Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
An instant cult classic, one that's tailor-made for multiple viewings and bound to be popular among college students.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov 2001
fresh:
Exhilarating, transporting, funny and haunting -- and at times maddeningly heady or narcotically logy -- Waking Life doesn't compare to any other movie experience I've ever had.
– Stephanie Zacharek,
Salon.com,
5 Dec 2001
fresh:
If there was ever a film that made ontological exploration fun, this is it.
– Peter Rainer,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
22 Jan 2002
rotten:
For a movie heralded as the cutting edge of visual innovation, Waking Life is disappointingly dull in every other respect.
– Jeff Strickler,
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
6 Nov 2002
fresh:
This inventive animated film, which takes Linklater back to his roots in Austin and Slacker, represents a summation of all the philosophical concerns that have defined him as spokesperson for Gen-X.