SummaryBased on the original 2000 South Korean film "Il Mare," The Lake House is a love story that explores the intriguing concept of an intimate communication across time.
SummaryBased on the original 2000 South Korean film "Il Mare," The Lake House is a love story that explores the intriguing concept of an intimate communication across time.
Elegantly scripted by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Auburn, The Lake House never establishes any clear rules about how and when these strands of time can intertwine, but it succeeds at forging a bond between people who only know each other on the page.
What I really like about this film is that it reunites Keanu and Sandra for the first time since they starred in Speed. After 12 years, they're BACK! And their romantic chemistry is still there. This time, it's drama and romance which powerfully strengthens their chemistry and feelings. Ever since they did not reunite since Speed 2: Cruise Control, I thought they would never reunite. Also, the plot may seem a bit too convoluted for scientists because there's a science-fiction wrinkle time difference of two years. What you don't realize is that it's not time travel. If you actually believe in the magic of this story, this romance fantasy will come to life! It's about realizing that the best moment of your life (meeting or getting to know a friend, not just in person but by letter) can happen unexpectedly. It's truly heartwarming and powerfully. Without Sandy and Keanu reunited, this film would flop. And this adorable, romantic couple is the only thing that makes this film shine. It's a love story about two friends who live two years apart and "magically" reunite. It shows that they truly have feelings for each other and care for each other no matter what. This film is a must watch for the Keandra fans.
I found this movie to be original, somewhat unbelievable but still captivating! Bullock and Reeves have
definite chemistry. It kept me in suspense until the end to see how it would end.
How deeply silly is The Lake House? As silly as a movie about two letter-writing lovers separated by a wrinkle in time can be. How much sweet, dumb fun is it? More than you might want to admit.
If you haven't had enough of Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan weepies like "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993) and "You've Got Mail" (1998), The Lake House gives us Mopey in Chicago and You've Got Snail Mail.
By herself, Bullock isn't enough to hold up this enervating movie, which lumbers along ponderously until, at the end, it takes a giant leap into the suspension of disbelief that lost me altogether.
Treading the same supernatural turf trampled by "Somewhere in Time" and "Frequency," director Alejandro Agresti's gooey, ostensibly spooky romance yarn The Lake House flounders less on its thudding familiarity than on its mood- killing dourness.
Okay the plot was, shall we say “quirky” but I still liked this movie so very much.
Bullock and Reeves make for a perfect movie match to the point that if one didn’t know they would think the couple were either dating or married in real life.
When two people like each other, the chemistry flies around them. That bond was evident in Speed, Sandra admitted, Keanu was probably insecure about sharing his feelings. And they seem to be great couple. A couple is always looking great when love is bidirectional. The Lake House is a symbol of unrealized love. Cried couple of times during the movie, it’s worth watching.
If you want to enjoy “The lake house” you should know that it requires plenty of suspended disbelief and no rational approach.
Chronologically, the story “sort-of” starts in 2004, when Alex comes back to the Chicago area and settles in a glass house built many years previously by his architect father. Alex and dad don’t get along, even if they share the same profession.
In the house Alex finds a note from alleged “lodger” Kate, who recently moved out with regret to central Chicago. However, Alex knows that the house was closed for years and writes back to Kate, basically asking what is wrong with her. A correspondence follows between the two, during which they discover that Kate rented the house after Alex, possibly in 2005 (the timeline is a bit confused) and she moved out at the beginning of 2006.
The two exchange letters using the mailbox outside the house, regular postal service clearly not being an option. Although I agree that writing letters is very romantic, one may wonder why they do not exchange photos, emails or phone calls…
They quickly discover to be soul mates and Alex tries several times to meet Kate. It should be remembered that in 2004 Kate is still unaware about his existence, so when they actually meet the experience is very different for them. To complicate things, Kate has a boyfriend in 2004 – but not in 2006.
Alex knows to be in love and want to be with Kate. At this stage, enters the plot twist, which feels highly contrived even in such an unlikely scenario. However, we are supposed to root for Alex and Kate, two people who can truly connect with very few around them and who are bound to be together against all odds. Will 2008 be the year when they can finally be happy together?
The time paradox is the most intriguing part and should be explored more in details, but the movie can still be considered a satisfactory, unusual romantic movie.
There are many movies about impossible loves but the reasons for the impossibility can vary. One of the rarest is used in this film: each element of the couple lives in a different temporal reality, despite both are living in the same place. Its a challenging resource, which can easily fall in the danger of becoming implausible. Unfortunately, this has indeed happened here. If we start thinking hard about the movie, the magic of love disappears and we see clearly the fragility of the premises on which the whole story is based. Its really far-fetched.
The strong point of the film is the excellent chemistry of the two main actors, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. They are both very strong in romantic roles, and the way their characters value letters as form of contact brings a note of nostalgic romanticism that is very elegant. Its their performance, ultimately, that makes the film something we want to see again, because everything else is painful.
The concept is here. It's actually quite clever in parts. But there is something about Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves that didn't seem to click for me.