The Lake House (DVD, 2006, Widescreen Edition)

This is the first movie Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock have starred in together since Speed (1994)- a movie in which they definitely had chemistry and (literally) burned up the screen. The writers of The Lake House were hoping to recreate that same chemistry between the actors and in my opinion they did... for the most part...

In this movie Bullock and Reeves share life together in a uniquely designed glass house on the lake. The only problem is they are living 2 years apart. The story starts when Kate Forster (Bullock), who is moving out of the lake house, leaves a note in the mailbox asking the new tenant to forward her mail. However, the person who receives the note is Alex Wyler (Reeves). He is not the NEW tenant, but the person who lived in the house before Kate did. Kate and Alex continue to communicate with each other through letters they each leave in the mailbox. Through the letters they realize they have a lot more in common than the space they used to live in and of course, they fall in love. The question is whether they will ever be able to meet, or if fate will continue to keep them apart.

I found this movie to be nicely done and quite romantic WHEN you don't think about the living 2 years apart/communication concept too much. When you do, a lot of things about the plot just don't make sense. I was also a bit disappointed by the ending- I was expecting more of a climax / more emotion. There is actually a scene in the middle of the movie when Alex's father dies that struck me as more emotionally charged than the ending of the movie. I was disappointed by that. I felt like I wanted to cry (yes, I like to do that sometimes...), but just couldn't. Overall a nice movie, but not enough punch at the end.

lu·gu·bri·ous: adj. - Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree, ''The Lake House.''

I like time travel films. I really do. But this film did nothing for me except annoy and fatigue me. In fact, it put me asleep seven times when I tried to see it through to the end over three different days.

I can buy the time warp premise that Kate (Sandra Bullock) and Alex (Keanu Reeves) live in the same house two years apart and develop a relationship via letters left to and from each other in the lake house's mailbox. I can buy the concept that they shared the same dog, Jack (brilliantly played by a sadly uncredited rag-a-muffin pup, perhaps the best acting of the whole film).

I wanted to like this film because I generally enjoy Bullock and Reeves. I really did want to like it. But the plodding, stilted dialogue, ever-brooding facial expressions, limpid body language, aching sorrow, mostly ponderous musical score, and lack of chemistry between Kate and Alex put me off. Way off.

Speed co-stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves reteam for romance exploring a mysterious mailbox that somehow bridges time. After moving away from her peaceful lakeside home, a lonely physician begins writing letters to the frustrated architect who now occupies the building, only to discover that they're living two years apart.

Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Christopher Plummer

If you are a hopeless romantic or like looking at very romantic movies, you will thoroughly enjoy this fairy tale like movie. It is interesting how the story unfolds and laughable seeing the two main characters writing back and forth letters transcending time (2 years difference), receiving the letters at the same mailbox at the Lake House where they both lived. Both of them actually were in each other's presence from time to time ???? and yet to really be with each other for the rest of their lives they needed a good plan, patience, and a meeting place; however, great haste was needed and a rescue effort by one to save the other's life or their joining together would never become a reality. It is a must see! A movie worthy of purchase and one that can be watched several times over! Reeves & Bullock - two beautiful people - performed superbly and were rightly matched for this touching and wonderful love story.

Keanu and Sandra definitely made this movie worth watching! Very good movie but has the potential to be mentally confusion at the end if you don't pay attention the even the smallest details in the movie. The mailbox they are using at the lakehouse to communicate with each other bridges time which is the most important detail throughout the movie. The first clue in the movie of a time warp is when Sandra is leaving the lake house for good and Keanu is going to the lake house. The season instantly changes from what appears to fall to winter as we see the ground go from being clear to snow covered. If you miss this crucial detail, you may become thrown off course and confused. Everyone asked "how did they end up together at the end of the movie if Keanu got killed in the car accident?." What happened was when Sandra realized it was him that was at the Daily Plaza coming to see her, she went back to the mailbox for the last time in hopes of altering the past event,which she did, that led up to his death. When you see her drop that last note in the mailbox and fall to her knees, notice the flag on the mailbox goes down and at that very moment when Keanu is about to step out in traffic, to meet her across the road when he suddenly pulls the note from his pocket telling him to wait and meet her back at the lake house. This note is what Sandra put in the mailbox in hopes that he would get it before he is struck by the car. Keanu takes the note from his pocket just as he is about to cross the street then all of a sudden, he steps back up on the curb and races back to the lake house. This is where the past is altered in the movie. It took my hubby to help me figure out the movie because there were crucial details through the movie that I didn't pay attention to when I watched it alone. Some of the major details are....the red flag on the mailbox going up down indicates they are at both at the mailbox at the same time just invisible to each other because they are 2 years apart and also, Sandra's hair styles(notice how in 2004 scenes her hair is long and in 2006 scenes her hair is cut short. The dog is aware of Keanu's presence at the mail box too which is why the dog was looking at the mailbox barking. If you have not seen this movie, you really should and I would even say this moivie is good enough to buy rather than renting first. When you watch it DON'T FORGET TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE MAILBOX, SANDRA'S HAIRSTYLES AND THE WEATHER CHANGES. ALL OF THESE ARE VERY CRUCIAL POINTS IN THE MOVIE! ENJOY!