I’m a sucker for a good romantic film especially when impossible odds or a bit of science fiction’s thrown into the mix. The Lake House starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves sort of hit the spot. Completely predictable, but still a nice film to watch on a Tuesday night to unwind after work. The premise: A man (Alex, played by Reeves) in 2004 rents a lake house from a woman (Kate, played by Bullock) in 2006. They correspond over time, literally, and fall in love. But, of course the whole living in two different years thing, puts a wrench in their relationship. The math and science was a little screwy, but the writing was just so, you didn’t get too hung up on it. Granted, Keanu Reeves and voice overs…not a good combination. He can barely act. You’ll notice, really good actors and actresses can do voice overs well. Morgan Freeman’s narration in Shawshank Redemption only highlighted his acting talented while Keanu Reeve’s in Lake House and Brad Pitt’s in Interview with the Vampire only highlighted the limits of their talents.

Nonetheless, Sandra Bullock was as usual, a pleasure to watch. The girl next door with a little something extra. Perhaps soul? She has the tendency to play the same lonely woman looking for love (The Net, While You Were Sleeping, Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks Notice), but she does it well. Sometimes, I just want to watch fluff with heart. There was a bit more to The Lake House in that Alex is an architect and had an eye for aesthetics and occasionally said some deep stuff, which if it were any other actor (mostly), would be a little more convincing. Also, the ridiculously stunning Shohreh Aghdashloo (Season 4 of 24, X-Men: The Last Stand, The House of Sand and Fog) played Bullock’s colleague while Willeke van Ammelrooy (Antonia’s Line) played Kate’s mother. So this made for a more interesting and diverse set of characters. While there are many better romantic drama’s out there, this one’s worth look see.

The following are a list of romantic films in the same vein as The Lake House and definitely worth a look see:

• Happy Accidents: Marisa Tomei and Vincent D’Onofrio
• Benny & Joon: Johnny Depp and Mary Stewart Masterson
• City of Angels: Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage
• Ethan Frome: Patricia Arquette and Liam Neeson
• The Way We Were: Barbara Striesand and Robert Redford