DVD Reviews

The Lake House

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• Starring: Keanu Reeves
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Whimsical story about architect Alex (Reeves) who lives in a beautiful and unique lake house; and a lonely doctor Kate (Bullock) who is seemingly living in the same house two years from Alex's time. An unlikely romance transcends time, through the letters they write each other. Some critics have argued that suspense of belief is key to enjoying The Lake House in any way; and while that's obviously true, it's not its biggest flaw. Firstly, re-teaming Bullock and Reeves for the first time since Speed, and then keeping them apart for most of the movie doesn't really make sense. The initial story (a remake of Korean flick Siworae) has an endearing quality, and one that will either reel you in on its premise or not -therefore suspension of belief should be a given. The problem with The Lake House is much broader, and lies firmly in the execution and in the script, which is far too complicated for its own good, and is nowhere near as smart as it thinks it is. It doesn't resonate with the feel of the film at all, and this creates massive inconsistencies in the plot, which duly affects the performances through to the off pacing. At a time when you should be enthralled in the characters and their emotions, you will find yourself trying to figure out what's going on; and that's an uncomfortable place for a romantic drama to be in. It could've worked, had some of the creases in the script been ironed out, or had it not been overly reliant on its premise to win you over - when the characters alone should have been doing just that. It's hard to have a solid performance in a film this messy, and while both leads do their best, they're ultimately undone by excessive exposition over character.

Review by Mike Sheridan