Raul Faust That's why I love Shyamalan productions! "Wide Awake" tells a beautiful story about a young boy who tries to find God after his grandfather dies. It's nice to notice that Shyamalan likes to involve faith and religion in his pictures, mostly gathered with an atheist vain, and that's maybe what I liked the most about this film. Joshua is an obedient and affectionate child that asks himself all the time if there is a god or no, which is an idea that probably inspired 2001's "Artificial Intelligence: AI" and 2002's "Signs". It's refreshing to re-notice how strong Shyamalan's power of direction is, considering he's able to make profound sentimental scenes without trying too hard. The scenes in which Joshua talks to his grandfather are touching and soo beautiful to see that I asked myself "Why didn't I see this before?". I dare to confess I find Joseph Cross' acting even BETTER than Haley Joel Osment's in "The Sixth Sense"-- and so is the story. GREAT hidden gem, give it a chance!

trixie-k-88 Wide Awake is a little known movie with a lot of heart. It's a sweet, thoughtful film about a young boy's journey with his faith.Joshua A. Biel (Joseph Cross) is a ten year old boy who is starting the 5th grade. Joshua feels trapped by his strict Catholic boys' school and spends most of his time with his mischief making friend Dave. But Josh is very subdued this year, due to the recent death of his grandfather (Robert Loggia) whom he was very close with. His grief and immersion in the Catholic faith give Joshua a fantastic idea: Find God. Joshua then spends his entire school year learning about religions and spiritual practices. His parents (Dana Delany & Denis Leary) and teacher Sister Terry (Rosie O'Donnell) become worried about him, but this spiritual journey not only helps him cope with Grandpa's death, but become a young man.Wide Awake is a unique little movie with a lot of emotion and curiosity. Never have I seen a movie that depicts a child's spiritual development. Joshua narrates the film with a child's point of view that is believable most of the time. Joseph Cross gives a very natural performance, and I feel he is a rather underrated actor; his talent was visible from this young age. This movie is easy to relate to for anyone who has lost a grandparent they were close with and/or struggled with their own faith.

The_Shadow_Knows I truly enjoyed this little sleeper of a film. I had never heard of it and fell upon it by chance. It's completely unlike the other films I've seen by M. Night Shyamalan in that it's not caught up in the supernatural or science fiction. I think it really show just what a great film maker he is. Made in 1998 it was just before his big stuff hit the screens. It's just a simple story of a young boy searching for God after his Grandfather dies and in the process finding himself awakening to what's going on in life as well as restoring his faith. A pretty good cast all around, and all basically in supporting roles for the young actor Joseph Cross carries the film. I don't know why it kept such a low profile.

Ronis My husband and I thought this was an excellent movie! We watched it with our 2 young daughters and it opened a great deal of doors for discussions with them. The casting was wonderful! I had read in an article that M. Night Shyamalan was kind of disappointed with it over-all, and I think that he should re-consider that thought. He states that he wants people to somehow be touched by and to identify with the work that he produces and this movie does exactly that! It hits home on all different levels for young and old.This is a must see for families!!