Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Lady in the Water / USA / 2006

Though only nine years have passed since The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan’s output has been an inconsistent jumble: his aforementioned hit garnered him two Oscar nominations, while the second is considered a masterpiece-in-waiting; Signs was a modest attempt at reducing his reputation for surprise endings, while The Village was universally panned. And now comes Lady in the Water, Shyamalan’s inadequate tale of mythical creatures come to earth.

More disappointing than bad, the film relies on convolution and convenience to stay afloat. Bryce Dallas Howard does the best she can with such an underdeveloped character, while Paul Giamatti’s Cleveland Heep elicits little sympathy or understanding, even though he should. (A subplot involving his family is overly clichéd and facile.) The story of Story, which begins as a minimal illustration, is supplemented into ridiculousness. The supporting cast, including greats like Bill Irwin and Jeffrey Wright, are barely given anything worthwhile (Wright is so stone-faced and uncommitted that each line is disheartening), whereas Shyamalan gives himself a major role with inner turmoil and complexity. Yes, the population of Shyamalan’s The Cove is flawed and diverse—a woman who takes in stray cats, a punk Japanese girl—but by the film’s end they’ve all become caricatures of our own society—laughable, unrealistic.

While I concede that the film has its moments of beauty—the pool from which Story comes is shot with an intuitive cinematic eye—much of that beauty is squandered by the awful characters and bad special effects. I had really hoped this would be a revolution for Shyamalan, a departure from our expectations, but I was sadly wrong. No, you cannot ignore this film, but I don’t see any possibility of liking it, either. As for Shyamalan, a recent article in Newsweek cautioned that his career (or at least his independence from studio execs) would come to a sour end if this film were to fail. A heartbreaking notion considering how talented he is.

(I feel compelled, however, to offer some concessions, as my friends and I were cursed with one of the most immature audiences ever—undoubtedly why I left the theater annoyed. A gaggle of teenage girls chose to sit around us despite an empty theatre, then proceeded to laugh at Cleveland’s stutter, giggle at actress Carla Jimenez, and let their cell phones ring unendingly.)

by Adam Balz | Source: 35MM Theatrical Print
29 Jul 2006 10:53 AM | Comments (1)

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1. Devin / 29 July 2006 / 9:15 AM / URL

   While I most certainly liked this film more than “The Village” (it definitely had a better sense of humor about it), I too was cursed with an uncaring viewing audience. Being someone who has a stuttering problem, I found it inappropriate for people to laugh at Paul Giamatti’s character’s similar affliction. M. Night Shyamalan’s films are built on suspense, and inappropriate laughter was responsible for shattering most of the suspense present in “Lady in the Water.”