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Movie Review - Lady in the Water (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
M. Night Shyamalan |
| Starring: |
Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cindy Cheung, and Freddy Rodríguez |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for some frightening sequences) |
| Length: |
110 minutes |
| Genre: |
Fantasy/Drama/Mystery |
| Tagline: |
Time is running out for a happy ending. |
| Studio: |
Warner Brothers |
| Website: |
Lady in the Water |
| Release: |
July 21, 2006 |
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PLOT
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Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) is a sad and lonely man who doesn't exactly find joy in his mundane life as an apartment
building superintendent. All that is about to change when he is rescued from the pool by who he thinks is a young
woman (Howard) who has been sneaking into the pool at night.
It turns out that she's actually a sea nymph from a bedtime story. Heep works with his tenants to protect his new
friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world. They must all come together and learn the
part each must play to enable her to get back to her home - the Blue World. Narf ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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"Hey Johnny, I saw where most critics are really bashing Lady in the Water. What do you make of that?"
Most critics are idiots.
"Really? They're saying it doesn't make sense and that it's self-indulgent, etc. Your thoughts?"
Any critic who can't make sense of this film most likely needs to enroll in an "Understanding Simple Film Concepts"
class. As for being self-indulgent, um, would they care to show me one director who isn't self-indulgent? Steven
Spielberg rewrites history in Munich and he's praised as some sort of God-like beacon
for world peace. Yet Shyamalan comes along and has el cajones to write and direct a movie the way he wants to and
lo and behold, the guy's accused of feeding his ego.
And I really don't understand the "this movie is too far-fetched" argument. It's called FANTASY, geniuses.
E.T., Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter are just so "near-fetched," huh? Try making a
real point sometime.
I'm not interested in the vendettas some reviewers seem to have against Shyamalan. They decry the lack of
originality in Hollywood in one breath and then in the next proceed to lambaste what I consider to be the most
original movie of the year. For one reason or another they just have too many axes to grind, Thesauruses to tote,
pockets to protect, and girlfriends to not have.
What Shyamalan has done is created his own fairy tale, complete with his own original mythology, original
creatures, and original characters, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I especially appreciate his ability to
incorporate reality with fantasy. Not every savior of the universe has to be a warlock or wizard. Sometimes
maybe he's just the crossword-lovin' freak in Apartment 2B.
Perhaps this won't be everybody's cup of green tea (now with ginseng), but you gotta give the man credit - he's still
coming up with original ideas, making the movies he wants to, ignoring what his critics say, and putting it out
there for the people to judge.
I also like the cast of characters. What some blowhards might call silly, I call quirky and interesting. Take the
dude who works out only one side of this body (Rodriguez), for example. The guy considers himself a scientist
who's experimenting, and the results are that his right arm and leg are super muscular compared to the
normal-sized (4 1/2 inches smaller) left leg and arm.
Some may shake their head and dismiss this as "too weird," but I think it's hilarious, mainly because I've
had conversations about this with my friends. We've seriously discussed how someone would look if they only
exercised with one half of their body. We've tried to talk each other into experimenting with it. Was M. Night
listening in?
The thing you'll most want to keep in mind before seeing this is that it really isn't a horror film. If you're
in the mood to be scared then you might find yourself a little disappointed, a few jump scenes not withstanding.
But what surprised me the most is how funny the movie is. I laughed out loud more at this than most of the
"comedies" I've seen this year. The scene where Giamatti attempts to convince a Korean woman that he's child-like
is particularly hysterical.
I don't want to say too much about the story elements because as in all of Shyamalan's movies, the less you know
the better (though there are no huge Sixth Sense-esque twists). It's just a fun, light-hearted, interesting
tale about a group of seemingly insignificant people who come to learn that they all have a purpose and a part to
play. If that seems like too much of a "Sunday School" lesson to some critics then they're more than welcome to
head to Wal-Mart and buy a box of Kleenex. It's next to the Industrial-sized nitpickers they love so well.
I know a lot of critics are mad because Shyamalan takes a justified swipe at the most pretentious of them (Johnny
Betts obviously not being one of the targets). You see, the most unlikable character in the film is a cynical,
curmudgeonly film critic who presumes to be so arrogant as to "know the intentions of another human being." Most
moviegoers, like me, who find that they rarely agree with "mainstream" critics will instantly recognize that this
character is true-to-life.
Weeeeeell, that's not sittin' pretty with plenty of "mainstream" critics, and they are accusing Shyamalan of
taking "petty cheap shots" at them. You know, Mr. Critic, if Shyamalan's portrayal is so inaccurate, then perhaps
you'd like to explain why the theater erupted in applause when the guy received his comeuppance?
Personally, I recommend lightening up and taking a joke. Or if M. Night's jabs hit a little too close to home then
maybe it's time to take up a new residence.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- I can't wait to start using phrases such as "He's hearing the voice of God through a crossword puzzle" and
"baby's on the half tip."
- "My movies are an expression of who I am and where I am emotionally," Shyamalan says. "Each film has its
questions that I'm wrestling with at that time. I believe in being honest with the audience, so I try to talk
honestly about the things I'm dealing with in the context of a fictional story that everyone can enjoy."
- Shyamalan's movies have earned a combined $2 billion in box office and DVD sales.
- Johnny Betts' movie reviews have earned him $2 billion worth of fan loyalty. No, wait, my fan loyalty is
actually priceless. Thanks to all seven of you!
- Lady in the Water began as an impromptu bedtime story Shyamalan invented for his two young daughters.
"The way I tell stories to my kids is very freeform - whatever pops into my head and comes out of my mouth," he
says of their nightly ritual.
- Much-maligned German director Uwe Boll uses the drastically different "whatever pops into my mouth and comes
out of my butt" method of directing.
- Uwe Boll jokes are quite fun. You're encouraged to come up with your own even when he's not involved with a
particular movie.
- Shyamalan began writing the role of Cleveland Heep for Paul Giamatti after seeing his performance in
Sideways.
- Shot entirely on location in Leavittown, Pennsylvania, approximately 20 miles outside of Philadelphia, at the
site of a former 3M tape manufacturing plant.
- The Cove - a U-shaped, 5 story, 57-unit apartment complex complete with a center courtyard, swimming pool,
and a detached bungalow - was built from the ground up.
- The complex had everything except heating and plumbing. In fact, the Cove was so realistic that during production
a memo was distributed to the cast and crew reminding them: "Please do not use the sinks and/or bathrooms in the
apartment sets. They may look real, but they're NOT!"
- The pool's grill is based on the design of a sewer grate from a pivotal scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers
on a Train where a character drops an incriminating piece of evidence down the drain.
- During the underwater swimming scenes, Giamatti demonstrated the ability to hold his breath for long periods
of time.
- Freddy Rodriguez is in Grind House with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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This is safe for the whole family! There's practically no profanity (certainly nothing you can't hear on primetime),
and though there are some jump scenes that may scare the wee ones, I'd say this is safe for those eight and older.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I can see how the trailer might be a little misleading. It indicates that you're getting more of a scary thriller
than is delivered. The movie is funnier and more light-hearted than you'd expect. I didn't mind this, but it's best
you be aware of it beforehand.
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THE GIST
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I don't care what anybody else says, I thoroughly enjoyed Lady in the Water. If you like originality and
you don't mind a little silliness and weirdness thrown in then I have a feeling you'll enjoy it too.
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