Plot: What’s it about?
For all of those out there clamoring for a Keanu/Sandra Bullock reunion – the wait is finally over. Yes, it’s been twelve years since “Speed” made these two a little more widely known and though they should have reunited in “Speed 2”, Mr. Reeves had a little more common sense than to get involved in that mess. Bullock and Reeves have had their fair share of flops and hits since they first starred in “Speed”, obviously “The Matrix” was the high point in Keanu Reeves’ career and Bullock has done well with romantic comedies (“Miss Congeniality” is something to see if you’ve never seen it). But all that aside, this reunion wasn’t really publicized that much or maybe it’s that “The Lake House” wasn’t that much of a hit. Personally I didn’t hear a thing about it until I saw it was coming out on DVD. The concept seemed intriguing and I decided to give it a look. Though I’m a fan of Keanu Reeves, I’ll be the first to admit that he isn’t the greatest actor and I feel the line “I am an FBI agent!” will always be stuck in my head whenever I see him. Well, that or “Whoa.”. Still, he’s got more hits than misses and I was curious to see what this movie offered.
Reeves plays Alex Wyler, a Chicago-based architect who has never lived up to his father’s expectations. Conversely, we meet Kate (Sandra Bullock), a doctor who is new in town and trying to make things work. Alex has just purchased a lake house made entirely of glass to get away from it all and Kate was the former tenant. The two communicate through letters (which, arguably, does make this story work though it’s odd that in 2004/2006 email isn’t even mentioned) and it’s not long before the two form a bond. It’s discovered, rather quickly, that there is one major discrepancy between the two. It seems that Alex is living in the year 2004 while Kate is living in the “present” year of 2006. Naturally the two don’t really believe it, but through a series of examples, they figure that each other must be telling the truth. Herein lies the crux, of course, because the two are starting to fall for each other but it’s hard for Kate to realize (because in 2004, she has no idea who Alex is though he knows all about her). I really can’t say much more without giving away major plot points, but let’s just say that this is a pretty inventive way of telling a love story (in the vein of “Frequency” no less).
I’m not much on romantic comedies, but something about “The Lake House” really moved me. Perhaps it’s the time of my life that I’m on or that it was actually a really good movie and that we want the two to get together. The scene that really did it was when they share a dance to the tune of Paul McCartney’s “This Has Never Happened Before” – I can count the number of times I’ve cried at a movie on one hand, but this falls into that category for some reason. Whatever the case, it was nice to see the on-screen chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock; the two can make it work and I feel that’s a major part of the enjoyment of the film. If you’re not a fan of the genre or the actors then you might want to stay away, but for the romantic in you I feel you could do a lot worse. If nothing else, the soundtrack is something to listen to featuring an all new song by Paul McCartney. Highly recommended.
Video: How does it look?
“The Lake House” is shown in a very good-looking 2.35:1 anamoprhic transfer. This movie is set to also come out on HD DVD day and date with the standard DVD release (reviewed here), and I’ll be comparing the two side by side to report any major differences between the two transfers (assuredly, there will be pros to the HD version). Colors range between being very muted and very vibrant. Scenes of “the lake house” can be very gloomy or very beautiful. Edge enhancement is present (something that won’t be on the HD version), so that does take away from the transfer a bit, but it’s not distracting and won’t interfere unless you’re looking for it. Flesh tones are warm and natural and I noticed no evidence of artifacting in the least. The disc only contains a trailer and 5 deleted scenes, so there’s plenty of room on the disc to get the maximum bit rate available.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack isn’t among the best out there; then again it’s not really supposed to be. There are spots during the movie when the soundtrack stretches its legs and I was fairly impressed. Then again, this isn’t the type of movie that will be remembered for dynamic audio. Dialogue is very clear and clean, with warm vocals from opening credits to end. Surrounds are present, though not very active for most of the movie. All in all, a good soundtrack – not great but it delivers.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Surprisingly there are only two features on this disc. A series of five deleted scenes all shown in non-anamorphic widescreen and the original theatrical trailer in 5.1 and anamorphic widescreen. Perhaps the HD DVD will have the “In Movie Experience”, but otherwise a rather featureless disc.
