The Lake House

The Lake House ***

"The Lake House" is one of those movies where you just have to leave logic at the door, and enjoy the ride. It's a perfectly satisfactory romance, that's no where near perfect, but it'll be the rub for any kind of romantic. Sure, it doesn't really make any sense when you sit down and think about it. It's a plot that pretty much impossible, but for some reason, the story works, and you really do care about these two characters.

What about the plot is so impossible? Well, it starts off in the year 2006, where Kate is moving out of a house that she bought on the lake. She leaves a letter in the mailbox, greeting the next person who moves in, and asking them to deliver any mail that didn't go to her new address. We then meet Alex, a thirtysomething year old architect who moves into the lake house, which is architect father built many years ago. He opens the mailbox, reads the letter, and then becomes confused by a few things. She mentions a box in the attic, and pawprints on the front lawn, two things that Alex doesn't find at all. That's because he's in 2004, and for some reason, the mailbox lets them communicate with one another. They know that a letter is in the box when they see the little plastic red flag move up and down. They spend hours and hours conversating. He sends her a map through the mailbox of what direction to walk in her time, and he walks that same path in his time, and they take walks. They never exchange pictures, but Alex sees Kate a few times, because she knows where she was at certain times in 2004. Over time, they want to meet one another, and she tells him to do certain things at a certain time so they could. He would have to wait two years to do it, but for her it would be very quick. However, whenever they do this, he never shows up, like when he makes a reservation at a fancy resturant in two years. She goes, but he never makes it. So, will two people from two years apart be able to life happily ever after. . . blah blah blah. . .

So call me a sucker. It's sappy, and the overall plot doesn't exactly make sense. Even if you drew a timeline, it's covered in plot holes. I even guessed the final "twist" at the end about fifteen minutes into the film. I know I'm acting like it's a bad film, but it really isn't. It's entertaining, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves have chemistry, and it is a nice love story. The cinematography was pitch perfect, with beautiful sunny lake scenes, and dimsel, dark, snowy ones. I could have lived without many of the scenes involving Reeves and his father, played by Christopher Plummer. It was an unworthy, and often dull subplot, there to fill the time, and to make it a little more sentimental, but it was unneeded. The focus of these two people trying to connect was fine enough without advice and long talks with the parents. The films best scenes are when it's just them talking. For example, there's a party scene in 2004 where they meet. He knows who she is, but she's just meeting him. They talk, without facing each other for about five minutes, in one long take, without any edits. Hopefully it will engross you like it did me.

So, if you do go see it, you have to keep in mind that it doesn't make sense sometimes, it's full of holes, and it is impossible, but the trick is to remember that it's a movie. It doesn't have to make perfect sense. Leave your logic at the door, and let this nice romance story wash over you, and everything will be fine.