This clunker didn't know if it wanted to be a comedy or a drama. I sat through all of it but knew where it was leading all the way. The book was probably better, which makes me wonder why I spent 2 hours on this cornball "chiller". I've seen worse, but wish I'd bypassed it.
Add a Review
-
helpless_dancer28 December 2002
-
blanche-23 January 2014Call me a glutton for punishment, but I usually watch Mary Higgins Clark's stories turned into films, even though they're generally schlockily produced, slow as molasses, badly acted and accompanied by Psycho music. I can't believe I'm writing this, but I'd almost rather see Grosso-Jacobsen, who normally produce movies from her books, than Lifetime.
The film stars Cameron Bancroft, one of the worst actors I've ever seen, as Sterling Brooks, a self-absorbed stock broker who is killed by a traveling golf ball (probably to stop him from yelling all his lines at the top of his lungs) and goes to the other side (cue the dry ice). There he meets Joe, played by another great thespian, Greg Evigan, trying but failing to speak with some sort of British accent who is supposed to help him qualify for heaven since right now, his fate hasn't been decided.
Joe and Sterling return to earth and Sterling learns that he has to help his old girlfriend Annie (Erika Eleniak) and her daughter (Nickol Tschenscher). Annie overheard mobsters talking and planning to set fire to a house and follow it up with a murder, and her evidence is critical in a case against them. She has been under protection and separated from her daughter, who is miserable. Joe wants Sterling to make sure they're reunited, and with the girl's father, for Christmas.
Eleniak owns this type of film, so she knows how to handle herself. In this production, she plays a singer who does jazzed up versions of Christmas songs. I'm not talking about jazzing up Jolly Old St. Nick, she's jazzing up hymns like Silent Night.
This story has similarities to Ghost and It's a Wonderful Life, and Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark can write good stories that don't make for heavy reading. "He Sees You When You're Sleeping" could have been a lovely Christmas story and a real tear-jerker, but for me, the acting wrecked it. I say spend a little extra money and get another one or two good actors and throw in a good director. You might be surprised at the results. -
FilmLabRat22 December 2002Movie has provoking ideas about the afterlife, second chances and values. Tries too hard to be crime thriller, melodrama and kids movie, all at the same time. If the plot were not a bit too predictable and saccharine, could be a deep and interesting film. At least the ending is rather unexpected.
-
misslu27 December 2002Pretty actors in one of the worst TV movies I have ever seen. Don't get me wrong - I like bad movies, but this just seems to go on and on. It isn't that the acting is particularly bad, it's just boring. I thought it was almost over only to find it had an hour left. I used it for noise value and cleaned the house.
-
tarpoff30 January 2007I am surprised at the summaries I have read. This movie is certainly worth seeing. Yes, it is a fantasy-themed movie with angels coming from heaven to do good deeds, but there are very many of these spiritual or supernatural themes that come out of Hollywood. I am no fan of this type of movie, but when it stars Kelly Preston (JACK FROST) or Erika Eleniak or the like I am certainly going to watch. And both movies were entertaining enough. Besides, Kelly and Erika are gorgeous in these respective flicks. Erika does a fine job in this movie as a singer. I have seen most everything she has done and this movie is better than some of the others. And Greg Evigan I believe did a good job portraying the character the way the author wanted.
-
N63463 October 2010"This could happen"?!? In what universe would that be? If Heaven can really wait, why doesn't it? do just that, and spare us all these cloying, wishful thinking movies about the so-called "afterlife." "It's A Wonderful Life" at least had Frank Capra's and James Stewart's extraordinary talents to recommend it. This piece of treacle has only Mr. Mediocre, Greg Evigan, and Erika Elenia, whose relentless Bullockian cuteness can go only so far And It would have been a perfectly serviceable story without all of the "Ghost Whisperer" blather but that kind of thing, apparently, is exactly what all those teenage girls demand and they and their lame, puerile little taste are exercising some kind of spiritless pastel tyranny over the popular culture. The movie also contains more than a few unhappy echoes of "Ghost," the painfully silly beginning of the era of "the-only-good-man-is-a-dead-man movies
-
MeggiesNicky22 December 2002It's one thing to put a movie on TV. Another to shoot one and put it directly on TV. Another to shoot a movie as if you never intended to do anything with it other than put it on TV. And man does this one smell of video!
The story's okay, with some adaptations from the novel, but that's no big deal. I can forgive that. I can even forgive the sappiness of the stoy; judge a movie on its own genre.
What I can't forgive is the production. I admit that PAX is no big media centre, but surely they can still draw a little better talent than the casting for this flick. The leads all look like they're doing a commercial for local TV or else hamming it up in a civic theatre. People sometimes seem to forget that when there's a camera involved, they don't need to act out as they might on stage.
What's worse is the cinematography which is framed like a daytime drama, and lit with less creativity than that. The staging is simple -- two people talking should face each other in the middle of the room. The action should be center-stage. Et cetera.
You can bear with it, but the production doesn't do half justice to what the authors of the novel deserve... -
searchersd30 December 2020An egotistical businessman who has died must now prove that he's worthy of entrance into heaven by helping a young girl, which turns out to be difficult at first, until he learns the meaning of compassion. There are bad guys, good guys, fantasy, drama and a little romance all thrown together into this predictable yet quite enjoyable movie.
-
Kingslaay3 January 2023I was quite underwhelmed by 'He Sees You When You Are Sleeping'. I would even to struggle to classify this as a Christmas film as it doesn't really feel like the holidays. You have a few carols sung but it really feels like it could be anytime in the year.
The plot is unoriginal and dull. Sterling has to try and save his daughter and Annie. The rules make no sense and are all over the place. Sometimes people can see him and at the end he magically appears and is dancing at a party but he's actually dead. A women also comes back from the dead which was ridiculous. The Mafia storyline was unconvincing and weak too. -
**SPOILERS** Getting killed on the golf course by a loose ball stock broker Sterling Brooks, Cameron Bancroft, ends of in this heavenly way-station where it's to be decided, by a Heavenly Counsel, where and what his final destination will be; Heaven or that other place. This will be decided on in what actions Sterling takes when he goes back on earth when he's to correct the mistakes he made while he was still alive.
Being guided by his Guardian Angle Joe, Greg Evlgan, Sterling will find out that his mission is to save both Annie Campbell, Erika Elenika, and her daughter Marissa, Nickol Tschenscher, from the notorious Badgett Brothers Junior & Eddie, Eli Gabry & Craig March. It's Junior Badgett whom Amie is slated to testify against in an arson an attempted murder case that she's the only witness to.
It takes a while for Sterling to get the hang of being dead as well as invisible to those, like Amie and Marissa, back on earth. It takes even longer for the not that on the ball, in realizing what his relationship is with both Amie & Nickol, Sterling to throw off his hang ups, like disliking kids, and realize that he lived a life of nihilism and self absorption not feeling or caring for those whom he hurt in the process.
As Sterling starts to connect with both Amie & Marissa he not only finds his long lost humanity for his fellow human being but becomes visible to both of them. As all this is happening Marissa feeling left out, by being locked up in her home for her own protection, in the world sneaks out of her mom's and granny's, Norah Campbell, house to go ice-skating with her friends.
Spotted by Eddie Badgett and his henchmen they end up kidnapping Marissa holding her hostage in that it will persuade her mom not to testify against his brother Junior in court. That all had to do with Amie, who was the singer at a party thrown by the Badgett's, overhearing Junior brag about torching Hans Kramer's, Udo Kler, home-which he later did-in retaliation for Hans being late on a loan that he owed him. As if burning down Hans house wasn't enough Junior also plans to murder him after he gets his money from Hans in order, in him being a notorious loan shark, just to keep in practice! If Amie testifies in court to what she heard Junior say he'll be put on ice, or the clink, for the rest of his miserable life! It's now up to Sterling to rescue Marissa from the Badgett Mob and thus have her mom feel safe in testifying against Junior Badgett.
As things turn out it's not Sterling who ends up saving the day but someone else who, like Sterling, came back from the "other side" to straighten things out. And that more then anything else will not only save both Marissa and, if it's possible to save someone's life who's dead already, Sterling lives but turn the murderous Badgett Brothers, or at lest Eddie, into decent and law abiding citizens!
A lot like the 1946 classic Christmas movie "It's a Wounderful Life" the 2002 made for TV film "He Sees You when You're Sleeping" hits all the right notes in its giving Sterling another chance in redeeming himself so he can be accepted as an angle in heaven. As for Guardian Angle Joe he's still hard at work with saving other persons assigned to him in having them clear up the messes they left on earth after they passed away! But now Joe has fellow Guardian Angle Sterling Brooks to help him out with his heavy workload. -
mweratcliffe22 June 2022According to the film - the female lead has been in witness protection for over a year waiting to testify against a criminal who is doing all he can to prevent her testifying. As a viewer you realize it makes no sense that the feds put her in witness protection but leave her young daughter and the grandmother out and free to be kidnapped and used as leverage to prevent the testimony - but it takes over an hour of film time for this idea to actually dawn in the criminal and for his henchmen to kidnap the daughter in one of the dumbest scenes in the film. Hokey acting, directing and musical score. The film is quite simply an abysmal waste of time.
-
SnowWhiteSal4 March 2006He Sees You When You're Sleeping is one of several Mary Higgins Clark adaptations; it stars Erika Eleniak, Cameron Bancroft and Greg Evigan.
***May Contain Spoilers***
This TV movie is about this self-centred, selfish superficial stockbroker Sterling Brooks (Cameron Bancroft) who dies before his time in some random freak accident. In order to secure himself a place in heaven, Sterling is given the opportunity to redeem himself by helping out single mom Annie Campbell (Erika Eleniak) and her daughter Marissa, who are in the witness protection program, from nasty mobsters who will stop at nothing - including murder - to prevent Annie from testifying against them.
Like most TV movies, it was a little on the cheesy side, but that is something I really enjoy. It's nice to sit down and watch something you know isn't real, but maybe, just maybe it COULD happen!
Although the movie had somewhat strange and silly ideas about the afterlife and what not, I found that quite charming in a weird and wonderful sort of way.
The only thing I didn't really like about this movie was Greg Evigan's performance as the guardian angel Joe, I just felt it was really badly acted compared to everyone else in the film.
Cameron was really enjoyable to watch, I think my grandma now has a slight crush on him, but it's all good!! When he first "came back to earth" you really rooted for people to be able to see him and know he was there.
Erika was as always excellent in this movie, it was great seeing her play something a little different and nice seeing her play a mommy to a little girl. There was a great chemistry between the actresses on screen and you really wanted to see Annie get back home to be with her daughter for Christmas.
If you like a good drama/fantasy style movie, then this is definitely worth the watch, I know I'll watch it again (and again) -
cottoncandycloudpod21 December 2023I love a Mary Higgins Clark film. These movies are a fever dream production of the books within the series - and that is what I love so much. Going in the audience should be prepared for that. This isn't an academy award winning production but it's still a production and it's entertaining and that's something you can appreciate.
This movie was actually cute. Crazy how long it took the protagonist to realize he was a guardian angel to his daughter though. Even still the plot was unexpectedly sweet and cute. I love stories with the guardian angel plot anyway. If you're looking for something unassuming, slightly dull yet adorable with a little action, you should watch this. -
ptnana-343921 January 2020This was the worst adaptation of a book to film that I have ever seen. The story only slightly reflects the book. Sterling was an angel trying to get into Heaven, not find a love interest. Marissa's father is nowhere to be seen. Second husband and twins were completely ignored, as was the Heavenly Council. And where is the attorney and his wife who had the answer to the problem? In my opinion, if the screen version had followed the book, this could have been another "It's a Wonderful Life". Authors should be ashamed of letting their well written books be turned into romantic dribble.
-
megan_chatterton22 January 2022First off, the title is very misleading. Not about a stalker-in fact this one actually deviates a bit from the usual MHC formula. A selfish man dies and is given a chance to help his family and get into heaven. Cons: Terrible singing and full of odd facial expressions from the cast. A few noticeable plot holes too. Pros: Overall an okay movie for the family with some mild holiday themes.