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The Sleeping Dictionary should be noted mostly for being the biggest missed opportunity of shooting star Jessica Alba. This film was her only film project between the first and second seasons of "Dark Angel,' the show that turned her into a sensation, but quickly died a network death at the end of season 2, and thus ending the heat index on the lovely Miss Alba. The tragedy is this film, a good showcase of her and her abilities (rather than just her), was inexplicably delayed, pushed off and kept from theater screens, only to be released direct-to video far too long after her star dimmed.

As with any product here, you can get the synopsis elsewhere, so don't look for it here. I'll try not to spoil anything, but take note if you read this, then watch the movie, you may get tipped off as to what I'm vaguely referencing. If that bothers you, come back after you watch!

This is a film that had a good idea, and good execution of what the idea turned into. Unfortunately, a little bit more planning would have helped. At 109 minutes, this film won't bore you, but it could have been rightfully intriguing with 20-30 minutes of good plot added.

The film is carried on the sound filmmaking and charm of it's actors. In particular, Alba is enchanting. She plays the part with the seriousness it was intended, and never lets her intentionally accented English fall into 'stupid foreigner' stereotype, a tough job for many young actors and actresses who have attempted the same. Her partner, Hugh Dancy, is good enough. He channels a little bit like a scrawny Heath Ledger, but never quite gets rugged enough.

The other joy of the cast is the ever-underrated Bob Hoskins. By coincidence, I saw 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' just hours before watching 'Sleeping Dictionary,' and am never let down by his appearances in films. He plays a character who isn't written subtly enough; still, he acts it. The endless looks of "Damn bloody fool. Good for him, the w***er" scattered through the film isn't enough for a man of his caliber, but we'll take what we can get.

Their performances are weaved together well by Writer/Director Guy Jenkin, who is making his big screen debut as a director, though his writing career goes back to the late '70's without much acclaim. Directing-wise, he knows what he is doing. The camera work is graceful and beautiful, and he compliments the fantastic elements of the story well. As a writer, well, there are things left to be desired.

Most of all, this film seems too short. The story is predictable, but it never drags. The love scenes are contrived, as is the underdeveloped climax, but that's not where the film is weak. The characters are cleverly set up to be mirrors, and the overlapping triangles are so complex they rival those brainteasers that ask 'how many triangles are in this picture?' The problem is, the most important one is never realized, because of the lack of development between Dancy and his best friend within the tribe. Without much difficulty, and a little more time, that relationship alone would have lifted this film from not quite enough to a good, if not better, movie.

As a result, you're left with a film that doesn't challenge anything because it just challenges the same old things. But it is romantic, and has much more spark than many other movies you may see of this type. For that, and a young actress who has way too much fire to just disappear at this point of her career, this film is worth seeing.

Liked this film a lot. A rework of the classic Romeo and Juliet impossible-love scenario, it managed to stand out from the crowd, not least because of the impressive cinematography (helped in no small part by the wonderful locales and the beautiful tribes people (The Iban). While never being earth-shattering, for a film to watch with a loved one (without being too girly) this is hard to top IMO. It shows the moral struggle of a man who has to choose between 'duty' and love. The arrogance and conditioning of British colonialism is dealt with well, as we struggled to impose our European values and God on peoples in far flung corners, and indeed it shows the irony that we struggled to retain it ourselves as the beauty of the place and people intoxicated our men (a few cads apart)

Watch it with wifey/girlfriend/prospective mate

While overseas, I had heard the concept of the movie and the fact the appealing Jessica Alba was featured but had little chance to check on the actual film. When I returned to the USA late last year, I found the film had gone directly to video with limited availability (couldn't get it at Blockbuster, for instance). I am glad that I wound up buying a copy (although I found a 'used' DVD for half the new asking price).

It is a shame the film never appeared in theaters as the visuals of Sarawak would have been great on the large screen and the audio and music are well done and would have benefited from a theatrical environment.

BELOW IS DISCUSSION OF PLOT ELEMENTS WHICH MIGHT SPOIL IT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM.

While overall the plot line was reasonable and avoided cliche, there were a number of disconnects as far as I was concerned.

Truscott's dilemma with Bullard after the miners' slaughter arrives too abruptly and presumes some sort of offscreen confession. Since it is a central conflict in the drama, it really deserves more explanation.

Similarly, the "one year later" leap to Truscott's marrying Cecil Bullard lacked sincerity. Why would Truscutt marry the daughter of those who wedged him away from his true love? While one can imagine various possibilities, the lack of on screen justification left me unfulfilled.

Finally, even after conversion by Sarawak and its people, Truscutt is still too much of a proper Englishman to credibly leave a pregnant wife. Some of the sympathy I'd built up for the forbidden lovers was undercut by the way this was handled. It would have been far better for Cecil to push a reluctant Truscutt away.

Still, these plot issues are relatively small in comparison to a film, cast and cinematography that rose well above the small budget and unheralded distribution. I rarely buy videos or DVDs because I find I seldom go back to play them, but this one I will enjoy owning.

It seems to me that anyone who saw the film and said that Jessica Alba didn't look like a native, hasn't been paying a lot of attention to the film (probably they only had eyes for the lovely Jessica). Because in the film it's explained that her father is English, therefore she doesn't have to look like a native. It surprises me that nobody seems to remember this important fact, and I have serious questions about the IQ of those people. For me this movie was near perfect, except there could be a bit more character development. Jessica Alba was gorgeous and very believable. To me she was the best actor/actress in the movie. But she can still improve. It's good that she works on her acting in these smaller projects, so that in a few years time she'll be ready for the bigger work, and make her big breakthrough. I give the movie a solid 7 (out of 10).

The Sleeping Dictionary is a film that when I first heard about it, I thought it would be just another dumb melo-romantic-drama. But I was wrong. This film has great feeling, great sexuality (fans of Jessica Alba and Dark Angel will be immensly pleased), and good craftwork. It is a very good movie.

The plot involves a young Englishman (Hugh Dancey) who comes to a South American place to civilize the area. But then he meets a young woman called the sleeping dictionary (Alba, in a great role), and of course the love comes around. Conventional story takes many turns and avoids many cliches that in another film would be taken. Sweeping photography and excellent performances propell this film to must-seeness. A-

I'll make this short. The story was good (though I was a bit disappointed in the ending...seemed a little hypocritical to me) and the acting was superb, from everyone EXCEPT Jessica Alba. Good grief, talk about miscasting. She's a great bubble gum actress for a television teeny-bop role and I think she is accomplished and beautiful, but she doesn't have the presence or the maturity to carry off a more serious role like this one. With a different Selima, this movie could have made some serious waves.

It's 1936 Sarawak. Idealistic Englishman John Truscott (Hugh Dancy) arrives looking to civilize the supposed primitive Iban society. Henry Bullard (Bob Hoskins) is the governor and Aggie (Brenda Blethyn) is his wife. He is given a "sleeping dictionary" in Selima (Jessica Alba) who performs wifely duties as well as teaching him the language and culture. His first job is to retrieve heads of Chinese miners from the tribe to appease the tension with commercial interests. They are joined by Bullard daughter Cecilia (Emily Mortimer).

This is a fine old fashion romantic adventure although somewhat melodramatic. Jessica Alba strikes such a shocking figure that she takes me out of the picture at first. She looks nothing like everybody else in the tribe. There is an explanation but it comes much later. Hugh is a fine dandy Englishman. The actors are great. This sorta works.

In 1936, the expatriated young and naive just-graduated British John Truscott (Hugh Dancy) arrives to the Sarawak, a British colony, to work in the Iban society. The beautiful Selima (Jessica Alba) is assigned to be his "sleeping dictionary", to live and sleep with him and teach him the language and habits of the locals. The reluctant John and Selima fall in love for each other in a forbidden romance.

What a magnificent surprise "The Sleeping Dictionary" was for me, indeed a wonderful romance, with action and drama and an adorable story of difference of cultures, seduction and secrets. Jessica Alba and Hugh Dancy have stunning performances, showing a delightful chemistry. Brenda Blethyn and Bob Hoskins are excellent, as usual, and Noah Taylor, as the nasty Neville, Emily Mortimer, as the sweet Cecil and Eugene Salleh, as Belansai, are also fantastic. Certainly, Jessica Alba is better and better than Webster's and American Heritage Dictionaries. Definitely, "The Sleeping Dictionary" is a must-see movie for any sensitive audience. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Dicionário de Cama" ("Dictionary of Bed")

I just saw a terrible film called The Sleeping Dictionary. One reviewer on Four Word Film Review (www.fwfr.com) got it right right when he wrote, "From A to Zzzzzzzzz." The story is about an English colonialist jerk that comes to Malaysia to "civilize the savages" so to speak and ends up falling in love with his sleeping dictionary. A sleeping dictionary is a native Malaysian prostitute fluent in English that services Englishmen colonialists and teaches them her native language in return for ... well the movie never really makes that clear, but I can only assume he gives her money or something. Needless to say, the movie focuses a lot more on the "sleeping" part than on the "dictionary" part of the job description. Things get complicated for our young hero when the forbidden love affair gets compounded by her culture, his soap opera domestic situation, and his own boundless stupidity in every major decision he makes throughout the film.

So yes, the movie has some major flaws, but on the other hand, it delivered exactly the two things I rented it for in the first place: a beautifully photographed exotic location, and an even more beautifully photographed and exotic woman that plays the sleeping dictionary, Jessica Alba. My friend told me that this crappy movie was her at her most beautiful and damn was he right. She's not a great actress, and doesn't quite pass for Malaysian, and its pretty obvious that they use a body double for the nudity, but who cares? Jessica Alba has that rare face and figure that's more than just sexy, but also beautiful in the way that a Vivaldi violin concerto or a Rembrandt painting is.

(P.S. Sorry to all you feminists out there who discourage objectifying women, the "male gaze," etc. etc., but I hope you can understand that I mean no disrespect.)

This was an excellent film and brought back a lot of memories of my time with the Iban people in Sarawak. The costumes, the people, the scenery...these would all be worth watching the movie even without a good plot. There are some priceless moments in it including a conversation with the cook about drunkenness and wages and the relationship between the young Englishman and the Iban people he is supposed to be governing. The Iban have a well developed sense of humor. Overall the plot is enjoyable. I'm not a fan of romances, but this was well done and gave a unique glimpse into a people who are still very much the same to this day (minus the actual head hunting).

If you have ever dreamed of an adventure in Borneo, watch this first...it will convince you of the beauty and the need to go.

This is a nice to watch, entertaining love-movie. It's not always convincing, and not always perfect. But Bob Hoskins performance, and Jessica Albas beauty definitely made this movie worth to watch. (Even though, Jessica Alba couldn't fully convince me with a bad played accent and odd pronunciations.) The nice landscapes and pictures also added towards the enjoyment you can get out of the film.

Don't expect anything extraordinary though. The story is nothing new, just the usual Hollywood love story with a love against tradition theme. It's a bit cheesy, but less cheesy than most other Hollywood-love movies. If you have been looking for that anyway, this movie is for you.

Utterly unbelievable that colonial Brits and natives of Sarawak in the first third of the last century had perfect teeth, perfect complexions (in spite of mixed ancestry), and that women groomed themselves with shaved legs and shaved arm pits! What a typically absurd Hollywood distortion of reality! It was like watching the old black & white `historicals' from the 30's or 40's with all the stars having their then current hair-dos and facial hair (e.g., pencil thin mustaches on the men, etc.) none of which had any historical accuracy whatsoever and look totally absurd in retrospect. It was silly.

This is an expensive `passion pit' movie designed to get the teeny boys and girls hot 'n bothered on their night out. A totally vapid and worthless romance. A shame to the genre.

The puzzle is, why did this film go directly to video and why isn't it a better film?

Fineline apparently relegated this to the video bins because of a crowded release schedule, but more likely because it had just one American star in it, Jessica Alba, and her TV series, "Dark Angel," had been canceled, meaning she no longer brought any "heat" to the project.

That's a shame, because this film is light years better than most direct to video releases.

While the plot is quite complicated, it is basically about a young Englishman, played by Hugh Dancey, who goes out to Sawawak (Borneo) in the mid-thirties to follow in his father's footsteps and bring the benefits of a good English education to the natives and headhunters of the region.

He needs to pick up the language, though, and thus is assigned a "sleeping dictionary" a fetching young local woman who will teach him the native lingo, while giving him an education in bed at the same time. While that may sound as contrived a plot as you could find, it is probably grounded in fact, and certainly grounded in solid, British upper class hypocrisy of that day, which, taking into account the fact that he'll be there for three years, sees no reason why he can't avail himself of the local talent to satisfy his sexual needs. In fact, when he initially rejects the beautiful Jessica Alba, they offer him a young man, he being the product of British boys schools and all that.

After a very brief period of conflict, Dancey and Alba fall head over heels for each other, decide they want to marry, and find themselves in hot water from that point on. The film goes on to rightfully bash British upper class racial prejudice, but never quite deals with the key issue facing Dancey's character. Does he ever catch on that the education he wanted to bring to the natives is the same education that says, one Englishman is worth a thousand natives?

Anyway, the film, written and directed by Guy Jenkin, is fairly well scripted, well directed and absolutely beautifully shot. Word is, it cost just $15 million, but it has the look of a much more expensive picture, definitely not some cut rate direct to video thriller. This is not some prison women in cages film shot in the Philippines.

There are some good characterizations here. Bob Hoskins starts out very strong as the cynical governor of this province, but then is very under utilized. Brenda Blethyn is fantasic as Hoskins wife, a manipulative upper class snob who is the real villain of the story.

But there are script problems here. Dancey and Alba fall in love far too quickly, skipping over a lot of character build up which would have made us care for them a lot more than we wind up doing. There is sympathy for them, though, because of the obvious class and racial biases in the British empire. But you get the feeling there are a lot of missed opportunities here.

Perhaps the biggest flaw the film has are its two stars, though. Dancey,pretty much unknown in America, seems only adequate to me. He brings no real passion to the role of the young idealist.

The real enigma, of course, is Jessica Alba. Although as beautiful as any young actress in Hollywood today, she has yet to prove that she can actually act, and with every successive missed opportunity, she is building up a body of work that says maybe she can't. Her first feature staring role was in a flic called "Paranoid," in which she was frankly just plain dreadful. She has had supporting roles in a couple of other films, but the pictures were so dreadful you couldn't hang much of the blame on her, except maybe in her choice of roles. Her big break came in the James Cameron produced TV series "Dark Angel," which got its wings clipped after two seasons. In it, Abla was forced to play a rather depressing character in a depressing show and she could not get deep enough into it to make it the kind of hit that Jennifer Garner became in "Alias."

In Sleeping Dictionary, Alba definitely looks like someone any man would want to sleep with, but other than that seems in many ways miscast completely. I read one review here that mistakenly places this movie in South America. I wonder if the producers made the same mistake. The days when any dark skinned actress can play any dark skinned character, from Latino to Asian to Arabic, appear to be over to me. Alba didn't seem like a resident of Borneo. She in many ways seemed like a wise ass girl from East Los Angeles.

Then there's the main problem, her delivery of lines. Alba is excellent when she keeps her mouth shut. No, really, she does reaction shots extremely well. Her emotions play out beautifully on her face. It's when she has to talk that she often finds herself in trouble. In this film, much of her delivery of her lines was just short of bad.

More importantly, it wasn't good and that makes this film another big missed chance for Jessica Alba. It's too bad, because she was in part hampered by an under developed character, which may have been hampered by a restricted budget. Ten more minutes showing us who the main characters really were might have made all the difference in this film. But Alba still would have had to be good enough to handle the added material and I still don't know if she is.

She supposedly has another film in the works in which she plays some kind of hiphop dancer. Hopefully, at least playing the right race, she'll shine. But she just misses the mark for me in "Sleeping Dictionary" as she has missed it in everything she's done since "Flipper."

"Sleeping Dictionary" is a period flick (Circa 1930s) which tells the tale of a young Brit who goes to Sarawak (Malaysia) in service of the crown to educated the natives and gets a bit of an education himself in the process. A story of romance and exotic intrigues which plays out like a hokey melodrama with obvious histrionics and gratuitous picture postcard prefect scenic shots, "Sleeping Dictionary" may have some appeal to sentimentalists who can suspend disbelief at the sight of a test pattern while realists will find it too bland and too contrived. An okay day room watch for senior citizen centers. (C+)

In terms of romantic films there is always a formula. I mean, if the formula didn't exist we wouldn't get any movies. Sometimes it's really hard to admit, when we have seen a movie and liked it, but clichés don't stop, ever. People need some inspiration to make stuff, if not.

We are arriving to "The Sleeping Dictionary". Well, this movie's concept is totally interesting. I haven't read about "sleeping dictionaries" anywhere, but it is fair subject to treat. A woman, who teaches you the native language of a place you're living in, and also, sleeps with you.

The English man arrives to Sarawak and, after a series of events (shot with a camera constantly showing the two main characters, like if we didn't know they're going to fall in love), he is given a sleeping dictionary. But, well, he is an educated man, carrying his country's spirits. These ones won't let him "sleep" with the "sleeping dictionary". Although they will probably sleep together sooner or later, just to make the movie work. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not against love stories, I like them very much. But I'm against love stories I have already seen, when they're a little different.

I'll explain. This is also a drama. There's passion involved, there is other people involved. A family, a tribe. But like I said, the camera is making things obvious, and the script is kind of ruining them, because it doesn't give the characters the development they probably need, making us doubt about their feelings. I couldn't really fell the love John Truscott had for Selima. The movie explains to us that's real love. But then, real love is also what John feels for Cecil, which is nothing. Just as the love Henry feels for Aggie. Obliged love? Possibly. If John chooses Selima it's because the movie may seem deeper than if he chooses Cecil. All this is because of how subjects are treated in the film. Everything is obvious; not just the situations in general, but what each character will do about them, what each character will say.

This could be like a modern "Pocahontas", now that I think of it. It has, as I said, some new elements, and some original ones, and of course, some coming from other stories also. Could be "Pocahontas", or just not. Bob Hoskins should have been offered a nice number to do this, but it's good to see him. Then, Alba is not making an improvement with this role, nor is Dancy. The others are there, and it would be the same if they wouldn't. It would be the same if there was no one there.

Just to say, the film makes the viewer wait to much. I mean, finish it at once! I say this because the movie attempts to end several times, and, although we already know the ending, we are willing to see it. But we will not be if you're just creating another sub-plot to make the film longer. This is a long film.

Characters not always come as one-dimensional as in this movie. And performances don't come as soft also. Everything about the movie is soft. People wanted to do it; but just softly. There's not much more to say. We get used to these things.

I saw some parts time ago, so I decided to watch the entire movie.. What caught my attention was the interesting story and the setting, where the movie took place (I love Southeast Asia..).. Unfortunately, the movie turned out to overly romantic story... And soon its started to be a soap opera drama... In short, the movie starts quiet good, but get worse very quickly..

My wife and I watched this film not knowing anything about it except a two sentence introduction on a movie-card. We were impressed by all aspects of it-particularly the substance of the script-it was a brave script-a script that should have made people uncomfortable because of the swipes taken at British colonialism and what that evil did on a personal level to everybody concerned. Living as I do in Western Australia, the dark legacy of European colonialism is just below the surface and I have seen firsthand the outlines of the story presented in "The Sleeping Dictionary"-not of course the same geography or the same details but once colonialism left its tread on the floor of world history it matters little the particulars.

The enormity of the personal tragedy of that period is something not to be derisively dismissed as one commentator remarked-as a film fit for screening at the old folks home on a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately the world is still dealing with that evil period of recent history.

I was moved by all the decisions that the characters faced throughout the film. Brenda Blethyn's character as the wife of Hoskin's colonial official was as much a victim as anybody in the film. Although she emerges as the "baddie" she must try, with little background, to stitch together a semblance of what she feels is an acceptable canvas in order to paint her English life-such of it as there is in Sarawak. And what of Hoskin's torn character-a man who can only fall back on "duty" to country in order to find reason for the completion of duties that he recognizes as damaging to all involved.

A brave film-look for it!

The Sleeping Dictionary (2003) blends romance, cultural tension, and colonial drama into an engaging story set in the lush backdrop of 1930s Sarawak, Borneo. The film explores themes of love, loyalty, and cultural divide with sincerity, even if it occasionally leans into predictability.

Jessica Alba shines as Selima, delivering a heartfelt performance that captures both vulnerability and strength. Her character serves as the emotional core of the movie, and Alba's natural charm and expressive acting make it impossible not to root for her. Beyond her acting talent, her presence adds an undeniable radiance to the screen, enhancing every scene she's in.

The chemistry between Jessica Alba and Hugh Dancy feels genuine, and their relationship develops with believable emotional weight. The cinematography beautifully captures the exotic landscapes, further immersing the audience in the story's setting.

While the plot follows a familiar trajectory and occasionally drags in pacing, the performances-especially Alba's-and the emotional depth make The Sleeping Dictionary a memorable romantic drama worth watching.

Movie's main focus was on making genuine pure bonds between a European colonist and a native women but in between, many dark points have been cleverly supressed and twisted by the story writter for which -5 stars I have given.

Although THE SLEEPING DICTIONARY is not that well known and never had a theatrical release, it is by far one of the best movies of 2002. My sister had to pursuade me to first rent, then watch this movie because the idea of a British colonial officer who falls in love with what is known as a Sleeping Dictionary...that is a native woman who sleeps with a man while teaching him the native language. Jessica Alba, who is most well known for her stint on "DARK ANGEL", deftly portrays Selima, the native sleeping dictionary for John Truscott. Hugh Dancy, who portrays John Truscott, is a young british actor who is on his way up. Dancy and Alba have chemistry, and you can hardly take your eyes off of them. The supporting cast is also excellent. Brenda Blethyn, Bob Hoskins, Emily Mortimer, Noah Taylor, Junix Inocian, and Eugene Salleh each portray their parts perfectly and add a unique flavor to the movie.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being lowest, 10 highest), I rate THE SLEEPING DICTIONARY a 10.

There is something very off about this film. I got the feeling throughout it was poorly written, with uninteresting characters abound doing unexciting things... there was no sparkling dialogue and nothing to get me engaged with them whatsoever. Like with most bad screenplays, the cast change their goals and motivations with barely any explanation. For instance, the central pair fall in love at the drop of a hat, after spending most of first part arguing. And what a vanilla pair they make. They're welcome to each other.

Set in an old British territory just 2 years before the Second World War, it's a lot more involving to admire the wonderful scenery and the costumes of the tribespeople than the dull-as-ditchwater romance. Everything is predictable to the Nth degree... you could stop watching after 20 minutes and fill in the rest of the blanks yourself. In fact, don't even bother doing that. Just think of this as an exercise in audience timewasting, and follow the advice of the title: either take a nap, or read a good book instead... 3/10