The Lake House
Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Christopher Plummer; Directed by Alejandro Agresti
When Kate moves out of her gorgeous lakeside property in rural Illinois, she leaves a request in her mailbox for any mail addressed to her to be forwarded to her new apartment downtown. When Alex, the next resident of the house, pulls this note from the mailbox, he is confounded. The house has not been lived in for a long while, and even more strangely, the note is dated two years into the future - 2006. Once Kate and Alex confirm their strange ability to communicate across two years of time via their mailbox, they begin a burgeoning love affair much more complicated than the mysteries that love is already prone to bring along. By remembering where they were and what they were doing at certain points in time, they occasionally try to meet face to face, though these attempts usually end with somewhat unsatisfactory results. Alas, there is a tragedy lurking within the depths of this supernatural riddle of time, and if the couple cannot rise above their insecurities, their chance at true love may be lost forever in the depths of Keanu's vacant stare...
This is a watered-down Nicholas Spark's-like adaptation. The sap is thin (thankfully) but the tangible emotion and conflict is also lacking. This is as light and fluffy as light and fluffy can get. Mr. Agresti's direction is short-sighted and tactless. Any style that can be detected here must be credited to cinematographer Alar Kilivo, who is able to present a kind of loneliness and empty despair in a sterile palette of blues, greens and grays, giving voice to the character's self isolation from the human world to a self-imposed exile into the wildness and beauty of nature. Bullock's character is easy to sympathize with, and Keanu again gives the impression that he's trying really hard ("A for effort"), but still comes up agonizingly short. This is not a story to invest oneself in. The time-twist thing isn't the easiest concept in the world to grasp ultimately either. It seems easy enough to understand, but by the climax, you might find yourself pausing the DVD to devote a few minutes to trying to wrap your brain around just why certain events are being allowed to happen in the "rules" of this sci-fi ploy you thought you knew so well. Such is life. And never mind the fact that Christopher Plummer is totally wasted on this film...
Several times, the characters make references to Jane Austen's novel "Persuasion", a story about two lovers who get a second chance at making things work after separating early in their courtship. It is no great secret or surprise that The Lake House is a modern interpretation of those themes, and that it fails to bring anything truly new or enlightening to audiences. So rather than yielding to this story instead of the other, save yourself the heartache of a wasted and unsatisfying movie night. Try Roger Michell's excellent tale of lovers separated by time in his rendering of Jane Austen's very own, Persuasion. Go straight for the good stuff.
Grading:
Story = B
Originality = C-
DVD Features = C
Acting = B-
Enjoyability = C
Visuals = A-
Overall = C
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