Fridae

Who knew that it would take such a long time for Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock to come together again?

Collaborating for the first time after Speed, which more or less shot the two to fame, the beautiful couple is back in The Lake House, a remake of Korean time-warp romance Il Mare, except with a more Hollywood touch. This actually works in the movie's favour, as it manages fill in some of the gaps that were existing in the original film, as well as devise a more complete conclusion to the film that will surely please fans of romance movies.

Both Keanu and Bullock look fantastic in the movie, as does the lake house itself, but aside from the eye candy, the film manages to satisfy in other ways.

The Lake House is a love story about two lonely people, Alex (Keanu Reeves) and Kate (Sandra Bullock), who are both staying in a glass-walled house by the lake, except that Alex took up tenancy in 2004, whilst Kate did it in 2006. Alex is a talented architect, and Kate has just begun a career in medicine.

As unlikely as it seems, the two begin exchanging correspondence via the lake house's mailbox, travelling through time to reach one another. As their love grows, the two decide to wait for one another — but life can be more unpredictable than that.

To enjoy this movie, one needs to look past the gaping plot holes and contrivances in the tale and just enjoy the movie as it is. For example, why is it that the couple never think about sending photos? Or to use the Internet to aid their knowledge of each other? To think in such a logical manner would definitely diminish the experience, as this is a mood piece, to be enjoyed with the heart and not the mind.

Keanu and Sandra make a cute couple, as evidenced by their chemistry in Speed, and it is good to see that this aspect has not changed despite the number of years that have passed. It is because the two work so well together that audiences can choose to overlook the flaws in The Lake House, and go along for the ride. An excellent date movie.