The Lake House (Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves)

(Amazon UK link)

When I’m in the UK, I love perusing charity shops, and nearly always find at least one or two DVDs which I haven’t seen, and which look interesting. One of them on a recent visit was ‘The Lake House’, a film we hadn’t even heard of although it was made in 2006. Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves star, and the storyline sounded rather unusual…

We watched it last night, and, on the whole, liked it very much. It was a bit confusing at first, with short scenes and quite a few different characters, but gradually it started falling into place. Perhaps this initial confusion was meant to recollect how the two main protagonists feel at first until they figure out what’s going on.

Sandra Bullock is excellent as Kate, a young doctor who’s extremely busy after just taking on a post at a large hospital. Keanu Reeves is also extremely good as Alex, a young architect who is in the process of moving into a rather run-down ‘lake house’ - a building overlooking a lake. When he looks in the mailbox, he finds a note from the previous owner, asking him to forward her mail to her new apartment. But he knows that the house has been empty for a while…

He replies, leaving a note in the mailbox and a correspondence begins; I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the two quickly realise that they are somehow living in two separate time-frames, with the mailbox behaving like a kind of portal. This foray into science fiction (or fantasy, perhaps) is never explained, and the two seem rather unfazed by it, although they would really l like to meet. They try all kinds of things - Kate telling Alex about things that happened in her past (he is apparently living two years earlier than she is) and he finding the Kate of two years earlier in his timeframe.

This means that Kate’s character appears in both 2004 and 2006, but it’s easy to distinguish which is which by her hairstyle. She wears her hair long and flowing in 2004, but has it short in 2006 when she’s working as a doctor. Even so I found myself puzzled at times about how something was happening; there are so many potential plot holes in a time-warp story that one simply has to accept that this is how it’s written. And that yes, one person can affect the past, even though it’s already happened…

I had guessed fairly early on what had happened to Alex, meaning that he didn’t follow up on planned phone calls or meetings in Kate’s timeframe, but it wasn’t explained until near the end, which is tense, and ultimately satisfying, albeit a tad unrealistic (even given the nature of the film).

Christopher Plummer is a wonderfully irritable and self-centered father who doesn’t want anything much to do with Alex, or his brother Henry (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). There are other minor characters - Kate’s boyfriend and Alex’s girlfriend, for instance, and Kate’s mother - who flesh out the storyline. Jack, a dog who seems to exist in both timelines and wants to live in the Lake House is a delightful addition to the film, although it’s not entirely clear whether the dog is male or female.

Reality has to be suspended while watching this film, and I suspect that future viewings may not make the timeframes any clearer, but overall we liked ‘The Lake House’ very much indeed, probably due to the excellence of the acting and helped by the attractive locations.

The rating on our DVD is 12, but apparently it’s PG in both the US and UK, so I’m not sure where the 12 comes from. There’s some strong language but it’s not excessive, and a nasty accident, but not too much gore is shown. Refreshingly, I don’t recall any incidents that were sexual in nature, nor any nudity.  However it’s not the kind of film likely to appeal to children anyway, given the nature of the story.

Recommended, if you don’t mind a bit of fantasy thrown into a romantic film.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Proposal (Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t know how the DVD of ‘The Proposal’ appeared in our collection. Perhaps I saw it at a church book sale; perhaps I bought it at the local Thrift Store. I don’t even know how long we’ve had it on our shelves. But last night we finally decided to watch it. It claimed to be ‘comedy gold’ on the front, and a ‘laugh-out-loud romantic comedy’ on the back. So we hoped for a light evening’s entertainment.

The film features Sandra Bullock as the pushy, controlling Margaret, who is the editor in a New York publishing company, and Ryan Reynolds as her hard-working assistant Andrew. He somehow manages to pander to her every wish, and hasn’t yet been fired.

There’s a bit of humour at the start, as Andrew oversleeps and races his way to the office, with two takeaway coffees that he attempts to hold, but it’s slapstick, making us cringe rather than smile. It quickly becomes clear that everyone dislikes Margaret; messages are sent around the company’s computers when she’s on her way, and when she’s in a particularly bad mood. Andrew clearly dislikes her but hopes for promotion…

Margaret, we learn, is Canadian and her visa has expired. She’s due to be deported until she comes up with a solution… once again coercing Andrew to agree to do something he really doesn’t want to do. He puts himself at risk of a huge fine and imprisonment if he goes ahead, but he stands by Margaret, and then realises he actually has the upper hand. So he starts to negotiate.

Much of the film takes place in Sam’s family home in Alaska. His father Joe (Craig T Nelson) owns most of the local stores, and had hoped that Andrew would stay and take over the business. But he and Andrew have a difficult relationship, and Andrew insists that he’s happy in his work. Andrew’s mother Grace (Mary Steenburgen) is kind and diplomatic, easing the stresses where possible, and Andrew’s grandmother Annie (Betty White) is enthusiastic, lively and rather weird… despite celebrating her 90th birthday when she might be expected to slow down a little.

There’s a marked contrast between Margaret’s solo life (her parents died when she was a teenager and she has no siblings) and Andrew’s extended family and local friends, all of whom care for him despite the tensions with his father. And the film cleverly demonstrates her gradual thawing, with some insecurities showing, and Andrew’s growing strength as he begins to make some decisions.

There are undoubtedly some humorous moments; it’s a light-hearted film that revolves around a bizarre proposal, but I don’t think there was anywhere where we laughed aloud. There’s situational humour, with some nice choreography but there’s a lot of poignancy too, as Margaret and Andrew continue on the path they have agreed, in danger of making his family very upset and angry if they discover the truth.We thought overall that the film was very well done, even if a bit predictable at the end. The chemistry between all the actors - not just the principals - was just right, and the pace excellent.

The rating is 12 which reflects the nature of the story, some minor bad language and nudity (albeit not full frontal). I can’t imagine that this film would be of the slightest interest to children anyway.

We watched the ‘extras’ afterwards. There were a couple of deleted scenes which were well done, but we could see why they were cut as they weren’t necessary. There were also a few outtakes, mostly showing forgotten lines or sudden laughter that shouldn’t have happened, and a commentary from the director and writer. There’s also an alternative ending shown, one which was quite fun, but a bit long-winded.

All in all we thought it well worth seeing, and look forward already to watching it again in a few years time.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Blind Side (Quinton Aaron)

(Amazon UK link)

We had been given a few DVDs by a friend-of-a-friend who was leaving the country, but had not heard of any of them. We decided to try ‘The Blind Side’, as it listed Sandra Bullock as one of the main actors, and we’ve always liked her style. The DVD cover told us that it was based on an extraordinary true story, which sounded intriguing.

The first few minutes were quite off-putting, as they feature American football, with commentary and cheering - and we had no clue what was going on. Was it going to be a sports film, we wondered? We kept watching, determined to give it a fair chance, and were so glad we did. American football does feature, but it didn’t matter that we don’t like or understand it.

Michael - ‘Big Mike’ - played by Quinton Aaron is the star of the film. He’s not someone we had heard of before, but we were very impressed. The actor was apparently a decade or so older than the 17-year-old boy he was playing, but was entirely believable.

Michael has impressive ball skills, which attract the notice of an American college who agree to award him a scholarship. Unfortunately, his academic skills are minimal. He’s spent his life in foster care or on the streets, and his education has been sporadic at best. A perceptive teacher realises that while he has trouble with writing, he has an incredible memory and the ability to understand quite complex concepts and information, so long as he’s able to talk rather than write.

Sandra Bullock is the feisty, warm-hearted Leigh Anne, and we immediately liked her character. She has a teenage daughter at the same college as Michael, and a young son. She notices that he has nowhere to stay, not much to eat, and no warm clothes as winter sets in. So she invites him to stay overnight. Her husband is a bit uncertain and she wonders if she might have made a mistake…

It’s an engaging, thought-provoking and ultimately very uplifting film despite the scenes involving American football. There are one or two light moments, but a lot that made us think about white privilege, and the motivation people might have for helping those who are struggling. The story itself might be somewhat predictable but the character growth and insight was excellent, and was what made it such a very watchable film.

Rated 12, which I think is probably right; some violence though nothing gory, and a few sexual references. Some quite sordid scenes involving drugs, and some bad language. But nothing gratuitous, and we didn't find any of it disturbing.

Definitely recommended, and I’m sure we’ll watch this again in another five or six years.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

While you were Sleeping (Sandra Bullock)

(Amazon UK link)

We wanted something light-weight to watch, not too long or complex. ‘While you were sleeping’, which we first saw about ten years ago, seemed like a good choice. We had both forgotten what it was about, although as we watched a few incidents did seem familiar.

Sandra Bullock stars as Lucy, a young and not very confident girl who works as a ticket collector. She does her job well, and dreams… until one day she sees someone and feels an instant connection. He barely notices her, and she might never have seen him again, but for a dramatic incident in which she saves his life.

The bulk of the film takes place while he is euphemistically sleeping - in fact in a coma, fighting for his life. He has a family, all delightfully caricatured, who rally round. When they realise that Lucy saved his life, they want to adopt her - and get the mistaken impression that she is his fiancee. She loves being with this talkative, affectionate and quirky family that she can’t quite bring herself to tell them that she doesn’t in fact know him at all.

Then things become even more complicated when she starts to fall for his brother Jack. It’s obvious to the viewer that they find each other attractive, but neither of them realise it at first. Moreover, Jack thinks she’s engaged to his brother and he’s an honourable man. And Lucy feels herself falling further and further into deception…

The pace of the film is excellent, and there’s a nice balance between the two main characters, who become excellent friends before anything else develops. The more minor stereotyped characters are amusing - there are some good lines that made us smile, and also some poignancy in Lucy’s deeply felt need for acceptance. Sandra Bullock is perfectly cast and Bill Pullman is also ideal as Jack. His comatose brother (Peter Gallagher) has a much smaller part to play but also does it well.

We had entirely forgotten how the film ended; it could have gone several ways. We thought it nicely done and entirely satisfying.

This is a good film if you would like a light-weight gentle romantic comedy. It’s rated PG, unusually for this genre, but there’s no violence, only minor bad language, and nothing explicit. There are some innuendoes and sexual references but they would go over the head of most children. Not that a young child would find this particularly interesting.

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Two Weeks Notice (Sandra Bullock , Hugh Grant)

(Amazon UK link)

From time to time I browse Amazon’s recommended books and films, and add a few interesting-looking ones to my wishlist. That was the case for ‘Two Weeks Notice’ which was probably suggested because it features both Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. I’ve liked films with both of them in the past, and this looked, from the viewer reviews, like my favourite kind of light but reasonably intelligent romantic comedy.

I was given the DVD for my recent birthday, and we watched it last night. Sandra Bullock is entirely believable as Lucy, a somewhat disorganised lawyer who works for a charity. We meet her in the throes of lying down before bulldozers in the hope of saving her beloved local community centre.

Hugh Grant plays George, a billionaire, arrogant playboy. He does it well, but I could never quite believe in this character - the slightly awkward gentleman persona of other films was always in my mind. George’s firm is involved in knocking down the community centre, but they’re also looking for a bright, proactive lawyer. He bumps into Lucy, and manages to persuade her to take the job, promising a huge salary and also that he will save the community centre.

Lucy quickly discovers that George wants a personal assistant/PA as much as a lawyer and becomes increasingly frustrated that he expects her to answer the phone at any time of day or night, no matter how busy she is, for trivial concerns. Eventually she hands in her notice. Even that isn’t straightforward, until another young and attractive woman applies for the job.

Despite my never entirely believing in Hugh Grant as George, he and Lucy have a very good on-screen chemistry, with quick-fire dialogue and great timing. There’s some humour - we smiled several times, even chuckled once or twice - and the romance element, while inevitable, is mostly subtly done.

I appreciated, too, the contrast between faceless corporations who want to make more and more money, and the caring side of humanity which George had apparently never previously noticed. There's a political element, which I guess might upset some who tend towards capitalism, but it's not overt, nor pushed.

The rating is 12, which seems about right to me; not that it would be of much interest to anyone under the age of about 15 or 16. There are no explicit scenes, only partial nudity in a humorous context, and no violence. There are plenty of innuendoes and sexual references and some ‘strong’ language, however.

All in all, it filled the bill perfectly for a light evening’s relaxation. Don’t expect fast action or passion in this - but if you like good rom-coms, I would recommend this one, in a low-key kind of way.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's DVD Reviews

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Thomas Horn)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t remember how we acquired the DVD of ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’. It has been in our to-watch drawer for many months, perhaps a year or more. I had read some mixed reviews, and the premise, somehow, didn’t seem all that appealing.

However, we recently decided to watch it… and were captivated from the start. It’s a sad, tense opening as we meet young pre-teen Oskar (Thomas Horn) grieving the loss of his father. We soon learn that he died in the Twin Towers attack in September 2001. Oskar is a highly sensitive child, evidently on the autistic spectrum although, as he tells someone later, tests for Asperger’s Syndrome were inconclusive. He struggles to deal with loud noises and finds it difficult to understand strong emotion.

The early part of the film is a bit confusing chronologically. We see Oskar’s memories with his father (Tom Hanks), interspersed with the day everything changed, and his day-to-day life. His father and he do ‘quests’ or ‘challenges’ together, often based on unlikely stories. They give Oskar a chance to communicate with strangers.

Oskar and his mother (Sandra Bullock) have a difficult relationship. It is evidently made all the worse by their bereavement, and their reluctance to talk about it. But, a year after what Oskar calls ‘The Worst Day’, he goes into his father’s closet - unchanged, in a year - and by chance discovers a key. This leads him to what he believes is another vital ‘quest’, one that he hopes might help him make sense of what happened.

Much of the film is taken up with Oskar’s travels and interviews, which he records in detail in a scrapbook. It’s the story not just of the quest but of Oskar’s own growth in confidence, and his relationships with several other people, particularly family members. It’s beautifully done.

Despite a cast featuring famous names, young Thomas Horn is the real star of this film. We wondered why he was not better known. Apparently he had never acted before, and was chosen after a stunning performance on a TV quiz show. He is a natural for this role, showing emotion and fear in his expressions, and with excellent timing. His rapport with other characters is excellent, particularly with ‘The Renter’ (Max von Sydow) whose real relationship with Oskar is immediately apparent to the viewer.

Despite an unusual and essentially tragic plot, the film is mesmerising. The pace is perfect. The viewer sees Oskar’s confusion and need for some kind of closure, rooting for him to find it. The ending is perhaps a tad sudden, but I’m not sure how else it could have been done.

The rating is 12 in the UK, PG-13 in the US. I was a little surprised at this: there are no intimate or nude scenes, no overt violence, and bad language is only hinted at. I assume the rating is due to the overall emotion and the traumatic content of the start of the film. I certainly wouldn’t want an over-sensitive child to see it. But I would have expected the censors to rate it PG.

The only ‘extra’, other than language options, is one about finding Oskar. It has brief interviews with the director and some of the other actors, explaining how they worked with him as he knew nothing about films or acting beforehand.

Very highly recommended.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

While you were Sleeping (Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher)

(Amazon UK link)

'While you were sleeping' is another film in the light romantic comedy genre from the 1990s which I had managed to miss out on entirely. Possibly because we did not buy films on VHS, and did not yet have DVDs. Or perhaps because I was a full-time mother of small children, with little time for going to the cinema.

So it's good to have these gentle classics available inexpensively on DVD. This is one I was given for Christmas, which I watched with my husband.

The story features Sandra Bullock as Lucy, a lonely ticket-collector who has a bit of a crush on one of the commuters: Peter (played by Peter Gallagher). One day, out of the blue, she saves his life. While he’s in a coma there’s a huge misunderstanding, whereby his family assume she’s his fiancée.

They are so grateful to her that they adopt her wholeheartedly... and, longing for affection and family life, she goes along with the deception, hoping that all will be sorted out when Peter recovers from the coma.

The problems start when Lucy starts to fall for Peter's brother Jack (Bill Pullman). So when Peter actually does wake up from his coma, life is far from straightforward…and she is caught between the two of them.

The main characters were excellent, the chemistry good, the story paced nicely. There were some amusingly caricatured minor ones characters, and a predictable but pleasant ending.

All in all, very enjoyable.

Rated PG in both the UK and USA, probably for some minor bad language.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews