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Architect Alex Wyler (Keanu
Reeves) comes to live in the Lake House, which he discovers has been up for rent for some time. He finds a note in the mailbox from the previous tenant, a Kate Forster
(Sandra Bullock), addressed to the next occupant to send her mail to her new address. Despite the time lapse between her departure and his taking over the lake house, he
decides to write Kate, a doctor, working at a Chicago hospital.
A series of letters are exchanged between them, developing their interest in each other, and inevitably their love for each other. They discover however, a problem that prevents them from meeting: a time zone that separates them: he is in year 2004 and she lives in year 2006. Is there a possibility for them to meet and spend their life together?
The Lake House is based on the Korean film "Il Mare" by Kim Eun-Jeong and Yeo Ji-na. The movie is focused mainly on Alex and Kate and how their relationship began and developed; how the "magical" mailbox at the lakeside house, could contain mail for him in 2004 and for her in 2006. To accept the possibility of what is happening, and disregard unreasonable gaps that shows a disjointed story, viewers will have to suspend their unbelief. The talent for acting of Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock however is evident. They convincingly portray their loneliness as individuals, and then their love for each other when they got to know each other. The sound equipment must have been faulty in the theater where this film was viewed. The dialog and music were lost, or too loud, several times during the run of the movie.
Love is such a value, so prized that, as the movie shows, a man and a woman are willing to do
"everything" to find each other and be together. This story presents an impossible situation in real life, and gives it a fantasy-ending. The Lake House
means to entertain the audience, especially the romantic. Despite their father, being too busy with his work, not wanting them to be around, Alex and his brother Henry, persisted, were close by. Especially Alex, who stayed by his hospital bedside when he was sick. The brothers were buddies and worked closely together as architects. The Lake House presents subject matter for adults. Guidance is thus needed for viewers age 13 and below.
(Date Reviewed: 16 June 2006)
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