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Movie Review - The Lake House (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Alejandro Agresti |
| Starring: |
Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Christopher Plummer |
| Rated: |
PG (for some language and a disturbing image) |
| Length: |
105 minutes |
| Genre: |
Romance/Mystery/Fantasy |
| Tagline: |
How do you hold on to someone you've never met? |
| Studio: |
Warner Bros. |
| Website: |
The Lake House |
| Release: |
June 16, 2006 |
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PLOT
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Winter, 2006. Dr. Sandra Bullock has taken a job at a busy Chicago hospital and is reluctantly leaving behind the
beautiful lake house she's been renting. She leaves a note in the mailbox for the house's next tenant. In addition
to asking him to forward her mail, she mentions some painted paw prints near the front door and a box in the
attic.
Keanu Reeves, an architect who seems to be the next tenant, reads the letter but sees a different picture than the
one Sandra painted - there are no paw prints, no box in the attic, and the house looks like it's been empty for years.
He disregards the note and sets out to restore the property. You see, it was originally built by his father as a
present to his mother, thus it holds special meaning for our beloved wooden actor.
Keanu's curiosity is piqued a few days later when a stray dog runs through some fresh paint and leaves paw prints
exactly where Sandra said they'd be. He writes back and reveals that he's living in 2004. The two carry on
a correspondence and become convinced that there is indeed a two-year gap between them. Determined to bridge this
mysterious gap, they decide to arrange a meeting. Will their two worlds collide, or will they never be able to
unravel the mystery? A unique take on the romance genre ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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"I don't get it," said one confused old man as he filed out of the theater.
Listen up, folks; this movie is not that hard to understand. Take the time to wrap your brain around it and you
shouldn't have a problem following along. However, after listening to people talk after the movie I realize that
some of you may walk away a little confused. So let me hold your hand and reveal a few facts that you should grasp
before seeing this:
A) Sandra is corresponding from 2006, B) Keanu is corresponding from 2004, and C) These time periods
aren't mutually exclusive. Sandra's character still exists in the 2004 time period that Keanu is communicating
from and vice versa.
Got that? Good. Sandra can tell Keanu where she was in 2004, and Keanu can cross her path, but the 2004 version of
Sandra will have no clue who Keanu is. Makes sense, right? So the trick is that the 2006 version of Sandra has
to figure out where the 2006 version of Keanu is so that they can meet in Keanu's future (AKA Sandra's present).
Everything unfolds from there. Seriously, it's not that complicated.
I think most of the confusion exists because the script isn't as tight as it needs to be. It's
frustrating because the story could have been much better (and a few plot holes could have been easily
eliminated) with a couple of more rewrites. The most frustrating thing to me, and I reveal this because
it's best you know it upfront, is that we're never told what exactly is causing the time rift between them.
We're expected to just accept it as fantasy and not demand any explanations. You'll enjoy the film much more if
you understand that not all loose ends will be tied and you can ignore the plot holes I alluded to. I'd love to
discuss them and explain my specific issues with them, but doing so would reveal way too much of the story. Email
me after you see it and we'll discuss.
Throwing those quibbles aside, I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. Perhaps I'm a sucker for romance movies that
aren't scared to throw a little of Nick Drake's Pink Moon down on us, but I like that this is a romance that
plays it a bit unconventionally. Is it for everybody? No. There's a lot of talking (though it never gets as
gay and flowery as I feared), and some of you might find the pace slow. Though I felt it more deliberate.
I also applaud the performances of Sandra and Keanu, who is nowhere near as robotic as you may expect. I actually
bought into his emoting! Good job, Mr. Cool Breeze, but you really need to work on making your sneezes more
believable.
Fans of romance movies will adore the theme of love and how its power can change someone's life, but since I'm into
more masculine topics, I preferred watching the pieces of the time puzzle fall into place. It reminded me a little
bit of Frequency - Keanu does something in 2004 and then Sandra recognizes its impact in 2006. Then we
follow along as they try to figure out how to meet.
I wanted one of them to leave their hand in the mailbox and see if the other could see it when they went to
retrieve the next letter. Perhaps a disembodied hand wiggling around in a mailbox wouldn't have fit with the mood
that the writers were going for, but I would've laughed.
Speaking of mood, I thought this was another strongpoint of the movie. The cinematography is great, creating a
cold, atmospheric setting. Chicago's impressive architecture is used to great effect. If you like stunning
visuals to set your romantic mood then you won't be disappointed.
As long as you're willing to give this film your undivided attention for approximately 100 minutes (and you can
easily forgive its shortcomings) then The Lake House will prove to be an intriguing piece of film for
lovers of the romance genre.
And hey, even if romances aren't your thing, there might just be enough mystery here to keep your interest. After
the movie, Mr. Shade commented, "As far as romances go, this is probably the best I've seen." And he hated
The Notebook, ladies.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Based on the 2000 South Korean film Il Mare.
- Kate and Alex hope to have their first meeting at a restaurant called Il Mare. In real life it is known as
The Park Grill.
- Who here has ever played "Where's Waldo?" Well, for this movie I suggest you play "Where's Reeves' 'whoa'?"
I think Keanu has it in his contract that he gets to use his trademark "whoa" at least once in every movie. Be on the
lookout for it. Or should that be the "hear out"?
- Both Keanu and Sandra feel that E-Mail or another medium would not have been as effective as letters. Reeves
says, "The very act of letter-writing requires that you take the time to collect your thoughts. It allows you to be
your best self, your most intimate and thoughtful. You have to wait for the other person to receive the letter
and then respond so there's a sense of longing and waiting that concentrates your intention."
- Well, that's somewhat true, but Sandra and Keanu receive each others' letters in the magical mailbox as soon as
they're placed in there. There's not much difference here than with E-mail. When asked to respond to this Reeves
merely said, "Whoa!"
- Lakefront locations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana were scouted for a house that embodied all
the necessary elements. The Lake House production team finally decided to build the house themselves.
- They only had seven weeks to complete the 2000 square foot house.
- Whoa!
- I know what you're wondering - and yes, the house was ultimately dismantled.
- The movie was filmed in approximately 40 separate locations in and around Chicago. The city was chosen for its
geographic features and renowned architectural heritage.
- Sandra Bullock was in The Net with Jeremy Northam who was in Mimic with Josh Brolin who was in
Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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The content is not bad at all. There are about three "s" bombs, and that's about it. However, the film's pace will
most likely be unable to keep the attention of the young 'uns. The younger you are, the more likely to get bored
you'll be.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer gives you a good indication of what to expect.
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THE GIST
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The Lake House suffers from lapses in logic, unnecessary plot holes, and predictability, but I appreciated
its attempt to add something fresh to the romance genre. The intriguing mystery and the performances of Sandra and
Keanu are effective enough for me to grant my approval to those of you who already have an interest in this one.
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