While You Were Sleeping is a 1995 American romantic comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub and written by Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow. The movie features Sandra Bullock as Lucy, a woman who works as a token collector for the Chicago Transit Authority, and Bill Pullman as Jack, the brother of a man whose life Lucy saves. Other important actors include Peter Gallagher as Peter, the man who is saved; Peter Boyle and Glynis Johns as members of Peter’s family; and Jack Warden as a family friend and neighbor who has known them for many years.

The film was very successful with both critics and audiences, earning more than $182 million worldwide. Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman were praised for their acting. Sandra Bullock was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Movie.

Plot

Fare token collector Lucy Eleanor Moderatz works for the Chicago Transit Authority at the Randolph/Wabash station. She secretly likes regular commuter Peter Callaghan, though they do not know each other. On Christmas Day, Lucy saves Peter after muggers push him onto the train tracks. She takes the unconscious Peter to the hospital, where she is mistaken for his fiancée.

Peter’s family is surprised to learn he is “engaged,” but they thank Lucy for saving him. Lucy becomes involved in the situation and does not tell the truth because she is embarrassed. She also does not want to upset Peter’s grandmother Elsie, who has a heart condition. While visiting Peter in the hospital, Lucy tells him about her situation, but she does not know that Peter’s godfather Saul hears her. Saul leaves without talking to her. Meanwhile, Peter’s girlfriend Ashley leaves a message on his answering machine, saying she has decided to accept his proposal after all.

Lucy spends a late Christmas with the Callaghan family, who are kind and welcoming. She meets Peter’s younger brother Jack, who is expected to take over his father’s furniture business but wants to build and sell his own furniture. At first, Jack thinks Lucy is lying or cheating on his brother, but she convinces him otherwise.

Saul visits Lucy’s apartment and confronts her about the lies. Lucy explains she feels lonely because her mother died when she was young and her father passed away the year before. Saul decides to keep her secret because the accident brought the family closer, and he believes Lucy is not being mean.

As Lucy and Jack spend time together, she begins to fall in love with him. Jack tells his unconscious brother that he is jealous of something Peter has.

Ashley continues to leave messages about Peter’s lack of response, saying she is back in town and wants to see him.

Because of a misunderstanding, Jack believes Lucy is pregnant. He confronts her about this during Lucy’s friend’s New Year’s Eve party, causing an argument.

After New Year’s Eve, Peter wakes up. When he does not recognize Lucy, everyone thinks he has amnesia. Lucy tries to tell the Callaghans the truth, but they assume she is not actually pregnant and ignore her. Saul stops Lucy and says he will explain the truth later.

When Jack drives Lucy home, she tells him things will change now that Peter is awake. Lucy thanks Jack for being a good friend, and he apologizes for their earlier argument. They say goodbye. The next day, Jack tells his father he would rather make furniture than take over the business.

Instead of telling the truth, Saul tells Peter he is a fool for how he treats women and says Lucy is special. He encourages Peter to get to know her. When Lucy visits, Peter is charmed. Meanwhile, Ashley learns from Peter’s doorman that he is engaged to someone else and is in the hospital. Ashley confronts Peter at the hospital, insisting they are engaged, but Peter reminds her they broke up after she rejected his proposal. Peter says he has changed and wants to marry Lucy.

Lucy finds out Saul never told the Callaghans the truth and returns to the hospital to tell Peter herself. Before she can, Peter proposes again, and Lucy accepts. Jack visits her and gives her a snow globe. Lucy asks if Jack can give her a reason not to marry Peter, but he says he cannot.

The wedding is set for the next day. As the ceremony begins, Lucy says, “I object,” and Jack agrees. Lucy finally tells everyone the truth. She admits she loves Jack and says she is happy to no longer be alone. Ashley arrives and demands the wedding stop. Ashley’s husband also arrives and objects. As people argue, Lucy leaves unnoticed.

Later, while Lucy is at work, Jack places an engagement ring in her booth’s token tray. He proposes to her in the booth, with most of the Callaghans watching. Lucy and Jack marry and take a CTA train for their honeymoon. He fulfills her dream of visiting Florence, Italy. Peter asks when she fell in love with Jack, and she replies, “It was while you were sleeping.”

Cast

• Sandra Bullock as Lucy Eleanor Moderatz, a lonely transportation worker
• Bill Pullman as Jack Callaghan, a carpenter with a scruffy charm
• Peter Gallagher as Peter Callaghan, who is rich, handsome, and mostly gullible
• Peter Boyle as Ox Callaghan, the head of the Callaghan furniture business who often makes wisecracks
• Glynis Johns as Elsie, the slightly deluded grandmother
• Micole Mercurio as Midge Callaghan, an extremely passionate and kindhearted mother
• Jack Warden as Saul Tuttle, Peter's godfather and neighbor to the Callaghans
• Jason Bernard as Jerry Wallace, Lucy's dry-humored boss
• Michael Rispoli as Joe Fusco Jr., Lucy's troublesome yet harmless neighbor who has unrequited feelings for her
• Ally Walker as Ashley Bartlett Bacon, the snarky and superficial real fiancée of Peter
• Monica Keena as Mary Callaghan, the sweet younger sister of Peter and Jack

Production

Demi Moore and Julia Roberts were both offered the role of Lucy Moderatz but refused to take it.

After Disney's Hollywood Pictures bought the script in 1994, the company had trouble finding actors who wanted to join the project. Meg Ryan was one of the first actors to decline the role because Lucy was originally written as the character who goes into a coma.

The original screenplay was named Coma Guy, but the title was changed soon after Caravan Pictures acquired the script. The story was first set in New York City, but due to budget limits, the location was changed to Chicago, where the film was shot on location. Filming occurred from October 8 to December 14, 1994.

Bill Pullman reportedly wanted to leave the film after a table read that producer John Glickman called "the worst table read of all time." However, his agent told him he could not quit another film at that time.

Reception

The film earned a total of $182,057,016 worldwide, compared to an expected budget of $17,000,000. It made $9,288,915 during its opening weekend on April 21–23, 1995, surpassing the film Bad Boys. In the United States, it ranked as the thirteenth highest-grossing film of 1995.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 62 reviews, with an average score of 6.50 out of 10. The site’s critical consensus says, “While You Were Sleeping uses familiar ideas, but it is put together skillfully and features a charming performance by Sandra Bullock, making it a strong example of a well-made film.” On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 67 out of 100, based on reviews from 20 critics. Audience ratings from CinemaScore gave the film an A on a scale from A to F.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 stars out of 4, writing: “It is a feel-good film, heartwarming and kind. As it moved toward a happy ending, I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed it.”

Accolades

Bullock received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in the category of Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. The film was nominated by the American Film Institute in 2002 for inclusion in AFI's 100 Years…100 Passions list. Bullock was also nominated for Best Female Performance and Most Desirable Female at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards.