DVD available at Amazon.com
Director:
Alejandro Agresti
Cast:
Keanu Reeves”¦”¦”¦.Alex Wyler
Sandra Bullock”¦”¦”¦.Kate Forster
Christopher Plummer”¦”¦”¦Simon Wyler
Shoreh Aghdashloo”¦”¦”¦Anna Klyczynski
Ebon Moss-Bachrach”¦”¦”¦.Henry Wyler
Dylan Walsh”¦”¦”¦Morgan
Warner Bros. Pictures presents The Lake House. Written by David Auburn. Based on the motion picture Siworae, written by Eun-Jeong Kim and Ji-na Yeo. Running time: 98 minutes. Rated PG (for some language and a disturbing image). DVD release date: September 26, 2006. MSRP: $28.98.
There was a movie some years ago called Zero Effect, which one critic said “started out good and just got better.” The same could be said of The Lake House. It’s not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill love affair. It is a romance that involves two people who live years apart from each other. Before scratching your head, just know the probability that such a relationship would ever occur is nil. The viewer must take a leap of faith and see it for what it is: a romance that uses time travel as a premise, not to be taken literally.
The film is a reunion of sorts. It has been twelve years since Speed, the movie that propelled both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock into semi-stardom. Their careers have taken divergent paths, with some hits (The Matrix for Reeves; Miss Congeniality for Bullock) and misses (like The Watcher and Forces of Nature) along the way. But there’s no denying that during the decade-plus separation neither star has had the type of on-screen chemistry both experienced in a speeding, can’t-go-under-fifty-miles-per-hour bus.
As the two star-crossed lovers who don’t know it yet, Reeves is Alex, a Chicagoan and an architect some may confuse as being a construction foreman; constantly wearing a hard-hat on a soon-to-be suburban condo location is the big giveaway. He’s not prim and proper like his father (Christopher Plummer), a world-renowned architect with many eye-popping, mouth-gaping creations. To get away from the noises that resonate through the streets of Chicago, Alex has bought a glass-encased house on the lake. The previous owner Kate (Bullock) leaves a note for the next tenant, before moving out altogether. Alex finds the note in the mailbox, reads it and is bewildered. He sends her a message, believing she had the wrong house, as “no one has lived in this house for years.” She writes back in disagreement. The two quickly figure out they are not on the same wavelength; Alex thinks it is 2004, while Kate thinks it is 2006. Perchance she moved in after he left.
Connected by a magic mailbox that ignores the time-space continuum, the correspondence continues. The mailbox even acts in accordance when a letter is placed inside, raising and lowering the red flag on its own. There are paradoxes that exist that should be explained but aren’t. Which is fine by me. More often than not Hollywood dumbs down the story to make it easier for the average movie watcher. So when a romance develop between two characters totally disconnected from each other, it is enchanting. A welcomed surprise that the unexplainable is not explained.
The idea their relationship is built on a series of letters, not conversations on a telephone or instant messages or e-mails, is a unique spin on how we communicate. Although letters are probably the best means of correspondence, considering the time differential. Imagine being on hold for two years. What is included in the letters is disseminated through voice-overs. This is a little disconcerting as director Alejandro Agresti presents certain scenes where the lovers are sharing space. Reading letters — in conversation form, apparently — while sitting in a cafeteria, or on adjacent park benches.
The romantic impulse is there, and the viewer can’t help but wish for the guy to get the girl in the end. The walking tour of Chicago they take, two years apart, is a testament to the city. Not since Ferris Bueller faked a sickness and took a day off from school, has Chicago been presented with such zeal.
Both leads are flawed, but personable in their roles. The added detriment of working jobs that are mostly confined to one location only adds to their predicament. Sandra Bullock is a doctor who’s not very energetic but does the best she can. They live two years apart from each other and are essentially isolated from their surroundings. A glass house is never a good equalizer; wall-to-wall glass leaves little to the imagination. Keanu Reeves has a storied past with his father, the famous architect. His father designed the Lake House, which he dislikes. He purchases it out of spite, as the house is a constant reminder of his childhood, which saw his mother be driven away by his fathe’s ego.
To its credit, the film refrains from being too schmaltzy or over dramatic. Reeves and Bullock show that their chemistry together has not waned in the years apart. Never mind the inconsistencies involving time and space, and look at The Lake House as a fairy tale. In view of the typical romance archetype in which the boy falls in love with the girl then loses her, relish how two lovers are lost souls waiting to be found.
THE VIDEO
(Presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen)
The transfer isn’t as breathtaking as some of the architectural structures presented in The Lake House, but it isn’t half bad. The cinematography beautifully captures Chicago and its seasons. Colors are evenly matched. Blacks are blacks and the detail is cool. Though some issues with digital artifacts pop up at times. No dirt or damage to the actual print. All in all, the picture looks decent, but is not as good as other presentations from films produced this year.
THE AUDIO
(English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital)
The 5.1 audio track is mainly focused on the center speakers, but some of the sound effects and music compositions come from the surrounding speakers. The dialogue can be clearly heard, coming in crisp. In addition to the three language tracks, the DVD also has selectable English, French and Spanish subtitles, as well as closed captioning.
SPECIAL FEATURES
This DVD release was not destined to be a feature-laden title, despite making 100 million worldwide. Before you get to the main menu there is a short featurette advertising the upcoming Warner Bros. project We are Marshall. In the special features section of the DVD, all you find are five deleted scenes. Watched separately or altogether, they are the bulk of the supplemental material. Not much to be gained from these cut scenes. Wisely omitted by the director and editor. The only other feature is the film’s theatrical trailer.
THE INSIDE PULSE
For the longest time, the best romantic film this year had been Something New. The Lake House leapfrogs that to take its place. The film’s premise while unbelievable is an interesting concept to say the least. It’s a romance that doesn’t veer into rom-com territory where stupid situations reside. Thank goodness. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock have amazing chemistry though they are an enigma to each other for the longest time. The DVD release is to be desired. Good movie, minimal extras. Unless you are an ardent fan of either Reeves or Bullock, you may want to try this as a rental.
