The Lake House (2006) is one of the movies I've had on queue on Netflix waiting for the DVD release. I finally got a chance to watch this movie and found it to be very different and entertaining. It stars Sandra Bullock, who won the 2006 Hollywood Supporting Actress Award, as Kate who is a doctor and Keanu Reeves as Alex Wyler, an architect who find that they have a few things in common.

Plot

Kate lands a new job in a hospital in Chicago and the movie opens with her leaving her home, The Lake House. She leaves a letter in the mailbox for the new tenant with her forwarding address for any mail and an apology about the doggie footprints by the front door. The letter is found by Alex, the new tenant, who writes back and places the letter in the very same mailbox. A communication starts via the letters in the mailbox that develops into a friendship and along the way...more. However, they soon discover that they are living in different times. Alex is living in 2004 and Kate is living in 2006. Will they devise a plan that will work to actually meet? Do they have a future together?

Cast And Other DVD Notes

Keanu Reeves - Alex Wyler
Sandra Bullock - Kate Forster
Shohreh Aghdashlo - Anna Klyczynski
Christopher Plummer - Simon Wyler
Ebon Moss-Bachrach - Henry Wyler
Willeke van Ammelrooy - Kate's Mother
Dylan Walsh - Morgan
Lynn Collins - Mona

Director - Alejandro Agresti

Rated - PG

Run Time - 1 Hour, 38 Minutes

DVD Extras - Outtakes, additional scenes and trailer.

My Thoughts On The Lake House

This movie is a remake of a Korean film with the original title, "Siworae". It was filmed in various places in Illinois including Chicago, Oak Park, Aurora, McHenry, Riverside, Willow Springs, etc. The scenery is awesome and you will see shots throughout several seasons in this movie showing the colorful autumn leaves to snow on the ground surrounding The Lake House. The Lake House is a glass house located on a lake and the key that brings these two people, Kate and Alex together in this movie. It is very secluded and a retreat for any nature lover.

This movie is not your typical romance. It delivers a nice mixture of drama, mystery and romance which would tax my brain at times trying to put things in perspective while watching this movie. I found that Bullock and Reeves had good chemistry and worked very well together in the scenes towards the end of the movie.

At first I thought this was going to be just another romantic movie but it really has more going for it with the drama of the different times (years) going on. There are smaller story lines going on that are easy to miss. I watched this movie twice and picked up on something I had missed several times from the first viewing. I wouldn't write it off as a chick flick either.

The soundtrack for The Lake House featured "This Never Happened Before" by Paul McCartney, "It's Too Late" by Carole King and "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake. I found the tunes to be excellent choices and helped to set the mood in the movie.

I was a little disappointed in the DVD extras which only included the trailer, some outtakes and additional scenes. They weren't anything exciting or memorable.

Recommendation

The Lake House is a good movie to watch on a Friday evening or out on a date. It is a romantic brain teaser that will have you thinking about how to solve this problem of two people living in two different years. The soundtrack is also nice and relaxing. Performances by Reeves and Bullock are top notch, giving The Lake House 4 Stars.

© 2006 Birdfeather

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older