Non-spoiler Review
I find myself frustrated and confused by M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, Lady in the Water. Not by the film itself actually, as many critics seemed to have been, but by the behavior of film critics themselves. I had the same reaction with Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong. I could respect the criticisms of amatuer and paid critics who just did not like the film. What I could not fathom was those reviewers who could not get past their own opinion that Jackson should not have done a remake but should have done something new and different. The same thing has happened with about 50% of the negative reviews I have read about Lady in the Water.
M. Night Shyamalan has said over and over that this film is based on a bedtime story that he made up for his children. A story that he wanted to expand into a feature length film and put up on the screen. Many negative reviews have railed against the story itself and the names of the fairy tale characters, etc. with seemingly no acknowledgement of the type of movie Shyamalan had set out to make. That kind of paid criticism is frustrating to me because it is sloppy. It was bound to happen. After the grumblings of many over their disappointment with The Village, M. Night was bound to fail in people’s eyes no matter what he made. From that standpoint it was actually a wise time to make his children’s bedtime story into a movie and just do it for them. Lady in the Water sunk over the weekend. So, is it the flounder the critics have lead you to believe? In the opinion of myself and the five others who were in my viewing group the answer is a resounding NO!
As I said, Lady in the Water is based on a fairy tale that Shyamalan made up for his children when they were young. As such it becomes a different film than many of his previous films. Although they do exist, the whole point of this film isn’t about the twist. It is about the emergence of everyday heroes, as many fairytales are. I can’t say much about the plot without spoiling it. As the trailer indicates, Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) is the maintenance man at a small apartment complex who suspects that someone is using the pool after hours. One night while making his rounds he sees movement in the pool that turns out not to be a guest breaking rules but a young woman who claims she is from the Blue World. She does not arrive alone, other less friendly creatures arrive to prevent her return. What ensues is a mythological/fairy tale story of discovery and redemeption that plays out among the lives of the residents of The Cove.
Lady in the Water is both different than the movies M. Night has previously made and similar in that it retains a very Shyamalan feel and sensibility. There is an amazing amount of humor in the story, some subtle and some laugh-out-loud funny. Though there are plenty of moments that will make your best girl squish a little closer to you in the theatre, this is not a horror film, it is a fairy tale. I found myself thinking afterwards that Lady in the Water is the movie I wanted The Brothers Grimm to be. I really enjoyed this film. I saw elements of the underlying superhero story in Donnie Darko in this film. There is an underlying melancholy to most of the film that really resonated with me. And the ensemble cast was fantastic.
Paul Giamatti gets better with each film I see him in. Since his fantastic role in Cinderella Man he has grown to be a favorite of mine to the point that I actually want to see films simply because he is in them. He brings such empathy to the everyman character of Cleveland Heep that you realize right from the start of the movie that you really like this guy, and though you do not immediately know his circumstances you feel his sadness. I found myself almost teary eyed at several early moments in the film and didn’t really know why other than that Cleveland’s sadness was palpable. Bryce Dallas Howard delivers another amazing performance. Her pale skin and bright eyes lend themselves to the mysterious role she plays in this film. Shyamalan himself takes a much larger role than he has in previous films and while proving that he is indeed not an actor his role is a pivotal one to the story. It is a very good role that Shyamalan should have probably given to someone else. It does not ruin the movie for me but is my one criticism. The rest of the cast is made up of both relative unknowns and people you have seen in other films. As in every fairy tale the characters are somewhat one dimensional, made to fill a certain role, but each of these characters is so well written and the actors brought such life to them that I really enjoyed every one of them. Very enjoyable is the role of the film critic played by Bob Balaban. Shyamalan used this character to not only reveal important plot information but also very openly showed what his opinion of critics is. He was great.
I thought Lady in the Water was fantastic but realize that this film, like Pirates 2, will be one in which many of us ordinary Joe’s will have wildly varying opinions. For me it ranks as one of the more enjoyable films of 2006 thus far and I would probably rate it as my third favorite of the Shyamalan films, maybe even as high as second. Unbreakable is my favorite. Sixth Sense is fantastic and is probably number two for me although I find it less rewatchable than other films. Lady in the Water is a solid three bordering on two. The Village would be next and is a film that I parted with the critics from. Doesn’t matter that I figured it out early, I loved the telling of the tale. Signs was my least favorite and in that I know that I am probably alone. That being said I think all 5 of these films are very, very good. I think M. Night Shyamalan is a fantastic story teller and he has some very unique film techniques that makes his movies endearing to me.
Briefly, the music in the film was amazing. Moody, melancholy, ethereal. James Newton Howard has scored a wonderful soundtrack. The look of the film was terrific. Loved the contrasting night and day color palette, loved the creature effects.
Lady in the Water was the M. Night Shyamalan experience I was looking for. I found it surprisingly funny with the poignancy that a good fairy tale can deliver. I enjoyed the story from beginning to end and would really like to see it again soon. It probably won’t be what you expect, but if you can get past that then you have the chance of finding a very enjoyable film here. If it wasn’t M. Night Shyamalan I honestly think the criticisms would be much less harsh and many more of the paid opinionators would have positive opinions of the film. It is worth seeing for Paul Giamatti alone, he is that good. Look forward to hearing everyone’s ‘yay’ and ‘nay’ opinions! Being the movie that it is, read the comments at your own risk as there may be spoilers.
Great, no one has left any comments before me, otherwise I’d have to run away with my eyes closed 😉 because I don’t want to be spoiler.
My least favourite of Shyamalan’s films is Signs. But I didn’t like it at all. In fact I despised that film.
I’m looking forward to this, so hopefully I’ll enjoy it.
Keri and I are really looking forward to seeing this one too. We’ve enjoyed all of M. Night’s films, too. I would have to say Signs is my favorite though. I love the whole ” War of the Worlds ” element to it. I also would rank Unbreakable next, then Sixth Sense, and The Village last. Even though I enjoyed some of them more than others I was entertained by them all. Which is all I really want out of a movie.
As a comic book guru I think you’re obligated to like Unbreakable the best Jeff! 😉
I’ve enjoyed all his movies and this one was no exception. I’d like to see it again now that I know what to expect so I can sit back and enjoy the story more. Plus, I giggled to myself throughout the first half hour after that lady yelled “SHUT UP!” at me.
Yes, we were committing the unpardonable sin of talking BEFORE the trailers started and the lady in front of us yelled loudly the millisecond the screen went black to start the trailers. Some people are just wound too tight.
Shyamalan obviously is not an actor. I wonder if he chose to give himself more screen time because this movie is a gift to his children. I assume there may be a sentimental reason. Just a thought.
I appreciate my husband and friends jumping to my defense!! hehe!
I though the same thing about Shy and his role in this one Jules. Since we both agree I think that makes it right and we’ll leave it at that.
One should always go to the movie theatre prepared to kick someone’s butt.
True. 🙂
One of the positive reviews I read had this quote which I thought was really good, “Lady in the Water is an entrancing story with great messages about living up to your potential and seeing the good in everyone while acknowledging that evil exists.”
Critics are a joke. Most of them, anyway. The professional ones have superiority complexes, and the online amateurs often don’t even have the IQs necessary to string together compound sentences. I seldom listen to any critics other than people I know who have seen the movie in question and whose opinions I respect. Like yours, Carl. :>
Thanks Wayne. I don’t consider myself a critic or reviewer in any way. I’m not objective about the things I enjoy. I really am not. The recent Pirates movie is a great indication of this. And I know I like movies that others just don’t, and that’s what is cool and okay about this forum. It gives me a chance to diary my movie viewing and others to put in their two cents. What annoys me about critics is not when they dislike a movie that I like, but when their reasons for disliking it are asinine or they so obviously don’t get the movie they are trying to review.
I haven’t had the chance to see Lady In the Water yet but I plan to this weekend. I haven’t been putt off by the negative reviews though, because I don’t ususally agree with critics. For example, while I agree that the Village was misrepresented in the trailers (as most off us who saw the trailer came to expect a horror type fairy tale while that wasn’t the story at all) I still enjoyed it once I came to see it for what it was. In fact, I have begun to ignore trailers quite a bit and have found that I enjoy movies more when I haven’t built up my expectations.
On a side note Unbreakable is my favorite MNS movie, then Signs, the Village and Sixth Sense. I’m not sure why but I never liked the Sixth Sense as much as the others. I am definately looking forward to Lady In the Water. Thanks for the review!
*does little girl voice* There is a creature…. It’s not in the closet..It’s not under the bed…it’s in the back yard… ^_^
Just like a father to tell his kids a bedtime story that makes them afraid to go out in the back yard!
I really enjoyed the movie. I suppose some might find it slow if they were expecting a scifi thriller. I really enjoyed the characters and the acting. Shy was a little stiff as an actor, but I like Jules’ statement about being in the movie for his daughters. He probably should stick with short cameos in the future. It didn’t hurt the movie, but if I didn’t know it was him, I would have thought they cast the wrong actor for the part.
No, you’re right and not alone; Signs was awful.
I didn’t think Signs was awful, I just didn’t connect with it like I do the others. I got tired of the Mel Gibson character’s crisis of faith. I also thought the payoff was a little more muddled than it needed to be. I still enjoyed it but it is saying something that I have never watched it again. I like The Village because I like the characters. I saw the ending coming way before the ‘twist’ but it didn’t matter to me because I liked the eerie quality of the early scenes and liked the characters, especially Bryce Dallas Howard’s.
Have you people all gone mad?! Before I unleash a tirade, a disclaimer: I love M. Night’s previous stuff. Least fav until now was maybe Village, but all of the previous films I could discuss for hours on end with friends. So many good layers of storytelling.
What the hell happened?
I don’t care that this was based off his bedtime stories to his kids. I don’t care that this is a departure from his normal Twilight Zone trick ending stories (which I’ve enjoyed, mind you). I don’t care about all the infamous egomania stories I’ve heard about the man. I care about the story.
Lady in the Water is overall garbage.
There were a few small moments where I saw Night’s handiwork. But the rest was such a strange departure. I kept holding on to those few moments, thinking, “they’ll be back, he’s just getting started.” And nothing ever did. All these odd detours, bizarre “rules”, nonsensical whimsy, unfocused rambling. Garbage!
At times, it got downright maudlin. I love Giamatti and he’s the only thing keeping this stinker afloat. But his “big moment” at the end earned NO SYMPATHY from me. I didn’t care about his character. I didn’t care about his sadness because it wasn’t earned.
Carl, what in the world did you see similar to Donnie Darko?!
Bryce didn’t have a role here. She wasn’t given anything to do.
Casting himself in a relatively large roll really cements Shamalama as an egotist. Think about it: his character is a writer (hmm, so is Night) whose work will later change the free world by greatly influencing the next president. It’s like Cameron shrieking “I’m the king of the world!” without the Oscar. His character added nothing to the fairy tale.
Sucker punching film criticism with the Balaban character was silly. What’s more, it was distracting from the fairy tale. Just a dumb cheap shot.
Blecht!
Rob, you apparently know more about Night’s personal life than I do. Maybe he is an ego maniac, I don’t know.
It’s when I view this movie from a father’s point of view that I enjoy it the most I guess. I’m not a story teller at all. I can’t imagine being able to sit down with my kids and make up some bedtime story.
I would guess that it took years for Night to make up this story, telling a little bit of it each night while his daughters sat there, quietly stairing him in the eyes listening intently at every word.
“Daddy?” one of them would say, “What is protecting the lady from those dog things outside?”.
“Umm, those are big monkeys in the trees.”
I know I’m just a sappy dad. This movie just brings that out in me.
I guarantee you that if I told my girls a bedtime story I’d be in it. I’d be the writer that eventually saves the world.
In a lot of ways this world sucks. I watch the news and all I hear about is violence towards women. Sometimes I can’t belive I have brought 4 daughters into this messy place. Night has told a story to his kids that is trying to bring a little light into this dark scary world.
He’s telling his daughters that a long time ago ‘Narfs” were here on earth with us and helped us have a peaceful world.
Night doesn’t appear to have the hope in Christ that so many of us others have. We spend our time telling our daughters about God and Jesus and the kind of hope we have in Them.
He’s just a dad that wants to be the most important man in the world to his daughters. I can identify with that.
He is an excellent writer. I’m sure he could have re-wrote the whole thing to make it better. Then it wouldn’t have been the silly made up bedtime story that he created every evening for years with his daughters. He would have abandoned that story just to make critics happy.
What is there to respect about that?
James your daddy passion is so endearing to me.
Well, this movie seems to have created a lot of passion, in both directions. Since I finally saw the movie tonight, I waited to read the comments. All of you who had seen it were considerate. I could have read them before seeing it. I loved this movie. I loved the fairy tale aspect of it and I love the hope he generated. P aul Giamatti is so good in this. I love the idea that a man who is not good looking is the lead. And now I can go buy the book.
Sorry Rob, I just can’t agree with you at all on this one. I consider ‘nonsensical whimsy’ to be an endearing quality in many of the films that I like. Its one of the reasons I’m looking forward to seeing The Science of Sleep. The comparison to Donnie Darko is easy. They are both superhero tales disguised as something more bizarre. I might not have made the connection originally had I not listened to some of the DD commentary and known that the film maker was doing just that, making a superhero movie. This film has the same thing going on in a fairy tale world. Instead of one character though, there are several superheros in this one, Cleveland being the most enjoyable. Its not as good as Donnie Darko by any means but the same storytelling element was there.
I personally felt quite sad from the very beginning of this film and found myself slightly tearful before any of Cleveland’s troubles came to the surface. Why? Because Giamatti conveyed that so well. And when I found out why he was a sad, melancholy, depressed character it moved me even more.
I don’t really care about M. Night’s ego or lack there of. Any filmmaker, great or poor, who gets some success generates the whole “he thinks he’s so great” comments. I don’t know where you get your info. I assume its from entertainment news and television which is obviously skewed towards whatever the reporter wants one to believe. He’s talented and he makes interesting films. There isn’t a one of the 5 that hasn’t been interesting. I don’t think he’s a great actor but I think it is fun that he cast himself as the writer. I see it as a very tongue-in-cheek role, not an egotistical one. I also love the critic character. He was important to the story and yet made for a very satisfying death for all of us who would like to ring our local critics’ neck just once.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it Rob, but I stand by my review. Look forward to buying it once it comes out on DVD!
Great chatter everyone!
Carl, I saw this movie Saturday night and LOVED it! I found it whimsical and interesting, and like you, didn’t think the director was egotistical in casting himself, and if he wasn’t a great actor, it only seemed to go along with the story. He seemed reticent, more than wooden or uncomfortable. It changed my mind from NO WAY would I want him to direct the Half-Blood Prince, to hmmm…might be good!
I’d really like to see him direct someone else’s work, it would be interesting.
I have to disagree with your last comment Carl. I want to see him keep on doing his own thing. So many adaptations are let down’s but that’s just my opinion.
As for the movie itself. Keri and I both enjoyed it a lot. I can see Rob’s point of view though and repsect his take on this movie. I think the reason that Keri and I enjoyed this film is our love of family and fantasy and we knew going in that this was a movie he made essentially for his kids based on a bedtime story he told them. Since a lot of us are parents on this discussion we can totally relate to that and I believe for those of us who enjoyed the film we loved this idea. I also give Robert Rodegiuz props for doing the same thing for his kids with the movie Shark Boy and Lava Girl, which critics also panned yet my two kids ages 6 & 9 loved.
Sure Lady in the Water was filled with cliches and improbable moments but that’s the stuff that bedtime stories for kids are filled with and kids eat that stuff up. The whole time I watched the movie I kept thinking how much his kids must have loved this world he transported them too and how I wish I could tell tales like him to my kids. I hear ya James 🙂
Given those statements I can see why people who came into this movie with no knowledge about the background of this movie might not have enjoyed the film. I can also see how people who came into the film expecting a film with the depth of his previous films and instead sat through a children’s tale might have felt the victim of a bait and switch. I think, as someone pointed out above, this is where the trailers for this film as with the Village were VERY misleading. People get pissed when they pay $ 8.50 to get into a movie and outrageous concession prices when they feel they been lied to in a trailer about what a movies really about.
As for points of the film I liked: Paul Giamatti was great again. His portrayl of this man’s anguish was moving. I also totally bought into Byrce Howard’s performance. I thought she did an excellent job of conveying that just feel of otherworldlyness. I also enjoyed the overall pacing and mood of the film.
As for points that I didn’t like. Some of the special effects I felt where subpar as compared to his other films. The CGI I thought many times on the dog like creature was weak. I also thought the whole critic story line and his death was too much. I would have prefered M. Night dropped that storyline and taken the high road instead of the low road in taking a jab at his critics. That’s just my opinion and how played in my eyes.
Lastly, I was more than entertained and hey, that’s all I want from a movie.
Sidenote: As much as I enjoyed this film the next day I saw an even better one. ( Please don’t shoot me Carl 🙂 ). Monster House in 3D. It was the best family film I’ve seen since The Incredibles.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want Night to stop doing his own thing but I enjoy when director’s take on someone else’s work…which they often actually do come to think of it…and put their own spin on it.
I’m really wanting to see Monster House, especially since one reviewer pointed out that it is the best movie he’s seen all year. I like the animation style and the subject matter looks extremely fun. I’m not saying Lady was the best film I’ve seen this year but I really, really enjoyed it and still love the critic storyline. I loved all the comedy in this one.
I agree about the trailers but I’m not sure what input writers or directors have in regards to trailers. People should be pissed at the studios if a trailer is misleading, not the person who made the film.
Well, I think you two (Carl/Jeff) realy hit the nail on the head with the trailers.
The Village and Lady in the Water both had way too deceptive trailers.
It’s almost like the movie studios (or whoever makes those things) was trying to cash in on past successes instead of just giving you an honest glimpse of what these movies were going to be like.
Oh well, with a little patience I think most M. Night fans are always going to get some kind of enjoyment from his movies.
Say what you want about him, he sure isn’t mainstream and there isn’t any denying that.
Saw Lady today. Wow, I loved it and will look forward to seeing it on DVD. I think The Village is my favorite ‘Night’ film. I love the camera angles, the reflected scenes in the mirror, the scene changes, the humor. The story was cute too but I had not expected ‘Sixth Sense’ twist.
As always, I love the web site!
Glad to hear that you liked it Ian. I too am really looking forward to a second viewing. And thanks for the compliments too. Have a great weekend!
i thought the movie was okay.. the ending was just a big let-down.. very anit-climatic.