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The Lake House Review

Movies.com Critics

2.0

Dave White Profile

… dorky voice-over … Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 3.0
    52

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Mixed or average reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 38

    out of 100

    USA Today Claudia Puig

    One of the more befuddling movies of recent years. The premise makes no sense, no matter how you turn it around in your head.

    Read Full Review

  • 42

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The only real magic in The Lake House is that Kate and Alex have never heard of e-mail.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

    A chronological brain-teaser confounding enough to keep you busy trying to figure out whether those holes are in the story or in your logic. But ultimately the movie is more interested in the love part of the equation than in the whole crazy, madcap physics part.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    Variety Robert Koehler

    Never quite sure what it wants to be -- a magical-mysterious love story, a psychodrama, a sprawling family saga, or an uneasy combination of these.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden

    A slow-moving, never-igniting tale of calendar-crossed lovers that grows less convincing as it proceeds.

    Read Full Review

  • 70

    out of 100

    The New York Times Dana Stevens

    The movie is, above all, a showcase for its stars, who seem gratifyingly comfortable in their own skin and delighted to be in each other's company again, in another deeply silly, effortlessly entertaining movie.

    Read Full Review

  • 88

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    What I respond to in the movie is its fundamental romantic impulse.

    Read Full Review

  • See all The Lake House reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

OK for kids 12+

Corny romance will bore kids.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the movie includes some sad spots where the wannabe romantic partners can't meet for years, only exchange letters. A young man fights with his father, then the father dies, which makes the son cry. A bus accident kills a pedestrian (you hear crash and see prone body afterwards) and upsets a female doctor who's on the scene. Characters drink in bars and at parties. A woman kisses a man who's not her fiancé, who's upset when he catches them.

  • Families can talk about the idea of falling in love through letters (or online!): what sorts of things do you learn about someone else through writing that you often don't learn face to face? What traits make Kate and Alex appealing to one another, even though they haven't seen each other? How can waiting and patience make relationships, whether romantic or familial, seem more worthwhile?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: Characters in love are loyal, characters looking for love sometimes hurt others, and a father-son relationship is tense (mutual anger).

What to watch for
  • violence false3

    Violence: A bus hits a car and leaves a pedestrian dead; when Kate tries to help, she's sad when the victim dies.

  • sex false0

    Sex: "Long-distance" romance is mostly chaste (they live two years apart), but grants them two passionate kisses; Kate wears a nightie that shows cleavage.

  • language false3

    Language: Several uses of "hell," one each of s-word, "For Christ's sake," "godamnit."

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink wine and beer a couple of times, liquor and champagne in social/party settings.

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.768
Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango
4

ROMANTIC FANTASY (SCI-FI?). TEAR-JERKER. by MOVIES REVIEWER
I am glad I finally caught up with this movie on DVD. And I am glad I did not see it in the theater. It would have been embarrassing.... because, if you are really into this movie as I did - even on DVD - I am unashamed to admit that I was bawling my eyes out in the end. Can you imagine doing that in the theater? *shudder* . LOL, I am glad I was spared that public embarassment. Needless to say, I totally enjoyed this romantic tale of two souls connecting and falling in love across time and space. Both Sandra Bullock and Keanu infused their characters with ample empathy - and their chemistry helped to evoke a stirring sense of anxiety, hope, and loss. If you are averse to romance, this is not the movie for you. Otherwise, enjoy yourself - knock yourself out (preferably with a loved one or significant other) - and have a box of tissue handy. You might need it.

4

by Lightfuel_77

5

by chan_cry

5

by tandj17

3

by CouchCritica

5

by JStein1684

4

by tneebre

1

by Kowalski78

3

by highdollarnana

Read all The Lake House reviews at Fandango
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