Writer: Lim Chang Moh

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Watch this if you liked: "Speed", "Il Mare"

It takes them 12 years -- and apparently lots of planning and messages - but two of Hollywood's most popular heartthrobs of the 90s are reunited at last. We are talking about Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock of "Speed" fame. And if you are wondering why I am starting the review like this, it is because the two are separated in time in this whimsical love story that is fuelled only by their charm and box-office appeal.

When Dr Kate Forster (Bullock) moves out of her glass house over a lake near Chicago, she leaves a note to the next tenant requesting that her mail be forwarded to her new address. Alex (Reeves) gets the note and discovers something weird: No one has lived in that house for years! Then a dog suddenly appears and the two soon discover that they have been living in the same area -- two years apart. He is in 2004 and she is in 2006. They communicate via a mailbox outside the Lake House which magically transmits their messages.

Now, I don't know about you, but if I were caught in such a situation, I would have been scared out of my wits. I would want answers and I would search the archives and Internet for them. I would also expect the guy in 2004 to ask the gal in 2006 for stock market tips, etc. Kate and Alex, however, do no such thing. Instead, they revel in their newfound love for each other and she even seeks his help to find a lost book.

"The Lake House", based on a 2000 South Korean film titled "Il Mare", is about 'second chances' that fate sometimes dishes out to lovers. Think 'Meeting Mr Congeniality on the Time Matrix' and you will get the idea. As a time-travel story, its plot is full of holes that you can't even begin to piece together. Suffice to say, the only thing that works here is the chemistry between the two leads, aided in no small measure by a dog named Jack.

There are nice distractions in the subplots, though. Christopher Plummer, who plays Alex's old man, provides an explanatory background to Alex's character while Willeke van Ammelrooy does the same for Kate as her caring mom. Dylan Walsh acquits himself amicably as Kate's inadequate fiancé, and Lynn Collins plays Alex's co-worker who has the hots for him. It is just too bad that the dog gets more attention from the audience.

Indeed, it is nice to see Bullock back in Reeves' arms. They look comfy together but I wish they had something better in the form of script - just to sink their lips in.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008