HondaReport.com - Movie Review: Lady in the Water

The only way to enjoy this film is to listen to it as a child would. That may be the biggest reason — along with the writer's outright brutal treatment of a character who is a film critic — why this movie will likely be hated by reviewers eternally. Me? Loved it. 3 stars (out of 4).

This is no Sixth Sense. Not Unbreakable. No Signs for a rebound. In fact, the boo-birds may be signing M. Night Shyamalan off as a has-been, fluke or even a whimsical, bloated egocentric wanna-be who simply forgot how to churn out a blockbuster.

Truth is, if Lady in the Water had been made by an unknown foreign indie director-writer, we would be singing his (or her) praises to the high heavens. I haven't read a single review, at least not in detail, of Lady, which was released on Friday. I went into the viewing with the expectation of a fable, a bedtime story, which is what Shyamalan drew upon for this film: a creation of his own for his two young daughters.

I'm not going to spill details as I usually do in film reviews. But I will say this: the mythological proportions of his story are never subtle, and he does miss with a mighty swing on more than one occasion. M. Night's writing goes that way, a slugger with a prodigious home run swing and plenty of strikeouts to show for it.

In this case, the loopy humor, one-dimensional second-tier characters and fast-forward method of tale-telling are too obvious to criticize. Only someone expecting something other than a bedtime story would expect more in this scenario.

He does himself no favors with the way the (new) resident in Apartment 13B is portrayed. Shyamalan's blunt disdain for film critics is way over the top in this character, and is one of the flaws of this flick. But honestly, it didn't bother me from an entertainment perspective. As a storyteller, though, I would've wanted more subtlety in the way the critic was handled.

This certainly wasn't just about flaws or critics, of course. Bryce Howard is seamless as the Lady, provocative and innocent, vulnerable and alluring. Paul Giamatti was perfectly cast for this role, over the top as a stifled, conscientious building super. The relationship between Howard and Giamatti makes this film work for me, and that's all I'll tell.

The marketing of this film was a bit mundane and head-scratching, using a child's voice to narrate the trailers from beginning all the way to "Opens July 22." But in hindsight, it wasn't a bad idea, especially considering the fact that Shyamalan views this film as appropriate for most kids over 10. It was his giveaway to the fact that this wasn't a true thriller or horror flick. This was an homage to every story heard from India to Indiana about good versus evil, a reluctant vehicle for heroism who could be any of us, or any supernatural being who has oh, so human fears and vulnerabilities.

Are they around us, much closer than we ever imagine? If M. Night has his way, they're right next to us, and his courage to tell such a simple, endearing tale is worth half the battle. Whether you like this film (or hate it) depends a lot on how easily you suspend your grip on reality to see through to simple virtues, just as child would.

In a world of severe injustice, it bears worth remembering that even in words of the most supernatural, common folks are asked to adopt the mindset of a child in order to believe. Reason is imperative in the world of crusty, middle-aged movie reviewers. They work on deadline, have bills to pay and peer pressure to yield to the masses. Watching a film, or hearing a story the way a child would? It's beneath them, most of them anyway.

If myth has a way with us, we will believe, and more importantly, we will continue to hope. The boo-birds in the bleachers will fade into the background, white noise in the night.