WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

'''While You Were Sleeping''' is a 1995 romantic comedy film directed by John Turteltaub and starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher. The script was written by Daniel G. Sullivan and Frederic Lebow.

Contents

Plot

Production

Location

Response

References

External links

Plot

Sandra Bullock plays Lucy, a lonely fare collector on the Chicago elevated railway. The highlight of her days is selling a token to a handsome commuter, Peter Callaghan (played by Peter Gallagher), on whom she has a secret crush. Working on Christmas day, Lucy witnesses Peter being mugged and pushed onto the tracks, and she rescues him from an oncoming train. Peter falls into a coma and she accompanies him to the hospital, where she fantasizes aloud, "I was going to marry him". A nurse overhears her and, misinterpreting the situation, tells the head physician, a policeman and Callaghan's family that Lucy is his fiancée. At first Lucy is too caught up in the madness of everyone's panic to tell the truth, and after that she is too embarrassed to.
An orphan with few friends, she becomes so enamored of the family, and their unconditional love for her, that she cannot bring herself to hurt them by revealing that Peter doesn't even know her. She takes trips with the family so "they can get to know each other". Lucy then meets Peter's younger brother Jack (Bill Pullman), who has taken over his father's business and is always working. He and Lucy spend time together when the rest of the family doesn't have to time to make Lucy feel welcome. Jack is very suspicious at first, saying Peter never mentioned Lucy or a marriage. Later on, Jack starts to have feelings for Lucy.
Then complications ensue. Peter wakes up and does not remember Lucy at all, but everyone assumes he has amnesia. Forced by his family, Peter and Lucy spend time together, while Lucy becomes confused with her feelings for both Peter and Jack. Peter is convinced by Saul (Peter and Jack's godfather, who knows about her secret) that Lucy must be his true love if he really proposed to her, so he does it "again". Lucy freaks out by the unexpected questions and agrees. Lucy confides in Saul. Saul can't bring himself to tell the family about Lucy either. Lucy forces herself to be happy, she's with the man she wanted to be with her whole life.
On the day of the wedding, Lucy starts to feel more and more guilty over her lie and her feelings for both brothers. She walks down the aisle, where Peter is waiting with Jack, who is his best man. The priest begins, but during the words ''"Dearly beloveds, we're gather here today..."'', Lucy objects already. Jack is surprised and objects too. She tells the family who she is and what went wrong in the hospital. She tells the parents she's fallen in love with their son, but points it's not Peter, but Jack. As the family argues, Lucy leaves, unsure of her future.
The next day, she sits at the station again, accepting coins of everyone. Suddenly, an engagement ring falls trough the toll window. When Lucy looks up, she sees Jack and his family standing. Jack passes the token collection line and proposes to Lucy.
The film ends with the two happily married in wedding attire, as their train departs from the station.

Production

Demi Moore originally had secured the part of Lucy, however Sandra Bullock expressed her own interest in the film, stating that she could relate to the character because she felt she had similarities. Moore was immediately replaced by Bullock.

Location

Part of the movie was filmed at the Lake Point Tower building. State/Lake Station was used for exterior shots of the 'L'.

Response

The film performed very well and was a hit, grossing $9,288,915 on its opening weekend and a total of $182,057,016 internationally for its entire theatrical run^[1]. It was the fifth-highest grosser of 1995 in the United States^[2]. This film, along with ''Speed'', are credited as having launched Sandra Bullock into stardom.

References

★ Janet Maslin. "The Blossoming of a Wallflower." ''The New York Times.'' April 21, 1995. C16.
1. While You Were Sleeping at boxofficemojo.com
2. 1995 Yearly Box Office Results

External links

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