one seems to have any plan. (Everyone is after a large insurance check, and, presumably, the last person left alive gets to keep it? Without being arrested?) Characters just happen to show up exactly where their victim also happens to be and simply go homicidal. The only intelligent moment in the entire movie is the final one, a supposed irony that shows all the characters getting just what they deserve. Truthfully, if you were to witness just one minute of The Minute You Wake Up Dead, you'd know that you were surely in the wrong place.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Minute You Wake Up Dead's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What lessons are learned in the movie? Should the characters have done anything differently? How?
What is greed? What are some examples of greed in the movie? Does anything ever good come of it?
The movie includes the conundrum: "Are we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because we're born sinners? If it's the latter, what right does God have to judge us?" What do you think?
How is drinking portrayed? Characters seem to enjoy social drinking regularly: Is it glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 4, 2022
- On DVD or streaming: November 4, 2022
- Cast: Cole Hauser, Jaimie Alexander, Morgan Freeman
- Director: Michael Mailer
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: some violence and language
- Last updated: December 21, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
Wind River
Extremely violent but smart, solid crime movie.
-
Insomnia
Well-made but grisly thriller is not for kids.
-
A Simple Plan
Masterful thriller about greed has violence, language.
-
The Little Things
Flawed but well-made, violent, bloody serial killer tale.
-
Seven
Grim, slick, shocking thriller. Older teens only.
For kids who love thrills
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