Sandra Bullockas Lucy Eleanor ModeratzThe story
About While You Were Sleeping
A lonely ticket clerk on a city railway saves the commuter she has quietly adored for months when he is shoved onto the tracks at Christmas, and while he lies in a coma his big, boisterous family mistake her for his fiancée. Welcomed into their festive gatherings, she finds the misunderstanding ever harder to undo, especially as she starts falling for his sceptical younger brother.
The CineClaus verdict
A romcom that happens to open at Christmas, and that first stretch is as warm as the genre gets.
Bullock carries it on pure likeability, so a lie that ought to curdle plays as loneliness finding somewhere to go. The big, noisy family is the real draw, and Bill Pullman's slow thaw as the doubting brother is quietly lovely.
Once the tree comes down it settles into an ordinary winter romcom and runs a touch long. Sentimental, yes, but it earns it. Pick this when you want a festive film that is soft at the centre.
The family desk
Can the kids watch?
Our take: rated PG and fine for most families, since the only real peril is a fall onto the railway tracks early on and the rest is gentle romance that younger children may find slow.
Content advice & accessibility
- Our age guidance
- Editorial, separate from the official PG certificate, and never looser than it.
- Subtitles
- Check your chosen service and edition for supported tracks.
