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Review #189 of 365
Film: The Lake House [2] [PG] 105 minutes
WIP™ Scale: (1st review $10.50 + 2nd review $12.50)/2=$11.50
Where Viewed: Colorado Cinemas Cherry Creek 8, Denver, CO
When 2nd Seen: 19 July 2006
Time: 9:40 p.m.
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DVD | soundtrack |
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Just over a month ago, I saw The Lake House for the first time and reviewed it the next day, of course. Please see that review if you would prefer no spoilers of the plot. (see first review) The second time through, the time flew by, and I was able to focus more on three aspects of the movie. The first was some nagging feeling that there were mistakes in the time line plot that couldn’t reconciled. The second was the deeper point of the film, that of the complexity of the parent-child relationship. Last, I wanted to understand more why Kate didn't just go and find Alex in her time. I must say that the freedom to just focus on these three things was marvelous, and I got even more out of the film than I had the first time. Indeed, I really, really loved this movie.
The Lake House
So as to the first area of analysis. My first time through the film, I was thrown for a loop over the dog foot prints. I couldn't make sense of how they happened in Alex Wyler's (Keanu Reeves) time after he arrived at the Lake House, but after he received Kate's (Sandra Bullock) first letter. And this little 'time flaw' made it difficult to focus on anything else. Well, paying much closer attention to the timing, it becomes quite clear that the reason is that Alex moves into the house in both his and Kate's time lines before she does. Of course, this is very obvious later as he says things like "You'll move into the house just after I move out," etc. So, therefore, this really wasn't a flaw at all. In fact, I followed things very carefully, and I really couldn't find any flaws in the time lines. The thing that makes it difficult is that the director chose not to flash the date up before each scene. This would have really helped those of us who are temporal physics mechanically challenged.
Next, this time through, it dawned on me that both Kate and Alex lost one of their two parents at relatively young ages. For Alex, his mother walked out on his absentee father leaving behind two sons. She died a year later of some illness. Kate's father died of unexplained causes. This left Kate with a mother that loved her dearly, and poor Alex with a father that was more of a tyrant lording over him than a father. The film goes to great lengths to elucidate this most valuable yet potentially devastating relationship, that between parent and child, and it does so with elegance rather than hitting us over the head with a 2x4. We see two very contrasting parenting styles in their remaining parents, and we see that despite it all there is very deep and lasting love.
As for my third contention, that of being unable to comprehend why Kate did not do what any smart person of the year 2006 would do if she wanted to be with Alex, she would Google® him. She would find out where he was and seek him out. Of course, she cannot do this for plot reasons—she would find out too soon that he had died, and this would have put an easy end to their relationship. The fact of the matter is that neither of them does a lot more to find the other than read the letters and hope for some clues. But why? Well, this time around I noticed something. I noticed that there is a lot of stuff that could have happened. They could have sought out the help of a professor of physics at the University of Chicago. They could have had the mailbox dissected. Indeed they actually could have Googled® each other at any time. But that is not what this film is about. The film is about these two and the passion and the love that arises between them via their letters. There is every good reason in the world to savor their relationship, nourish it, let it grow. They are both hopeless romantics at heart. So, neither is in any rush until they suddenly realize it might end.
Meanwhile, this time around, I noticed in the opening credits that read that the film was based on the film IL Mare (Siworae). Turns out this Siworae is a Korean film released in the year 2000. Also turns out the plot is nearly the same. So, I apologize for not recongnizing this the first time around. Regardless, The Lake House is a timeless film which shows the power of love across the street and across the years. This might be the last week it's still in theaters so I recommend seeing it on the big screen now. The film does Chicago proud.
The Lake House
So as to the first area of analysis. My first time through the film, I was thrown for a loop over the dog foot prints. I couldn't make sense of how they happened in Alex Wyler's (Keanu Reeves) time after he arrived at the Lake House, but after he received Kate's (Sandra Bullock) first letter. And this little 'time flaw' made it difficult to focus on anything else. Well, paying much closer attention to the timing, it becomes quite clear that the reason is that Alex moves into the house in both his and Kate's time lines before she does. Of course, this is very obvious later as he says things like "You'll move into the house just after I move out," etc. So, therefore, this really wasn't a flaw at all. In fact, I followed things very carefully, and I really couldn't find any flaws in the time lines. The thing that makes it difficult is that the director chose not to flash the date up before each scene. This would have really helped those of us who are temporal physics mechanically challenged.
Next, this time through, it dawned on me that both Kate and Alex lost one of their two parents at relatively young ages. For Alex, his mother walked out on his absentee father leaving behind two sons. She died a year later of some illness. Kate's father died of unexplained causes. This left Kate with a mother that loved her dearly, and poor Alex with a father that was more of a tyrant lording over him than a father. The film goes to great lengths to elucidate this most valuable yet potentially devastating relationship, that between parent and child, and it does so with elegance rather than hitting us over the head with a 2x4. We see two very contrasting parenting styles in their remaining parents, and we see that despite it all there is very deep and lasting love.
As for my third contention, that of being unable to comprehend why Kate did not do what any smart person of the year 2006 would do if she wanted to be with Alex, she would Google® him. She would find out where he was and seek him out. Of course, she cannot do this for plot reasons—she would find out too soon that he had died, and this would have put an easy end to their relationship. The fact of the matter is that neither of them does a lot more to find the other than read the letters and hope for some clues. But why? Well, this time around I noticed something. I noticed that there is a lot of stuff that could have happened. They could have sought out the help of a professor of physics at the University of Chicago. They could have had the mailbox dissected. Indeed they actually could have Googled® each other at any time. But that is not what this film is about. The film is about these two and the passion and the love that arises between them via their letters. There is every good reason in the world to savor their relationship, nourish it, let it grow. They are both hopeless romantics at heart. So, neither is in any rush until they suddenly realize it might end.
Meanwhile, this time around, I noticed in the opening credits that read that the film was based on the film IL Mare (Siworae). Turns out this Siworae is a Korean film released in the year 2000. Also turns out the plot is nearly the same. So, I apologize for not recongnizing this the first time around. Regardless, The Lake House is a timeless film which shows the power of love across the street and across the years. This might be the last week it's still in theaters so I recommend seeing it on the big screen now. The film does Chicago proud.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Review-lite [150-word cap]
Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Proof", David Auburn, and directed by Argentine director, Alejandro Agresti, The Lake House reunites Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in a complicated, time-bending film to prove that even two years of bygones cannot stand in the way of true love. Occasionally, challenging to follow, the film still works quite well in the end. The supporting cast includes Christopher Plummer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Shohreh Aghdashloo who all do wonderful jobs with their roles. Chicago, as always, makes for a great backdrop to this story rich in architectural metaphors. If you pay no attention to the logic and time problems with the plot and just enjoy it without trying to figure it out, it offers some sweet sentiments about true love.
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