The Lake House
Director: Alejandro Agresti
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Christopher Plummer, Dylan Walsh, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Lynn Collins, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams,
The Lake House is a unique love story about a romance that is born between Kate (Sandra Bullock), a prominent doctor who lives in Chicago, and Alex (Keanu Reeves) a kind-hearted architect who purchased a lake house that Kate also resided in two years prior. Their only connection is letters that are sent between them from the mailbox at the lake house. As the couple get to know each other through these letters, a fragile love is born… but will their love be strong enough to endure the test of time, and will Kate and Alex ever find their way to be together?
Although Kate and Alex are separated by time, with Alex living in the year 2004, and beautiful Kate living in the year 2006, the couple share a tender connection that goes far deeper than just writing letters. Even separated by time, they take care of each other through the letters and there are beautiful and genuinely heartwarming moments that they share as their relationship unfolds and connects them. When Alex tells Kate that he is living in the year 2004, she sends him a warm, red scarf and a photograph of Kate and her family playing in the snow, with the date on the photograph, to prove that she’s telling the truth and she advises him that there will be a freak snowstorm and that when that happened in his timeline, everyone got sick, so he needs to get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids… and he is surprised when Kate’s prediction of a freak snowstorm does happen in his time. He is also surprised that Kate’s dog, Jack, shows up in his time and leaves the painted pawprints on the dock in front of the lake house. Kate apologized for these pawprints in her first letter, and he didn’t believe her, because there were no pawprints there yet, until the dog showed up to make them. Kate tells Alex that the dog’s name is Jack, that she has sad eyes, enjoys playing chess and reading with her, she sleeps like a person, and that she and Alex both have the same dog. Alex invites Kate to take a walking tour of Chicago with him, so that he may introduce her to the beautiful architecture of the city. During the walk, Kate sees a painted message from Alex, thanking her for spending the day with him. Later, Kate writes to him that while she enjoys her job as a doctor, her heart misses the lake house… especially the trees. Alex arranges a very chivalrous and romantic gift, when he plants a tree in front of the luxury apartment that will soon be Kate’s home, and the tree appears in Kate’s time, fully grown and protecting Kate from the storm. When Kate writes to Alex asking him for a favor, she tells Alex that on a particular date in her time, she was at the train station and she lost a special book, that was a gift from her father. She remembers exactly where she left her book, and asks Alex to go there, find the book for her, and send it back to her through the mailbox, so she can get this precious keepsake from her father back. Alex, being the sweet and chivalrous gentleman that he is, grants Kate’s wish and finds her book (Persuasion by Jane Austen) left behind on the bench, and the couple catch a fleeting glimpse of each other as her train pulls away. Instead of putting the book in the mailbox though, Alex tells Kate that he found the book and he vows to Kate that one day, he will restore the book to her in person. He also tells her that he saw her that day, and he tells her that she is beautiful. She teases him that he might not have seen her, but he proves that it’s her when he describes her long brown hair and gentle, unguarded brown eyes. When she asks what he looks like, Alex tells Kate that they will get together in the future, and she can see for herself what he looks like and tell him what she thinks. She smiles and says, “it’s a date.” We go from a fleeting glance to the couple being brought together, when Jack leads Alex to Kate’s home, and Kate’s current boyfriend, Morgan, invites Alex to Kate’s birthday party. While initially, Alex is just another face in the crowd, he and Kate are eventually drawn together, and they even share a romantic moment and a kiss. Alex cheers Kate up at her birthday party, when she is hiding on the porch to escape from her boyfriend and her party guests, she and Alex share a beautiful moment, bonding over Jane Austen’s classic novel, Persuasion, which is Kate’s favorite book, and Kate tells him that her father dreamed of her becoming a doctor, and she pursued that dream in honor of him. When Alex’s father dies of a heart attack, Kate reaches out through time to comfort him, by giving Alex the book that his father wrote… the memoirs of his father’s brilliant life… which include special moments spent with his son, at the lake house that he created for his wife, as a symbol of his love for her. Now, Alex is perfecting the design of the lake house, as a symbol of his love for Kate, even though she has stopped writing and tells him that their love cannot last. He tells his brother that the love he shared with Kate, through their letters, was real to him and he loves her. The final act of love that is shared between Alex and Kate comes when Alex finishes restoring the lake house and gifts it to Kate, and she writes to Alex, one last time, telling him that she loves him and if he still loves her, not to look for her at Daley Plaza, on Valentines Day, but just to wait… wait two years and then come find her at the lake house; the place where their love was first created, so that they can finally be together. In that moment, we see these soulmates finally reunited, and they celebrate their love by kissing at the lake house.
Persuasion, by Jane Austen, plays a crucial role in bringing these soulmates together, and allowing their love to stand the test of time. Persuasion is the book that Alex found that day at the train station, when he first saw Kate. It’s the topic of conversation that he uses to connect with Kate and cheer her up at her birthday party. It is the catalyst of his plea to Kate to not give up on their love, when he doesn’t arrive for their date… to wait for him, like the characters in the book did, and allow him to find her. Alex keeps his promise to Kate to return the book to her by hiding it under the loose floorboard in her apartment, with a pressed rose, marking the page that expresses the depth of his love for her.
The Lake House is a beautiful film, woven together with exceptional characters and rich in tender romance and a well-told story. The casting for this movie is stellar, particularly for Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, who shine on the screen and create one of the most beautiful love stories that I have ever seen on film.
© 2025 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved
Director: Alejandro Agresti
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Christopher Plummer, Dylan Walsh, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Lynn Collins, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams,
The Lake House is a unique love story about a romance that is born between Kate (Sandra Bullock), a prominent doctor who lives in Chicago, and Alex (Keanu Reeves) a kind-hearted architect who purchased a lake house that Kate also resided in two years prior. Their only connection is letters that are sent between them from the mailbox at the lake house. As the couple get to know each other through these letters, a fragile love is born… but will their love be strong enough to endure the test of time, and will Kate and Alex ever find their way to be together?
Although Kate and Alex are separated by time, with Alex living in the year 2004, and beautiful Kate living in the year 2006, the couple share a tender connection that goes far deeper than just writing letters. Even separated by time, they take care of each other through the letters and there are beautiful and genuinely heartwarming moments that they share as their relationship unfolds and connects them. When Alex tells Kate that he is living in the year 2004, she sends him a warm, red scarf and a photograph of Kate and her family playing in the snow, with the date on the photograph, to prove that she’s telling the truth and she advises him that there will be a freak snowstorm and that when that happened in his timeline, everyone got sick, so he needs to get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids… and he is surprised when Kate’s prediction of a freak snowstorm does happen in his time. He is also surprised that Kate’s dog, Jack, shows up in his time and leaves the painted pawprints on the dock in front of the lake house. Kate apologized for these pawprints in her first letter, and he didn’t believe her, because there were no pawprints there yet, until the dog showed up to make them. Kate tells Alex that the dog’s name is Jack, that she has sad eyes, enjoys playing chess and reading with her, she sleeps like a person, and that she and Alex both have the same dog. Alex invites Kate to take a walking tour of Chicago with him, so that he may introduce her to the beautiful architecture of the city. During the walk, Kate sees a painted message from Alex, thanking her for spending the day with him. Later, Kate writes to him that while she enjoys her job as a doctor, her heart misses the lake house… especially the trees. Alex arranges a very chivalrous and romantic gift, when he plants a tree in front of the luxury apartment that will soon be Kate’s home, and the tree appears in Kate’s time, fully grown and protecting Kate from the storm. When Kate writes to Alex asking him for a favor, she tells Alex that on a particular date in her time, she was at the train station and she lost a special book, that was a gift from her father. She remembers exactly where she left her book, and asks Alex to go there, find the book for her, and send it back to her through the mailbox, so she can get this precious keepsake from her father back. Alex, being the sweet and chivalrous gentleman that he is, grants Kate’s wish and finds her book (Persuasion by Jane Austen) left behind on the bench, and the couple catch a fleeting glimpse of each other as her train pulls away. Instead of putting the book in the mailbox though, Alex tells Kate that he found the book and he vows to Kate that one day, he will restore the book to her in person. He also tells her that he saw her that day, and he tells her that she is beautiful. She teases him that he might not have seen her, but he proves that it’s her when he describes her long brown hair and gentle, unguarded brown eyes. When she asks what he looks like, Alex tells Kate that they will get together in the future, and she can see for herself what he looks like and tell him what she thinks. She smiles and says, “it’s a date.” We go from a fleeting glance to the couple being brought together, when Jack leads Alex to Kate’s home, and Kate’s current boyfriend, Morgan, invites Alex to Kate’s birthday party. While initially, Alex is just another face in the crowd, he and Kate are eventually drawn together, and they even share a romantic moment and a kiss. Alex cheers Kate up at her birthday party, when she is hiding on the porch to escape from her boyfriend and her party guests, she and Alex share a beautiful moment, bonding over Jane Austen’s classic novel, Persuasion, which is Kate’s favorite book, and Kate tells him that her father dreamed of her becoming a doctor, and she pursued that dream in honor of him. When Alex’s father dies of a heart attack, Kate reaches out through time to comfort him, by giving Alex the book that his father wrote… the memoirs of his father’s brilliant life… which include special moments spent with his son, at the lake house that he created for his wife, as a symbol of his love for her. Now, Alex is perfecting the design of the lake house, as a symbol of his love for Kate, even though she has stopped writing and tells him that their love cannot last. He tells his brother that the love he shared with Kate, through their letters, was real to him and he loves her. The final act of love that is shared between Alex and Kate comes when Alex finishes restoring the lake house and gifts it to Kate, and she writes to Alex, one last time, telling him that she loves him and if he still loves her, not to look for her at Daley Plaza, on Valentines Day, but just to wait… wait two years and then come find her at the lake house; the place where their love was first created, so that they can finally be together. In that moment, we see these soulmates finally reunited, and they celebrate their love by kissing at the lake house.
Persuasion, by Jane Austen, plays a crucial role in bringing these soulmates together, and allowing their love to stand the test of time. Persuasion is the book that Alex found that day at the train station, when he first saw Kate. It’s the topic of conversation that he uses to connect with Kate and cheer her up at her birthday party. It is the catalyst of his plea to Kate to not give up on their love, when he doesn’t arrive for their date… to wait for him, like the characters in the book did, and allow him to find her. Alex keeps his promise to Kate to return the book to her by hiding it under the loose floorboard in her apartment, with a pressed rose, marking the page that expresses the depth of his love for her.
The Lake House is a beautiful film, woven together with exceptional characters and rich in tender romance and a well-told story. The casting for this movie is stellar, particularly for Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, who shine on the screen and create one of the most beautiful love stories that I have ever seen on film.
© 2025 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved