Movie Review: The Lake House

Twelve years after Speed, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunite (fans around the world rejoice) in a romance! While I can't stand the usual Hollywood romances (romantic comedies being the exception), truth be told, The Lake House is one of the best I've seen in recent years.

lh2When Chicago doctor Kate Forster (Bullock) vacates the spectacular lake house she's been renting for a few months, she leaves the next tenant a welcome note. When architect Alex Wyler (Reeves) arrives at the lake house, he finds the note left by Kate. The odd thing, however, is the date on the letter: it's 2006. For Alex, 2004 has just begun and the house has been abandoned for years. He thinks it's a practical joke, and he leaves the "trespasser" a note. When Kate, needing a brief break from the stress in Chicago, returns to the lake house, she finds the note, and she writes back.

lh3Soon, they realize that they exist in two different times, exactly two years apart. Their only connection with each other is the magical mailbox and the letters they leave for each other. Through their letters, they start to get to know each other. Curious, Alex crosses path with Kate in 2004, who obviously doesn't know him and is living with her boyfriend Morgan (Dylan Walsh). The love between Alex in 2004 and Kate in 2006 grows as they continue to confide in each other. Soon, Kate decides that she must meet Alex in 2006 and settle this once and for all.

Speed made Bullock (Crash) a star and Reeves (Constantine) a bona fide action hero. It's interesting to see them get together again in a romance-fantasy. Bullock still does her lonely, girl-next-door part justice. She's radiant, lovely, yet vulnerable and guarded. Reeves is, as usual, cool and dashing, yet surprisingly expressive in some key scenes. Twelve years later, Bullock and Reeves still share tremendous chemistry with each other, and that's quite phenomenal when you consider they only have two scenes together. In a romance, chemistry counts for everything.

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Article Author: Ray Wong

Ray Wong is the author the novel, The Pacific Between, which won a 2006 IPPY Book Award. He also writes movie reviews for Actors Ink and Talk Entertainment. Other credits include the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Writers Post Journal, the Deepening. …

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  • 1 - Scott

    Jun 26, 2006 at 8:10 am

    What was the name of the book he got her in the movie?

  • 2 - Ray

    Jun 26, 2006 at 4:53 pm

    Persuasion by Jane Austen.

  • 3 - penny

    Sep 03, 2007 at 1:45 pm

    would like to have this story in written form...where can i find it?

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