While You Were Sleeping (1995)

 

While You Were Sleeping - 1995

Our next film is 1995's rom-com "While You Were Sleeping", a story about a lonely young woman whose life changes drastically when she's mistaken for the fiancée of a coma patient.

The film's cast includes Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, Glynis Johns, and Margaret Travolta.

Lucy Moderatz works for the Chicago Transit Authority as a token collector.  A handsome guy comes by every day and drops a token then gets on his train.  They never speak, yet Lucy finds herself having a crush on the man.  She imagines a whole life for herself with him.

One Christmas Day, he wishes her a Merry Christmas and hurries off to catch his train.  Lucy is so stunned at being spoken to by him that she can't say anything in return.  She berates herself for this.

That same day the man is mugged and pushed onto the train tracks by his attackers.  Lucy rushes to help him and saves him from narrowly being run over by an oncoming train.

She follows the man to the hospital.  She finds out his name is Peter.  However, she is told that no one but family would be allowed to follow him to his room.  She whispers to herself, thinking no one can here her, "but I was going to marry him".

A nurse overhears her whisper and takes her to Peter's bedside, where Lucy sees he is in a coma.  Lucy is able to spend a few quiet moments with him before chaos breaks loose.

Peter's family arrives at the hospital and is completely shocked to find out that he is engaged.  They begin yelling at him while he is in a coma.  Lucy tries to explain everything, but she isn't given the chance to tell her story.

Peter's family immediately takes to her as one of their own.  She is pleasantly surprised to be embraced by all of them in a group hug.

They invite her to spend Christmas with them, and they even put up a stocking on the mantlepiece.  Lucy loves having a family life.  She's also embarrassed about the situation, and she doesn't want to cause Peter's grandmother to have any heart episodes.  So, she lets the engagement story play out.

With the exception of Peter's godfather (who overhears the truth from Lucy), no one knows or suspects the engagement is fake.  However, when she meets Peter's brother, Jack, Lucy finds out that he has more than a few doubts about his brother's fiancée.

While the family debates about it in church, Peter's eccentric grandmother observes, "I like Mass better in Latin.  It's nicer when you don't know what they're saying".

The more time Jack spends with Lucy, the more the two find themselves falling in love.  Jack feels guilty about falling in love with his brother's fiancée, and Lucy finds her affections transferring to Jack.

All of this becomes more complicated when Peter wakes from his coma.  He recognizes all of his family, but when he sees Lucy he asks, "Who are you?"  Everyone assumes he has amnesia, and Peter, not knowing any different, goes along with it.

Peter is even persuaded to marry Lucy.  And a wedding is hastily arranged in the hospital chapel.

However, before they can say their vows, Lucy tearfully breaks down and tells the truth.  She also tells everyone that she loves Jack.  While the family argues amongst themselves, Lucy slips out unnoticed.

Back at work, Lucy is very surprised to see an engagement ring slipped into the token tray.  She pulls it out and looks up through the window.

Lucy smiles when she sees Jack accompanied by all of his family.  Jack tells her that he needs to ask her a question.

After putting a token into the tray, Lucy allows him through.  Jack proposes and Lucy accepts to the delight of his family.

They get married with plans to honeymoon in Florence.  Lucy calls it the greatest gift, because after years of dreaming of traveling, she's finally going to get a stamp in her passport.  Lucy finishes the film by saying, "Peter once asked me when I fell in love with Jack.  And I told him 'it was while you were sleeping'".

Cast rundown:

   Sandra Bullock...............................Lucy Moderatz

   Bill Pullman....................................Jack Callaghan

   Peter Gallagher...............................Peter Callaghan

   Peter Boyle.....................................Ox Callaghan

   Jack Warden...................................Saul

   Glynis Johns...................................Elsie

   Margaret Travolta............................Admitting Nurse

And that's it for While You Were Sleeping.  The original screenplay was about a woman in a coma with a man pretending to be her fiancé.  Studio executives thought that that storyline was too predatory.  Once it was altered, production went ahead.  Demi Moore and Julia Roberts were both offered the role of Lucy Moderatz, and both declined.  At one point, Harrison Ford and Geena Davis were offered the lead roles.  Nicole Kidman auditioned for the role of Lucy.  Matthew McConaughey tested for the role of Jack, but he was passed over because of his Texas accent.

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