Lady in the Water
Time is running out for a happy ending.
A modest building manager named Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues a mysterious young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from danger and discovers she is actually a narf, a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the treacherous journey from our world back to hers. Cleveland and his fellow tenants start to realize that they are also characters in this bedtime story. As Cleveland falls deeper and deeper in love with the woman, he works together with the tenants to protect his new fragile friend from the deadly creatures that reside in this fable and are determined to prevent her from returning home.
Member Reviews
Well, it was a fantastical fairy tale - JustinM
I honestly find it hard to disassociate a creative act from the creator. Shyamalan is such a talented writer and director (The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable weren't accidents, and I'm not ascribe them to Bruce Willis' dramatic potency) but he seems to unfortunately know it, and take it the wrong way.
I'm sure many auteurs were able to wrangle egotism in such a way as to not make films embarrassing to watch. Shyamalan seems to have failed to do that. The film, perhaps directed by someone else (Del Toro, perhaps?) would have been much better. Howard & Giamatti's performances were a delight, but the elephant in the corner (the sinister movie critic, the director casting himself as the muse for the next messiah) were too much of a bother.
Perhaps it'll get re-imagined in a generation or two and be a better experience.Hard to stay interested - DavidS7
This movie had an interesting story line but both me and my wife found it hard to stay interested in the movie finding it slow and mostly uneventfull. I liked the idea of this movie and how they used the apartment complex as the bases for this story, it just seemed to drag out longer then it had to and other then the main character you didn't really get to know to many of the other characters that played a large role in the movie. Interesting but wouldn't recommend this movieI Usually Tend to Agree with the Critical Consensus But I Enjoyed This Far More than Most - Gregg
The story is that of strange girl named Story who seemingly lives under the pool of an apartment complex until she is discovered by the building superintendent Cleveland.
Lady in the Water is an usual film even for M. Night Shymalan. I believe to truly enjoy this film it is necessary to make a leap of faith and except the film as it has been described a Bedtime Story. Although it might seem pretentious the film originated from a bedtime story Shymalan had made up for his daughters. If an audience is unable to accept that level of reality than the impact of the faults that exist in the film are likely to be swell to the point the film will not be enjoyed.
While some may find fault with the story and perhaps the direction most will find merit in the films other aspects, the cinematography from Christopher Doyle is certainly striking and the score by James Newton Howard is effective.
We also have another very fine performance from Paul Giammati and while Bryce Dallas Howard is given a fairly subdued role she is none the less quite effective. The rest of the cast (due to its size) gets little chance to shine despite their talent due to limited screen time and thus minimal character development. But Bob Balaban in only a few scenes creates a memorable character, and newcomer Cindy Cheung also stands out though some may say in a racially stereotyped role. Many have pointed out that Shymalan here gives himself a far larger role than normal and that he cast himself in a martyr role which might be egotistical. While there might be some truth to this assertion it’s easy for me to overlook while immersed in the movie and any such feelings only arise for me on later reflection and don’t impinge on my enjoyment.
Many have argued that M. Night Shymalan has been on a slide ever since his enormous break out hit “The Sixth Sense”. I also greatly enjoyed “Unbreakable”, though I would agree his other efforts have not matched his initial promise.
Member Reviews
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Well, it was a fantastical fairy tale - JustinM
I honestly find it hard to disassociate a creative act from the creator. Shyamalan is such a talented writer and director (The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable weren't accidents, and I'm not ascribe them to Bruce Willis' dramatic potency) but he seems to unfortunately ...Hard to stay interested - DavidS7
This movie had an interesting story line but both me and my wife found it hard to stay interested in the movie finding it slow and mostly uneventfull. I liked the idea of this movie and how they used the apartment complex as the bases for this story, it just ...I Usually Tend to Agree with the Critical Consensus But I Enjoyed This Far More than Most - Gregg
The story is that of strange girl named Story who seemingly lives under the pool of an apartment complex until she is discovered by the building superintendent Cleveland.
Lady in the Water is an usual film even for M. Night Shymalan. I believe to truly ...