Bill Maher's 'Sleepwalking' starts off slow and I initially got the impression that this would be another one of those films that isn't really going anywhere. I was more put off by the Tara character who appeared to be just another caricature bitchy preteen, but once Maher is done introducing his character and the first twist takes place (with Jolene leaving), it becomes apparent what a strong character driven piece 'Sleepwalking' as the characters are further fleshed out and Tara isn't portrayed as a one-dimensional hormonal adolescent that one has witnessed in numerous other Hollywood flick but a more recognizable teen who's struggling with her dysfunctional and broken family. All the characters, including the minor ones are portrayed as humans.Zac Stanford's writing is solid. The story is subtly layered and the dialogues are intriguing. I especially remember the last line, a message James leaves for his sister. The execution is very modest. There are no over-the top effects or melodramatic music. The subtle score is effectively used.AnnaSophia Robb is brilliant and Nick Stahl and Charlize Theron are great. Dennis Hopper is excellent as the abusive father who was estranged from his children. Even the supporting actors who have very small roles, like Mathew St. Patrick, Woody Harrelson and Deborra-Lee Furness, make their character more than noticeable.Maher's underrated film is sincere, sad and involving. There's a quiet rhythmic flow to it once one is past the first fifteen minutes. In a way the ending does leave one wanting more because the viewer is drawn to the character's world.

You hate to take shots at a film like "Sleepwalking", which was obviously a labor of love for producer Charlize Theron, who called in a lot of favors and assembled a first-rate cast and crew to make this film. But as Yogi Berra once said: "If you don't know where you are going, you'll probably end up someplace else". Apparently there was so much self-delusion going into the project that no one grasped the slow motion train wreck that this film would become after a very promising first 30 minutes.If nothing else "Sleepwalking" illustrates that the constraining factor limiting the supply of "good" films is in the pre-production area, where producers must grasp at straws in a field of totally lame scripts in the hope that a lot of hard work in the production and post-production phases can make something out of nothing."Sleepwalking" could be described as a sanitized version of Terry Gilliam's "Tideland" (2005). Both films are about a young person dealing with an especially traumatic childhood environment and there are a lot of production design similarities. But "Sleepwalking" trades "Tideland's" American Gothic "Alice in Wonderland" quality for a somewhat muddled but very sincere and gritty redemption theme.This effectively eliminates "Tideland's" off-kilter fans as likely viewers and leaves one wondering who might find the last hour of the film worthwhile viewing. Maybe longtime fans of Joni Mtichell's "Blue" album could tap into it during periods of sedation. Mitchell's comments about her album fit quite nicely into a discussion of "Sleepwalking": "The Blue album, there's hardly a dishonest note in the vocals. At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong. Or to be happy. But the advantage of it in the music was that there were no defenses there either."Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I live in Puerto Rico and have submitted reviews before under my earlier email address."Sleepwalking" is a powerful, disturbing movie. It is not a fun movie to see. It is a movie about coming of age or finding out what makes us fear and want to repress our dirty little secrets. I am in a twelve-step program for an addiction. Seeing this movie was as good as going to a group meeting where we share our strength, hope and experience. "Sleepwalking" is about soul searching. It is about accepting reality and not living in denial about our life's experience.I seldom laughed or even smile during this movie until the very end. It almost depressed me because it reminded me of my dishonest life before I got honest with myself.There are four key characters: (1) A father who is cruel and abusive to those who are his loved ones. (2) His daughter who hangs on to the cruel past and does not know how to let go of her resentments against her father in order to enjoy the present. (3) The daughter's timid brother who refuses to honestly examine, face and accept the reality of his past; and therefore, he is unable to have the desire to face his present or future.(4) The daughter's very young, confused and angry daughter who is caught in a trap between her mother's living in the past and her uncle's refusal to accept the present and is afraid to face his future.I don't expect this movie to be a box office success. However, I expect this movie will stimulate many to do our own soul searching. I was a lot like the brother who always denied the truth about his father and did want to confront any of the important issues of living in reality.I would like to add the following comment to my earlier review:Puerto Rico, where I live, is truly an "Enchanted Island." It is colorful and joyful. The people, the scenery and the climate make you feel alive and happy. Puerto Rico also has constant playing of all kinds of Latin music. Puerto Ricans are gifted to appreciate music. They love to sing and dance. They also excel in the visual arts. I actually love and enjoy viewing some of the graffiti in Puerto Rico. I think some of it should be on display in the great art museums of the world.In "Sleepwalking" the scenery and climate could not have been more dull, barren and depressing. There are boring, depressing highways that go for miles without any beautiful scenery. Every location in "Sleepwalking" is flat, dreary and depressing. This added to the disturbing impact of the movie. The people who live in the area of the movie are colorless, dull and depressing. I have noted this lack of beauty and joy in other art films made in the plains just east of the Rockie. Or was this dreariness in the far west? Was it in Utah? I would go out of my mind if I lived in the location of the filming of "Sleepwalking." Boy! I am delighted that I live in Puerto Rico the "Enchanted Island." At the age of eighty, Puerto Rico makes me want to live life with carefree joy. It is difficult to get depress on this bubbling island of colorful living

Despite the mostly negative reviews I've read about 'Sleepwalking', I wanted to see if Annasophia Robb really did live up to what the critics have been raving the past couple months. And she does, in a huge way. With a natural presence and believable acting, Annasophia displays one of the best performances I've seen from a child actor/actress. While she did a great job in BTT and Have Dreams, she doesn't show any signs of the occasional stiff acting that she had in her previous films. Playing the part of the abandoned and emotionally troubled Tara is a very complex process that not many young actors can endure, yet Annasophia portrays her every emotion smoothly. Her chemistry with Stahl's character was convincing and heartfelt. At first I was a little bit on the skeptical side on whether or not her performance was Oscar-worthy; but after watching this movie, I immediately brushed said thoughts aside.That said, this movie is James's (Nick Stahl) story, and he delivers. His performance really brought out the raw emotion that most of the film lacked. At certain scenes one could just sense the extreme pain and sorrow that James is going through as he grows more fond of his niece, only to see her get taken away, that and other aspects of his character makes a nice buildup to his climactic transformation near the end. Charlize Theron, though only present in a handful of scenes in the film, takes full advantage of them and helps create a truly believable troubled American family. Dennis Hopper is, well...Dennis Hopper. He can pull off playing any crazed and sadistic bastard in a snap and succeeds. Despite his character being as one dimensional as one can get, Hopper does a pretty good job making the film more morbid than it already is.Positives aside, here is where the film gets it's real flaws: the story. Besides extremely powerful performances by the leads, Sleepwalking's story suffers from it's overtly dark tone and predictability. Yes, it's supposed to be a morbid take on abandonment and abuse, but unfortunately that's all there is. The characters stumble from one unlucky bump in the road to another without any real relief for them. Besides the budding almost brother-sister type relationship that James and Tara develops, it doesn't really stop the film from becoming increasingly bleak. And quite honestly, as much as I tried to defend it, I didn't understand James's notion to return to his abusive and bitter father's farm. Once he mentions going there in the film, especially with all the comments that he heard from Tara, predicting hell in Satan's frozen ranch wasn't very far-fetched. I enjoy films that are open to interpretation and don't give out easy answers. However, Sleepwalking's ending hardly even tries to put some sort of resolution. It's an all-throughout morbid storyline that DESERVED a true resolution, sadly it barely had one.I enjoyed Sleepwalking. I loved the characters and the performances (Especially Robb and Stahl), but like the ratings that you've read throughout the web, it was just barely enough to carry the weight of a bland and predictable story.