Movie Title: The Lake House
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (7/10)
Year: 2006
The Lake House official site: http://www.thelakehousemovie.com/
Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock… the last time I see the collaboration between them was in the movie Speed. At that point of time, Sandra was still a newbie in the industry while Keanu is already a hottie that makes girls scream at the top of their lungs.
Unknown to many people, this movie is actually a remake of a Korean movie “Il Mare”. Il Mare is the Italian name for the Korean movie Siwore. I totally love the Korean version of the poster. It has more feel compare to this remake poster. Which I think lack out a lot of feelings. They have great actors and actress and all but the poster just didn’t do the job to it’s fullest potential.
Even then, the movie wasn’t really highly promoted and both Sandra and Keanu are well aware that this movie is not those movie that comes out on the premier and blow everyone off and top the box office. Is one of those movie which will touch your heart. Ring a bell, not a big bell, but is enough to keep you alert and aware it is all happening and is all around us.
The story stars with Kate Forster (Sandra Bullock) moved out of a house by the lake. As she left, she leaves behind a mail in the mailbox so that the next tenant could forward her mails to her.
The movie soon begins when Alex Wyler (Keanu Reeves), an architect, buys the house and move in. He then saw the mail in the mailbox but is puzzled since the house have been empty and no one has stayed there for more than 2 years. Alex then reply the Kate’s mails by writing a mail and putting it back in his own mailbox (the best part that I never understand, how could you mail mails to Kate and put it in own mailbox hoping that Kate would come and get it?). Seriously it does happen before Keanu continues to investigate deeper in to what is going on.
After a series of back and forth correspondences, Kate and Alex soon realize that they are living 2 years apart, Kate is living in the year 2004 while Alex in the year 2002. After some testing, Kate and Alex discover that the mailbox at lake house can pass objects and mails through it. And soon it has became their communication tool.
By communicating through the mailbox, Kate asks Alex to retrieve a valuable gift she lost two years ago. It was a book Kate’s father left her, which he gets for her. Alex went and get it for her only to see her for the first time. Oh yeah… forget to even mention, they both share the same dog named Jack.
Ever since then Alex has been repeatedly popping up in Kate’s life (2002). He even kissed her on her birthday party which makes Kate’s boyfriend Morgan (Dylan Walsh) upset. There and then, Alex did a lot of things for Kate like grow a tree in front of her house, draw some graffiti on walls and the list goes on.
Not long after that, Alex’s father (Christopher Plummer), a noted architect, died. Kate bought a book which Alex’s father wrote to tell Alex how much his dad actually loved him. Right, Alex have arguments with his dad constantly and thinks his father never cared for the family.
They then decides to date each other. Kate asked Alex to reserve a table at Il Mare (how sweet, they even pay their respect to the original version of the movie by naming the restaurant). Il Mare is one of the best restaurant in town and it is so not possible to get a place without months of reservation. Somehow, Alex didn’t show up and Kate starts to lost faith and thinks that the “distant” relationship is not working. She soon stops communicating and mailing him.
They both then lead their own life. Kate runs into her ex-fiancé on the road and they just hit it off. They stayed in and one day, Kate accidently stumbles on the book she has lost bellow her floor wood tiles.
As Kate and Morgan plans to renovate their new home, they found Alex and his brother’s firm. She then found out that Alex was dead that same day 2 years ago. Kate suddenly realizes, on that day, she witnessed a car striking a pedestrian and killing him. Kate rushes to the hospital to find out that Alex was the pedestrian. She immediately rushes to the mailbox and sends a letter telling him not to go and she stood there crying. The scene returns to the beginning of the movie, where Kate is eating with her mother at the park across the street. Alex then show up in and hug and kissed Kate. Yes they finally met.
There isn’t much to complain about the acting. Both were A list actors and actress. They both have this chemistry between them making the whole movie so real. I totally love how they used Chicago as their location bringing out the beautiful buildings. I even love how they set the movie to give it a cold and calm feel. I think the lake house itself was a beautiful masterpiece. Really.. except I still can’t figure out how the maple tree can be inside the house. I mean not that it is not possible. It’s a house on the lake.. and yet I don’t see roots or tree trunks coming from the bottom.
I would really have to say it is a not to miss beautiful movie that has beautiful cinematography. Well.. the only factor that makes this movie a little confusing is the leap between the 2 years as some shots shows the 2002 scenes.. some the 2004 scenes, some the 2006 scenes and it goes forward and back. But then again… I still don’t get how Keanu is supposed to meet Sandra at the Il Mare restaurant although he make a booking for 2 years ahead as he is 2 years behind time. And well… I really don’t get how he could come and hug and kiss Kate at the ending scene. It’s like.. okay you write a letter u mailed back to 2004 and u saved his life. Right.. he will be there and he survived. But how did he jump out to 2006 where Sandra was crying. I am still wondering… is it Sandra is in 2008 and Keanu is in 2006 (when the actual scene shown to us is when Keanu is in 2006 and Sandra is in 2006)?
But well… I will still see it over and over again. It’s one of those soft side of Keanu movies I like. Well I must say, if you like Sweet November(2001), I think you will like this movie too. Yeah… it’s been that long since I last saw Keanu Reeves acting in soft romantic movies.