Clever early Woody Allen comedy that suffers somewhat from dated humor.In 1973, Miles Monroe (Allen), the owner of the Happy Carrot health food store, goes to the hospital for a simple surgery. There's a complication, so doctors place him into an cryopreservation state. He stays frozen until the year 2173, when he's illegally thawed out by scientists who are part of a rebellion against the oppressive government and they plan to use Miles as a spy because he has no "biometric identity" and can be tortured for months and months without giving up any useful information. That might sound dark, but it's not at all.
Audiences back in 1973 must have found this film to be pretty funny (since it ended up making back 9 times its budget at the box office), but SLEEPER is pretty dated. Jokes about Howard Cosell and Charles DeGaulle might have flown back in 1973, but I can't see them bringing many laughs today. That's not to say there isn't any humorous moments thought...the robot scenes were pretty funny.
If you're a huge Woody Allen fan then SLEEPER is a required watch, but others would be better off sticking to early Allen classics like ANNIE HALL or LOVE AND DEATH.
