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Review #191 of 365
Film: Lady in the Water [1] [PG-13] 110 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.50
Where Viewed: UA Denver Pavilions 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 21 July 2006
Time: 7:20 p.m.
Review Dedicated to: Mike H. and Danny H. of Chicago, IL
Soundtrack: Download now from 
and see below for CD
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
This will be part 1 of a 2 part review for Lady in the Water.
A Bedtime Review:
Once upon a time, there was a virtually unknown writer/director with an impossible-to-pronounce last name who wrote a story, convinced people to let him make the story into a movie starring semi-down-on-his-luck Bruce Willis as the star and a virtually unknown little kid as the co-star. The movie was released on 6 August 1999 to unknown expectations. Believe it or not, it earned (according to www.the-numbers.com) more than $20 million per week at the box office for next four straight weeks and passed $200 million on or around 17 September. The little kid got nominated for best supporting actor (he lost out on a sentimental vote to Michael Caine who, arguably, had done a few more movies in his lifetime), and the movie itself went on to win the Academy Award® for Best Picture to the surprise of no one who saw the film with its absolutely jaw dropping twist. Now, believe it or not children, Daddy, saw the movie in Honolulu when he was there for three weeks in the summer for a workshop and vacation. It was 1999, and he was convinced that the world might end, and there was no way it was going to end with him never going to Hawai'i, so he got the funding together and went over. For some reason, despite the call of Waikiki, he was drawn to this movie on opening day, and it is the first movie that he ever came out of the theatre and proceeded directly to the ticket line to buy another ticket and see it again. After the second screening of the film, he rode the bus back to the hotel, took the mental list out of his mind and moved E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial to second place for his all-time favorite movies. He never thought it could happen, but it did. After that, Daddy, has gone to see every one of M. Night Shyamalan's (that's the writer/director) films. First there was Unbreakable, then Signs, and then The Village. Each subsequent film was good, but nothing close to The Sixth Sense. At the time, he had thought there was no Mr. Shyamalan was ever going to be able to top The Sixth Sense. He thought it was sad, because nobody wants to peak in their career so early on. Well, as Daddy said, each subsequent film was pretty good. The Village came the closest in some ways to having a really good twist. Unbreakable had an amazing revelation that wasn't so much a twist, but still quite good. Signs, well, let's not talk about that one. As per usual, a year later, word of a new film leaked out, and then came a very subtle and elegant preview that gave nothing really away—as it should be—about a new M. Night Shyamalan film called Lady in the Water. Internet rumors said it was subtitled "A Bedtime story". Things were going good. There seemed to be a lot of misdirection surrounding what the film was really about. Sadly, then, some dopes got the idea to put out a much more detailed preview. It wasn't clear what their motivation was, but it, sadly, gave away way too much of the plot and ruined a lot of the power the movie could have had. Daddy won't spoil it for those who have seen neither the film nor the preview just yet. Suffice it to say that it ruined a good slice of the M. Night Shyamalan magic for Daddy. Still, Daddy eagerly anticipated the release of the film near the end of July 2006.
"Yes, fans of M. Night Shyamalan…this one will win you back…"
On 21 July, Daddy went to the theatre with mixed expectations. This time, he was not expecting the best plot twist of all time. He was not expecting to be that surprised by the film, and again, he was still smarting over the preview that ruined it all. He got his popcorn and frozen Coke®, took a seat in theatre 5, and prepared to just enjoy the film despite remembering the film stars Paul Giamatti whom, in spite of last year's nomination for and portrayal of Joe Gould, manager for Jim Braddock aka Cinderella Man, Daddy still cannot see anyone but Limbo the Orangutan from the remake of Planet of the Apes when he thinks of Mr. Giamatti. The previews ceased, and the logos for the production companies flashed up. The movie began. Daddy sat there, nearly breathless, as the story started to unfold. It begins with the bedtime story about a world of people in the water who guide the people on the land for a long time until their relationship gets severed due to Land-Man's greed, and the land people turn more and more to war, and the water people try and try to stop the senseless warring. Eventually, they send their best children to the land to try to stimulate better listening by the men on land. Then things got a little vague, and then the movie starts. In no time, we meet building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Mr. Giamatti) and learn that he knows a thing or two about people in the The Cove—the apartment complex, as the place is known despite it's Philadelphia address. And, shortly there after, he meets Story (Bryce Dallas Howard), the Lady of "Lady in the Water", after she saves him from drowning in the pool. While the preview does give away too much, one thing it does not give away is probably the biggest twist since The Sixth Sense, but it is a twist that is never 'revealed' it is always there to see right out in the open. So much so, that it hardly constitutes a twist in the traditional sense. Therefore, it is as ingenious as it is dismissible. Personally, Daddy believes a lot of people aren't going to really see it as a twist and, therefore, add Lady in the Water to their mental list of movies that prove M. Night Shyamalan can never do it again. Daddy will not reveal it here, but he will in his second review as he never spoils plot points in the first review—or almost never. In fact, that's all Daddy's going to say about the plot at this point. He's going to finish this story like this…
Children, you have two options in life little ones: you can sit on your genius and save it for later so that people will think you grew into it and ultimately wait too long, possibly get hit by a bus, and therefore deprive the world of your genius; or you can release it early on, and inadvertently therefore set the bar so high for yourself as to make it nearly impossible for you to ever reach it again no matter how hard you try. This rather resembles Achilles dilemma where he had to choose between the short and glorious life or the long and boring one. There is no right answer only personal preference. Ultimately, each one of us who has the potential for genius has to make the decision ourselves. It is just the curse of the genius that neither outcome is very preferable.
Children, you have two options in life little ones: you can sit on your genius and save it for later so that people will think you grew into it and ultimately wait too long, possibly get hit by a bus, and therefore deprive the world of your genius; or you can release it early on, and inadvertently therefore set the bar so high for yourself as to make it nearly impossible for you to ever reach it again no matter how hard you try. This rather resembles Achilles dilemma where he had to choose between the short and glorious life or the long and boring one. There is no right answer only personal preference. Ultimately, each one of us who has the potential for genius has to make the decision ourselves. It is just the curse of the genius that neither outcome is very preferable.
"On the M. Night Shyamalan scale it was his second best film. Which means a 'very, very good movie' on everyone else's scale."
Right now, Daddy bets, people are sort of frustrated because what they really want when they read a movie review is not a bedtime story. Rather, they want some answers as to whether they should see the movie. Well, Daddy says, yes, fans of M. Night Shyamalan should see the movie. Just be prepared and do not expect it to be as good as The Sixth Sense. He also says, if you are not a fan of Mr. Shyamalan's last 4 movies this one will win you back and restore most of your faith in him that was starting to waver. Incidentally, Paul Giamatti is no longer Limbo in Daddy's mind, he's now Cleveland; and, yes that was Daddy crying during Cleveland's biggest scene. Oh, and one more thing, if you know Daddy, you'll understand why he loved a movie where a little kid divines all that is right in the world from the graphic art of an array of cereal boxes.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Movies Starring: Paul Giamatti • Bryce Dallas Howard
Movie Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
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Review-lite [150-word cap]
A Bedtime Review:
Once upon a time, M. Night Shyamalan redefined the suspense thriller with his jaw-dropping twist in The Sixth Sense. Since then, he has not quite repeated the thrill of his masterpiece. Still, he keeps trying, this time with a 'bedtime story' called Lady in the Water and starring Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard. Based on a fable, the film has Giamatti's character, Cleveland Heep, trying to help a lost woman get home. In the end, it is Shyamalan's story that becomes a fable within a fable with a result that is either ingenious or dismissible. As a fan, I'll assert the former. This is a good film full of important political components. On the M. Night Shyamalan scale it is his second best film. Which means a "very, very good movie" on everyone else's scale.
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