Waking Up in Reno (2002)

That was an excellent one.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Natasha Richardson (gorgeous smile & too sweet) is Darlene Dodd and she's just not real good about leaving home./Billy Bob Thornton (devilishly handsome smile) is Lonnie Earl Dodd (married to Darlene) and if you can't trust old Lonnie Earl Dodd then you can't trust anybody./Patrick Swayze (beautiful smile & so bright) is Roy Kirkendall but hell he can't find that husband of Darlene's nowhere who's probably up to no good. Charlize Theron (great legs!) is Candy Kirkendall (not married to Lonnie Earl) and you're damn right she sure as hell feels dirty!Waking Up in Reno is really funny and super sweet (& super smart) and super duper sexy it really hits home with 4 epic (as good as it gets) stars that is so underrated (5.5???)!Charlize (the most atomic beautiful blonde ever...) is the most beautiful atomic blonde ever (sorry, Marilyn). Charlize shows her butt in her underwear, a bikini, just a towel, in her jeans (Shania!!!!, I mean Natasha and Charlize dancing to Shania!!!!!) and her pajamas./Patrick (super sweet, God I love him) & BBT (super cool, God I can't stand him) are both charming and really (as much as I care), really sexy plus Patrick goes swimming (shirtless!)./Natasha Richardson is the most beautiful woman ever. I love Natasha Richardson. As all-time pretty as Theron is (The Atomic Blonde!!), Natasha is simply (& incredibly) irresistible and I absolutely love Natasha Richardson (and her whole family) she's the sweetest and just to die for. Sweet Natasha getting in the pool in her one-piece in this is the hottest (most supremely discounted!!) sweet & sexy movie moment ever (it really is). Waking Up in Reno (with Patrick Swayze and Natasha Richardson) has the two most sweetest (& most beautiful) persons who have ever died too young (again, sorry, Marilyn). It's endless pleasure & amusement & joy seeing Pat & Nat acting onscreen together (in this). I want to be with Charlize (the hottest blonde ever!!!) but Natasha makes it soooooo close. 7 outta 10!

Four very boring characters, an extremely unfunny road trip and drama that's not as convincing as a daytime soap opera. The main problem here is the character's credibility on any level, as none of the them are believable at all but they're simply unoriginal stereotypes from every hillbilly comedy. Patrick Swayze, Charlize Theron and Natasha Richardson work with Thornton but it's unlikely they'll be sending him any signs of moonshine after such an assignment with one-note characters. Most if the reviews, professionals and amateurs, have agreed with this film's assessment. " It gets hot and you get a rise and if you don't knead it they get old and stale," you may enjoy the cracker barrel philosophy and crude humour. So a disappointing story and production, in spite of the very good cast.

Couples best friends Darlene Dodd (Natasha Richardson), Lonnie Earl Dodd (Billy Bob Thornton), Roy Kirkendall (Patrick Swayze), and Candy Kirkendall (Charlize Theron) from Little Rock decide to go to Reno. Darlene and Roy don't know that Lonnie and Candy are having an affair. Lonnie dominates Darlene. Candy and Roy are trying to have a baby.It's a comedy without any actual jokes. It might actually work as an indie drama but it's obviously trying to be a comedy. It doesn't work and the movie is lesser for it. I can't blame the four actors if the material isn't there. The writers Brent Briscoe and Mark Fauser are better known as actors. The writing simply doesn't have it.

SPOILERS:This was not a terrible movie but not much above average. It certainly was moderately disappointing but fun in it's own way.With this incredible cast and the fact that it is essentially a "road movie" it should have been a bit better then it was. What a cast this movie had! Theron and Richardson sink their teeth into these roles and create characters with fully developed personalities. Thornton may have been the best here but I must say Swayze, who I've always thought was a bit under rated, was excellent and I really enjoyed seeing him in this role. I also loved Penelope Cruz in this role and wish her part had been larger. The whole cast was way above average.But the movie still lacked a lot. With all the possibilities this movie had, I didn't think the central subject matter fit very well. Although the cast is great and they develop their characters, there isn't much development in the way the characters interact with each other. Therefore it is kind of difficult to buy into the movie.Plus you kind of feel a little gypped at the end, as you don't really see how much is resolved. There are occasionally some really good scenes such as the confrontation between the two women, which unfortunately, is turned into a cat fight (after a really poignant scene I might add) and the scene where Swayze says he wants respect. Even the interaction between Swayze and Cruz is practically non existent after she starts talking to him at the bar. This movie is WAY to short. And I also think maybe it would have played better as a drama or at least a dramatic comedy. It really wasn't very funny anyway although it had a few moments toward the end.Also considering this is a road movie, I thought more could have been done from a cinematography standpoint. Again-there's a few moments, examples being a breathtaking scene of the nighttime sky and of coarse the last scene. But way more use should have been made of the photography and way more interesting adventures should have happened on the way to Reno.I wouldn't really recommend this movie but fans of any of the performers might want to check it out for some really good acting. It's a credit to the talent of all these performers that even in a mediocre movie, each one manages to turn in a performance that's above average and then some.