Waking Up in Reno (2002)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Jordan Brady

Writers (WGA):

Brent Briscoe (written by) &
Mark Fauser (written by)

Release Date:

13 December 2002 (Turkey)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

They're four close friends. Some closer than others.

Plot:

A romantic comedy about two trashy couples traveling to Reno to see a monster truck show.

Plot Keywords:

Monster Truck | Married Couple | Fertility | Beautiful Woman | Marriage Problems

Cast

Natasha Richardson	...	Darlene Dodd
Holmes Osborne	...	Doc Tuley
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Lonnie Earl Dodd
Patrick Swayze	...	Roy Kirkendall
Charlize Theron	...	Candy Kirkendall
Billy O'Sullivan	...	Lonnie Earl III
Galvin Chapman	...	Lane Dodd
Kelsey Chapman	...	Lacy Dodd
Cleo King	...	June
Chelcie Ross	...	Fred Bush
Brent Briscoe	...	Russell Whitehead
Mark Fauser	...	Boyd
Aszue Wilson	...	Mini-Mart Cashier
Hody Porterfield	...	Hodie at the Big Texan
Jo Harvey Allen	...	Waitress at Big Texan

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Iceland:12 | Canada:A (Ontario) | Australia:M | Denmark:A | Germany:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | UK:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Amarillo, Texas, USA

Company:

Crossfire Sound & Pictures

Trivia:

Mary Steenburgen, Barbara Hershey, Powers Boothe and Laura Dern read for parts in the film when it was being cast in 1997.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Candy and Darlene are sitting at the makeup mirror in the hotel visiting, the strap on Darlene's left shoulder disappears and reappears several times.

Quotes:

[Candy has slept with Darlene's husband]
Darlene: And you call yourself my friend.
Candy: Damn right I do.

Movie Connections:

References "Melrose Place" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Knock Three Times

Laughed out loud!

Waking Up in Reno doesn't seem to have done too well at the box office, but since I always see Billy Bob Thornton's movies, I took a chance. I was very pleasantly surprised. As a lover of roadside Americana and having traveled Interstate 40 more times than I care to recall, the humor particularly hit home. I can't see how anyone wouldn't find the simple, white-trash humor funny. But it wasn't rednecky or dumb, there were a million good lines in the movie. Billy Bob, as usual, was flawless. The plot was simple enough, it was the nuances and details that made the movie so much fun. This is one I'll definitely add to my home library when it's available on DVD. I highly recommend it. It takes a LOT to make ME laugh out loud, but I laughed through the whole movie.