The Lake House

Movie review by Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
The Lake House Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 12+

Corny romance will bore kids.

PG 2006 888 minutes
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Parents say

age 12+

Based on 14 reviews

Kids say

age 12+

Based on 17 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

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.

Community Reviews

Sarah S.
Sarah S. Adult
November 20, 2021
age 10+

Great fantasy love story

I love that there are almost no curse words nor adult situations in this movie. It's like they don't make movies like that anymore, even PG Disney movies make jokes I don't want my kids to hear yet.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Chirantha W.
Chirantha W. Adult
June 14, 2017
age 11+

Great Movie

Most people say they won't get the time paradox or that it's flawed but that really doesn't matter alot cause this is a love story and not Sci-Fi. It's also one of the only English love storues I've seen with absolutely no sex which was great. I was surprised to see little ratings on positive messages or role models cause Alex was a great role model like trying to be good to his father, helping out Kate, teaching people to do what you enjoy in life. Also he was very considerate about Kate by not building up their relationship in 2004 when he met her cause it would be not only hard but also confusing for her as she didn't love him yet. Kate's supervisor is also a good example showing concern and companionship to her subordinates as well as a kind doctor. This also made me come to tears cause the twin flame love depicted here is one of the truest forms of love according to many cultures and religions (Easy and West) Over all this is a family movie that all can and should watch.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

At the start of this romance film, Kate (Sandra Bullock) and Alex (Keanu Reeves) exchange letters via a magic mailbox at the titular Chicago area lake house. He has just moved into the house, and she has just moved out. The rub is, he's living in 2004 and she's in 2006. As Kate and Alex fall in love, they also realize they are living in different years. They accept this oddity and begin to plot ways to find one another across time. When Alex tracks Kate down in 2004, before she knows he exists, Kate is engaged to an over-controlling man and wishing she knew someone more like Alex. Kate tells him she loves Jane Austen's Persuasion (a book about waiting), they look deeply into one another's eyes and share a camera-swirling kiss. And then: pffft. Though he knows who she is, Alex doesn't pursue Kate, leaving her to be unhappily engaged, as he is unhappy with himself. Here the structure of the film changes from their pensive voice-over letter writing into conversation as they go about their separate, split-screened lives.

Is It Any Good?

Evocative and sometimes lovely, THE LAKE HOUSE is all about waiting. While this refers to the central couple, it also affects viewers, who must wait for alternately obvious and illogical plot points to be resolved. Occasionally rewarding, this slow movement is sometimes annoying, and the switch from letter-writing-voice-over to conversation-and-split-screen is simply awkward.

Perhaps most disappointing is the movie's feeble use of the wondrous Shohreh Aghdashloo (X-Men:The Last Stand) as Anna, Kate's supervisor. When Anna observes that this mystery man "must write one hell of a letter" to warrant so much mooning, the movie briefly exposes its sense of humor. But his letters ("I'll find a way to be close to you, to take care of you") sound more like a Lifetime movie than Jane Austen.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • 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?

Movie Details

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