Product Details

• Actors: Natasha Richardson, Holmes Osborne, Billy Bob Thornton, Patrick Swayze, Charlize Theron
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Miramax
• VHS Release Date: August 5, 2003
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009Y3R0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,683 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Shelved for two years before its limited theatrical release, Waking Up in Reno is the kind of comedy that makes you feel guilty for laughing. The lowbrow fun begins when Arkansas car dealer Lonnie Earl (Billy Bob Thornton, perfectly cast) cheats on his wife Darlene (Natasha Richardson) with Candy (Charlize Theron), the wife of his best friend Roy (Patrick Swayze). When the couples pack up Lonnie Earl's ill-fated SUV to see the monster-truck jam in Reno, Nevada, Roy's meager sperm count and Candy's surprise pregnancy result in a series of marital repercussions. Stuck in a no-man's-land between road-trip farce and redneck parody, this comedic misfire trades in dimwit stereotypes and white-trash condescension, showing its age with a thankless hot-Latina cameo by Penélope Cruz. It's painless enough to be watchable, and Thornton's character is a likeable fool as he surveys the damage he's caused. Watch carefully, and you'll find plenty of mostly unfulfilled promise along with a half-hearted chuckle or two. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly funny, heartwarming film, June 7, 2003

By 

Ashley VanDeKamp (Reno, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waking Up in Reno (DVD)

I watched this movie thinking it would be completely dumb, but I was soon proven wrong. The humor and emotion in this movie was intense to the point of uncontrollable laughter. I was home alone when I watched it and surprised at how loud I was laughing. The characters are well developed and portrayed by all four talented actors. Although extremely humorous, this movie also had a serious side. It tests the strength of true love and true friendship to the max. This is a great movie that will leave you with a warm feeling inside.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not an award winner, but funny film....., October 27, 2002

By 

Judi Fryer "Judi, Entertainment-glutton" (Nicholasville, KY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

I had to take a road-trip of my own four towns to the south to see Billy Bob Thornton in "Waking Up In Reno" because of its 'limited release' status. But it was worth the trip.

There were only six other people in the theater. All seven of us laughed at the appropriate times, so there are at least seven people in this part of southern Florida who recognize 'funny' when they see/hear it.

I do not know why this movie is getting such bad reviews and bad press. Maybe you have to be from the south to enjoy the humor. I would say maybe you have to be a BBT fan, but I don't think that is true, because I would have enjoyed it anyway. It isn't another Monster's Ball or Sling Blade, but it is funny and has just enough of a ring of truth in the situations and very believable characters (at least to us southern folk) to make it enjoyable, recognizable, cute and humerous. Won't win any awards, but deserves better ink than it is getting.

The premise for those of you who don't know is based on a road trip from Millsberg, Arkansas (pop 8,8??, too quick for my old eyes) to Reno with a detour to Amarillo so Billy Bob's character (Lonnie Earl Dodd) can win a $50.00 bet by eating a 72 oz. steak. This is like a road-movie, but less like Hope and Crosby and more like Chevy Chase and Beverly DeAngelo without the kids (although the two couples do often act a lot like kids).

Patrick Swayze's character (Roy Kirkendall-sp?) is sweating the results of a pending fertility test; his wife, Candy, (Charlize Theron) is begging for a renewal of their marriage vows in Reno (because lots of people get re-married where gambling is legal); and Lonnie Earl's wife (Darlene Dodd) played by Natasha Richardson just 'isn't the girl that Lonnie married' anymore.

Lonnie sells used-cars, Roy works for his father-in-law in a cat-food cannery, and Darlene is a stay-at-home mom, while Candy has transformed from 'Lonnie's supportive friend' to 'his afternoon delight'. These are individuals who have been friends since grade school, but discover while on the road to Reno that there are still many things to be learned about one another. The revelation of these little secrets 'just among friends' makes for some pretty hilarious antics in 'the 'Biggest Little City In The World'.

From searching for midgets to roadside-bedroom antics for a grateful audience; from brawls on the casino floor, to bubble baths and room service; the four "Wake Up" to insights about themselves and their friends and relations. Roy discovers his manhood in a most unlikely manner, Candy learns a secret that sends tremors through all the relationships, Darlene definitely gets her groove back, and Lonnie...well Lonnie may just be on the receiving end of one of the greatest acts of revenge a scorned woman has ever devised.....

Brent Briscoe (The Killing Box, A Simple Plan, U-Turn, Sling Blade, and Minus Man, not a Billy Bob Thornton film, but starring Dwight Yoakam, who also was one of the producers of "Waking Up In Reno") is Russell Whitehead, small town cop. I will need to see the flick again, but I believe I caught a brief, very brief, glimpse of Marty Stuart. He was billed as a member of the 'musical group', but I thought I caught him in a crowd scene. Tony Orlando plays himself in an integral part of locating 'the real' Darlene. There are ooodles of great shots of Billy Bob's gorgeous brown eyes that you could drown in. You also get to hear him sing a snippet of "Hang On Sloopy" (which might possibly be on his next CD). There is a close-up of a kiss between BB and Natasha that will have his female fans drooling, at least it worked for me.

All in all this was a very enjoyable film and I would recommend it to all Billy Bob's fans and anyone else who enjoys cute comedy with a just a little message tucked in the corners.

Its a good'n. See it soon at a theater that may NOT be near you.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars comedic gem, May 31, 2003

By 

Larry Comer "film buff" (Ironton, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waking Up in Reno (DVD)

The talents of this cast take this story and make it enjoyable and entertaining. The always lovable Billy Bob Thornton and Patrick Swayzee are perfect opposites, and Charlize Theron justs get sexier with each film she makes, Natasha Richardson shines as the wallflower wife turned into a outgoing take charge woman when the trip to Reno comes unraveled in hilarious marital misadventure that forutunately ends in a typical hollywood all is well with the world ending.