The Ultimate neighbor from hell!!!
Image Courtesy of IMPawards.com
Director: Neil LaBute
Notable Cast:Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington
Samuel L. Jackson has proven that he’s the type of actor that will do just about anything. In 2006 alone he gave us the gripping southern drama Black Snake Moan and the ridiculously bad but entertaining Snakes On A Plane. He’s been in great movies and he’s been in terrible ones, but no matter the film, he always proves to be entertaining. So how does Lakeview Terrace stack up to the rest of his resume?
Jackson plays Abel Turner, a bitter, angry, strict widower with two kids who happens to be a police officer. When mixed race couple Chris (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa (Kerry Washington) Mattson move in next door it brings out the absolute worst in him. It begins with snide comments and blinding lights shining through their bedroom window at night, but it soon escalates into dangerous territory. This is Chris and Lisa’s first home and despite Abel’s aggressive behavior they are determined to make it work. But why does Abel hate them so much? Is it because he lost his wife and can’t stand the sight of a happy couple? Is it because he can’t stand the sight of an African-American woman with a white guy who listens to loud rap music in his Prius? Or is it something more sinister?
Right from the get go Abel Turner is an enjoyable villain. Jackson hams up his performance and you can see that he is really enjoying himself. Jackson is always entertaining. The real problem with the film lies in the flat underdeveloped couple. We never really find out who the Mattsons are. We learn that Chris works for an ecologically friendly super market chain, but nothing else. And while Lisa states that she hates her job, we are given no clues as to what that might be. We know they’re undecided on having kids and that Lisa’s dad doesn’t really like Chris. Outside that we aren’t given much else. They might as well be zombies.
Because their characters are so uninteresting it makes it hard to care about what Abel does to them. In that way it sort of feels like a Friday The 13th film; you care more about the villain then you do the heroes. Then about half way through Chris starts to turn into a jerk and any lukewarm feelings you had for the guy flight out the window and you’re left with nothing.
As this mediocre film trudges towards its end it delves into realms of absurdity not seen in a while. The film attempts to paint Abel as a broken soul and make you sympathize with him. You learn why he hates the Mattsons so much and you can almost understand it, but it by no means justifies his actions. So when the filmmakers attempt to give Abel a little bit of humanity it makes things confusing when he throws that last shred of it away for no apparent reason.
I really can’t recommend this film on any level. If you want to see some good Samuel L. Jackson acting, there are many other places you can turn. If you want an entertaining film about neighbor rivalry, rent The ‘burbs. But steer clear of this one.
