 If you think The Lake House, which tells the story of two persons who live in the same house, he in 2004 and she in 2006, and who fall in love via snail-mail letters they send to one another through a wormhole in time -- if you think such a story sounds confusing, wait 'til you read the reviews. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the story raises this question: "Is there a way for them to send letters across the gap that will allow them to meet where she was in 2004, or she where will be in 2006, or vice-versa?" Hunh? [Presumably he means "where he will be," but even then...] He continues: "It is, although it involves many paradoxes, including the one that in 2004 all of this is ahead of both of them, and in 2006 Alex knows everything but Kate either knows nothing, or knows it too late to act on it." Then there's Carina Chocano's review in the Los Angeles Times, in which she writes: "It's never really explained how Alex is supposed to catch up to Kate, how it was that they were once on the same plane but got separated, or how it is, with so many naturally occurring obstacles to love existing in the real world, anyone thought this would make a good premise." Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post points out that, unlike Back to the Future, in this movie, "There are also no sanctions against using info from now to change what happened then, which would therefore change now." Gene Seymour in Newsday merely warns. "You may feel the middle of your head pressed to a hard boil." The movie stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in their first reunion in 12 years. Writes Rick Groen in the Toronto Globe & Mail: "That was yesterday and Speed. This is today and Snail. I'm not betting on a tomorrow." Nevertheless, several critics advise the viewer simply to set aside critical analysis of the time-warped plot. A. O Scott in the New York Times remarks: "The Lake House, while completely preposterous, is not without charm." And Ty Burr in the Boston Globe begins his review by remarking: "How deeply silly is The Lake House? As silly as a movie about two letter-writing lovers separated by a wrinkle in time can be. How much sweet, dumb fun is it? More than you might want to admit." |
