LADY IN THE WATER
LADY IN THE WATER takes place entirely in a Philadelphia apartment complex named The Cove. It is here that we meet Heep (played wonderfully as always by Paul Giamatti), the grounds-keeper who silently goes about taking care of the resident's tiny problems. Heep is a man with little to be passionate about, and he therefore devotes himself fully to a job he does not care about. He lives a mundane existence of distant relationships and closeted sadness, until one day a strange being appears in The Cove's swimming pool.
One night, as Heep makes his rounds ensuring that no residents are swimming in The Cove's pool after hours, he is saved by a mysterious woman. Her name is Story (Bryce Dallas Howard), and she is a Narf sent from the "Blue World" to find her other half in the world of man. As Story explains her reason for living in The Cove's pool, Heep slowly comes to realize that she is a character straight out of a bed-time story, and only with the help of his fellow residents can he bring this bed-time story to its "Happily Ever After" ending.
While watching the film, the plot is every bit as far-fetched and ridiculous as it sounds. However, a ludicrous plot is not what makes LADY IN THE WATER such a polarizing film. As always, Shyamalan has managed to ground the film with a sense of realism, enabling his audience to suspend their disbelief and go along for the ride. Actually, I found LADY IN THE WATER's story to be its most engrossing element. What does end up hurting the film however are the indulgences Shyamalan allows himself far too freely.
Had Shyamalan been satisfied to bring LADY IN THE WATER to the screen with a more peaceful and loving tone, perhaps it would have been better. Unfortunately, he has infused this uplifting story of normal humans finding their purpose with a bitter and defensive tone that only taints its message. It's funny that of all The Cove's eccentric residents, including a man who only works out half of his body and a child who sees messages in cereal boxes, the most deconstructive character to the film is a simple film critic, named Mr. Farber (Bob Balaban). In one scene, after thinking that Mr. Farber holds the key to unlocking the secret behind the Narf, we are told that his opinions never really mattered. The film clearly states that a film critic is nothing more than a man delusional enough to believe that his opinion is all that matters, and clearly no man with such blind arrogance could ever understand the true meaning of the Narf's story.
Effectively, Shyamalan seems to be saying that any critic who doesn't like his film clearly lacks the ability to see the film's true meaning. It makes one wonder, if Shyamalan has such undying faith in his creative visions, why is he so confrontational and defensive throughout its presentation? It is this defensive and self-righteous attitude that slowly overtakes the film, dragging it down from what is an intriguing first half. The film continues to suffer as the film finds all too convenient ways to develop its plot. Solutions come all too easily and with little explanation. Perhaps had Shyamalan wisely omitted his obtrusive sub-plot involving Mr. Farber, the solutions could have been reached with more explanation and development.
The things that Shyamalan has always excelled at continue to be his film's strongest asset. He casts his films very well, from the leading role played so richly by Paul Giamatti, to the ensemble cast of eccentrics that surround him. Though Bryce Dallas Howard relies too heavily on simply being "other-worldly" as opposed to developing a layered character, Shyamalan is able to frame her performance in such a way that it never detracts from the film. My only qualm in the casting is another example of the director's indulgence. Shyamalan has cast himself in a primary role for the first time in one of his films, and though he does a serviceable job, his presence is more of a distraction then anything. It also seems that perhaps the time he spent in front of the camera would have been better spent at home tightening the script or behind the camera giving the film a sweeter tone.
Nonetheless, LADY IN THE WATER is a beautifully filmed movie with a distinct visual style and a powerful voice. Though not perfect, it certainly doesn't deserved to be called "pretentious, paralyzing twaddle" as Rex Reed so cruelly put it. In this era, it is a wonderful thing to have a director like M. Night Shyamalan even when his movies are not up to par. Whether good or bad, his movies always spark conversation. Even though LADY IN THE WATER will be viewed by many as an enormous disappointment, it is still a valiant (though misguided) attempt and it had this audience member talking all the way out of the theater. Let's just hope that after the dust settles over LADY IN THE WATER, Shyamalan listens to the advice of the film critics he seems to loathe so much and he loses a bit of his arrogance. Whether he does or not, I'll be in line to see what he comes up with next.
... C- ...
LADY IN THE WATER takes place entirely in a Philadelphia apartment complex named The Cove. It is here that we meet Heep (played wonderfully as always by Paul Giamatti), the grounds-keeper who silently goes about taking care of the resident's tiny problems. Heep is a man with little to be passionate about, and he therefore devotes himself fully to a job he does not care about. He lives a mundane existence of distant relationships and closeted sadness, until one day a strange being appears in The Cove's swimming pool.
One night, as Heep makes his rounds ensuring that no residents are swimming in The Cove's pool after hours, he is saved by a mysterious woman. Her name is Story (Bryce Dallas Howard), and she is a Narf sent from the "Blue World" to find her other half in the world of man. As Story explains her reason for living in The Cove's pool, Heep slowly comes to realize that she is a character straight out of a bed-time story, and only with the help of his fellow residents can he bring this bed-time story to its "Happily Ever After" ending.
While watching the film, the plot is every bit as far-fetched and ridiculous as it sounds. However, a ludicrous plot is not what makes LADY IN THE WATER such a polarizing film. As always, Shyamalan has managed to ground the film with a sense of realism, enabling his audience to suspend their disbelief and go along for the ride. Actually, I found LADY IN THE WATER's story to be its most engrossing element. What does end up hurting the film however are the indulgences Shyamalan allows himself far too freely.
Had Shyamalan been satisfied to bring LADY IN THE WATER to the screen with a more peaceful and loving tone, perhaps it would have been better. Unfortunately, he has infused this uplifting story of normal humans finding their purpose with a bitter and defensive tone that only taints its message. It's funny that of all The Cove's eccentric residents, including a man who only works out half of his body and a child who sees messages in cereal boxes, the most deconstructive character to the film is a simple film critic, named Mr. Farber (Bob Balaban). In one scene, after thinking that Mr. Farber holds the key to unlocking the secret behind the Narf, we are told that his opinions never really mattered. The film clearly states that a film critic is nothing more than a man delusional enough to believe that his opinion is all that matters, and clearly no man with such blind arrogance could ever understand the true meaning of the Narf's story.
Effectively, Shyamalan seems to be saying that any critic who doesn't like his film clearly lacks the ability to see the film's true meaning. It makes one wonder, if Shyamalan has such undying faith in his creative visions, why is he so confrontational and defensive throughout its presentation? It is this defensive and self-righteous attitude that slowly overtakes the film, dragging it down from what is an intriguing first half. The film continues to suffer as the film finds all too convenient ways to develop its plot. Solutions come all too easily and with little explanation. Perhaps had Shyamalan wisely omitted his obtrusive sub-plot involving Mr. Farber, the solutions could have been reached with more explanation and development.
The things that Shyamalan has always excelled at continue to be his film's strongest asset. He casts his films very well, from the leading role played so richly by Paul Giamatti, to the ensemble cast of eccentrics that surround him. Though Bryce Dallas Howard relies too heavily on simply being "other-worldly" as opposed to developing a layered character, Shyamalan is able to frame her performance in such a way that it never detracts from the film. My only qualm in the casting is another example of the director's indulgence. Shyamalan has cast himself in a primary role for the first time in one of his films, and though he does a serviceable job, his presence is more of a distraction then anything. It also seems that perhaps the time he spent in front of the camera would have been better spent at home tightening the script or behind the camera giving the film a sweeter tone.
Nonetheless, LADY IN THE WATER is a beautifully filmed movie with a distinct visual style and a powerful voice. Though not perfect, it certainly doesn't deserved to be called "pretentious, paralyzing twaddle" as Rex Reed so cruelly put it. In this era, it is a wonderful thing to have a director like M. Night Shyamalan even when his movies are not up to par. Whether good or bad, his movies always spark conversation. Even though LADY IN THE WATER will be viewed by many as an enormous disappointment, it is still a valiant (though misguided) attempt and it had this audience member talking all the way out of the theater. Let's just hope that after the dust settles over LADY IN THE WATER, Shyamalan listens to the advice of the film critics he seems to loathe so much and he loses a bit of his arrogance. Whether he does or not, I'll be in line to see what he comes up with next.
... C- ...