The Lake House

Keanu Reeves
Sandra Bullock
Dylan Walsh

Directed by: Alejandro Agretsi

If I must rate it… because people sorta like that, I would give it a 2.5 on a scale of one to four. Two and half stars, because it’s better than the average mindless tear-jerking romance we all know, love and reach for along with a carton of coffee flavored Haagen-Dazs when our latest fling has flung.

The Lake House is a mystical realism romance in which Kate (Bullock) and Alex (Reeves) carry on an affair through letters, even though he is two years in the past. Therefore, it’s a love story that involves time travel. Sounds hokey and sounds corny, but it works.

And here’s why.

Kate is a Chicago doctor who has rented an impractically beautiful lakeside house made of glass. As she’s moving out, she places a note in the mailbox for the next tenant (Reeves) requesting that he forward her mail. Alex responds by telling her that he is sure she’s made a mistake. The lake house he’s moving into has been empty for years.

Kate and Alex continue to correspond, both laboring at first that the other is either crazy or seriously mistaken. They get past it, though. There’s this brief expository exchange in which he writes, “Is this really happening?”

He places the note in the mailbox, raises the flag. The flag goes down on its own and returns, with her written response inside: “Why not?”

With those glaringly simple lines, the mystical aspect of the film is established. And… we’re off!

Now, because it’s that kind of movie, audiences immediately expect the crushing disappointment of continually missed opportunities and that is certainly present. As Kate and Alex write back and forth across time, it is established that both have a habit of cutting themselves off from reality (ya think?), whether it is full-immersion workaholism or by pushing away the most likely relationship candidates in their lives. This is helped along by references to Jane Austen’s Persuasion and moody, perpetual autumn lighting.

There’s undeniable on-screen chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Is there really a need to talk about Speed here? They were darlin’ in that, and it’s my private hope that they are real life friends who occasionally meet for hot dogs at Johnny Rockets when their busy lives allow it.

The main characters are deeply likable. The supporting characters - Alex’s father (Plummer), who built the Lake House, and Kate’s supervisor (Aghdashloo) - add bite and spine to the movie and to Alex and Kate, respectively.

So, while The English Patient it’s not, The Lake House is an enjoyable movie theater meringue. It’s sugary, fluffy and goes down well. It’s still in theaters, but just barely. This one’s definitely worth checking out on DVD.
 

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