Movie Review: The Lake House

A girlfriend and I went to see The Lake House. To be honest, I don't know whether to recommend this movie or not. The story centers around two individuals, living in the same lake house, with the same dog...2 years apart. A sort of parallel world. They communicate via letters that they leave in the lake house mailbox. Over time, their friendship develops into a romantic relationship, though they've never met.

The drawbacks? The concept can be difficult to follow. This is not a film you can walk away from, it takes some concentration to follow the storyline. There are also some situational errors that occur as the writers/producers struggle to portray parallel worlds. The ending may or may not be a surprise. I figured it out about 3/4 of the way through the movie, but from the sounds around me, I'm not sure that many other people did.

That aside, something about the movie struck a chord with me. On the most obvious level, I carried out the first 3 1/2 years of my relationship with my now-husband over a 100 mile distance. More than some others, perhaps, we understand the power of written communication. Still, the film holds some universal messages.

• Hold out for the person that will make you happy.
• Each moment in our lives has the potential to change our futures.
• Connections between people can be strong and unexpected (in this case, transcending even time)

Overall, the film strives to point out that we are all connected in a rather complicated weave that, though we cannot see, affects all our lives.

Should you choose to see this movie, I'd recommend going to a matinee or a "cheap seats." Stick it out, get past the storyline and look for the message underneath. I think there's more to this film than meets the eye.