WIDE AWAKE
A boy’s search for God becomes a tender family journey.
Should You Watch It?
Wide Awake is a warm, funny, moving family movie about grief, faith, doubt, and the ways God meets people through memory and relationships. Joshua’s search for reassurance after his grandfather’s death leads to scenes of Christian forgiveness, compassion, faith, and worship.
The film’s heart is its conviction that God has been with Joshua throughout his search. It also treats a child’s questions seriously rather than mocking them. The content concerns are real but minor beside the movie’s positive Christian message and gentle family spirit.
If you want an entertaining movie that gives your family meaningful ways to talk about God, grief, and faith, Wide Awake is worth the trip.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESJoshua Beal is a fifth grader at a Roman Catholic school in Philadelphia. After losing his grandfather to cancer, Joshua begins a mission to find God and make sure his grandfather is okay.
As Joshua asks adults difficult questions, tries out for the football team, deals with a bully, meets a girl named Hope, and gets into comic trouble, memories of his grandfather continue to shape his search. Along the way, Joshua must face his doubts about God, death, and faith.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is an especially successful family movie. Wide Awake is highly amusing and moving, with a modest but energetic style and a fun look at life in the fifth grade.
Joseph Cross, Timothy Reifsnyder, Heather Casler, and the other child actors bring youthful spirit and energy to the film. Robert Loggia gives Joshua’s grandfather a gentle warmth that deepens the boy’s search. Rosie O’Donnell, Denis Leary, Dana Delany, and Dan Lauria add quiet, engaging charm.
The movie also offers clever storytelling, profound insights into children’s behavior, and remarkable scenes of Christian forgiveness, compassion, faith, and worship. Its one very minor flaw is that the adults do not use the Bible, historic Christian creeds, or Roman Catholic teachings to help Joshua with his questions or grief.
The Worldview
Wide Awake presents a Christian worldview with many moral elements and positive references to worship, prayer, and Christian symbols. Joshua searches for God because he wants to know that his grandfather is okay, and the film takes his spiritual questions seriously.
The movie emphasizes faith, forgiveness, compassion, worship, and the presence of God throughout ordinary experiences. Joshua learns to find evidence of God in memories of his grandfather and in his relationships with family, friends, and other people. It also presents the idea that people are made in God’s image, while acknowledging that everyone has a sinful nature.
The film’s Christian setting is specifically Roman Catholic, but its adults do not use direct biblical passages, historic Christian creeds, or Roman Catholic teachings to clarify Joshua’s conflict or comfort him about his grandfather’s death. It also includes two references to false religions. Even so, the film’s central message is that God has been present throughout Joshua’s search and ordeals.
Joshua’s longing to find God reflects the biblical promise, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Christian worldview with many moral elements, several positive references to Christian worship, prayer & Christian symbols, & some scenes of typical childhood rebellion, but also including two references to false religions & no direct references to biblical passages that might clear up the hero’s conflict; 8 obscenities & 1 mild profanity; mild violence involving a bully; references to pipe smoking; and, miscellaneous immorality such as leaving school without permission, turning off alarm, disrupting field trip, & lineup in hallway.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Joshua asks difficult questions about God after losing his grandfather. Why is it good to bring grief and doubt into an honest conversation with God?
Psalm 13 · Mark 9:24Joshua remembers his grandfather’s encouragement to hold onto faith. What helps you remain faithful when you are afraid, sad, or confused?
Hebrews 11:1 · Psalm 46:1–2The movie shows Christian forgiveness and compassion. What does forgiveness look like when someone has hurt or disappointed you?
Ephesians 4:32 · Colossians 3:13Joshua learns to notice God through his relationships and experiences. Where do you see God’s goodness in the people around you?
James 1:17 · Matthew 5:16The Final Word
Wide Awake is an amusing, moving family film that treats a child’s questions about God and grief with unusual warmth. Its minor content concerns do not outweigh its Christian themes of faith, forgiveness, compassion, and worship. For a thoughtful family movie night, WORTH THE TRIP.
