Parents' Guide to

Lady in the Water

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

More soggy than scary. Still, not for youngsters.

Movie PG-13 2006 110 minutes
Lady in the Water Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 5 parent reviews

jenonator
jenonator Parent
October 30, 2021
age 8+

Good scare, NO GORE, good messages!

So what if their are cheesey beginning and cheesey end. This movie has no gore, no sex, no anti biblical message. It’s got a diverse cast and no gore. Magical storyline sending the message thst 1) You may be the most important person in any situation 2) you must take action and participate in groups fir good to happen 3) you may not play the role you think- God may be using you for other purposes you won’t understand yet on the journey- just do your best 4) great things can be accomplished when we all try 5) your thoughts are with writing down- your thoughts could change the world! 6) Greater danger than you realize may exist and you’ll need courage! There’s smoking in the movie. It was perfect for my tween who wanted to be scared a bit on Halloween!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Rarityfan2019
Rarityfan2019 Adult
March 17, 2020
age 15+

A Glass of Water

Classic M Night movie with lots of twist and turns and over the top funny moments from a decade long passed. In consumerism people looking akward at cererals.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) appears an ordinary fellow, a Philadelphia apartment complex superintendent with a bit of a stutter and shuffling gait. He knows his tenants by name, gently reminding them to follow the rules (no swimming in the pool after 7pm, no smoking in the units), but mostly keeps to himself. When someone starts making noises in the pool during the night, he feels he has to take a stand. But then he discovers the swimmer is not a tenant, but a pale girl named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard), who comes from the water (she calls it "the blue world"), and has arrived among humans in order to deliver what she terms an "awakening" to a very special human. When Story is attacked by a dangerous dog-monster called a "scrunt" (a CGIed creature who lurks in the lawn, then leaps up to rip her flesh with its big teeth), Heep assembles his tenants -- including a single father (Jeffrey Wright), a woman who loves animals (Mary Beth Hurt), a kid fond of lifting weights (Freddy Rodriguez), a philosophical slacker (Jared Harris), and a film critic named Farber (Bob Balaban) -- each with his or her own particular task to save her.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (6):

More soggy than scary, LADY IN THE WATER follows a sad, inward-looking man's efforts to make sense of random violence. Much like previous protagonists in M. Night Shyamalan's movies, Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) harbors a secret and finds salvation in a generous and heroic act. Once again, this act is prodded along by otherworldly and very carefully arranged forces. This time, however, the arrangement is awkward and overexplained, as if the movie doesn't trust viewers to get it.

Heep's own reading improves throughout Lady in the Water. His earnest enthusiasm, sharp wit, and utter commitment to saving his new friend Story suggest that effective readers look beyond themselves. Writers might also take note.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Heep's dedication to figuring out the story/puzzle, as this shows his generosity as well as his need to work through his own past trauma. How does Story inspire Heep and the other tenants? How do the diverse characters work together toward a common goal? How does Story's story become everyone's?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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