Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Miles Monroe, a clarinet-playing health food store proprietor, is revived out of cryostasis 200 years into a future world in order to help rebels fight an oppressive government regime.
Woody Allen's Sleeper is a genuinely singular comic creation — a slapstick-laden, anarchic sci-fi satire that blends Buster Keaton physical comedy with sharp political wit and jazz-inflected energy in a way no other film quite replicates. The plot is loose and episodic by design, functioning mainly as a clothesline for gags rather than a tightly constructed narrative, while the ending feels abrupt and somewhat deflating. Allen and Diane Keaton share an engaging comedic chemistry, though the performances are more charming than deeply crafted. Cinematography by David M. Walsh is clean and functional, capturing the retro-futurist aesthetic competently without being visually adventurous. The film's distinctiveness — its tone, voice, and anarchic comic conception — is its true strength.