Lady in the Water (Widescreen Edition) | 
| Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Actors: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban, Sarita Choudhury
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $12.98
Buy Used: $1.12
You Save: $11.86 (91%)
New (63) Used (135) Collectible (1) from $1.12
Rating:  383 reviews
Sales Rank: 2685
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 76375
UPC: 012569763753
EAN: 0012569763753
ASIN: B000JLTR8Q
Theatrical Release Date: July 21, 2006
Release Date: December 19, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
BUILDING SUPERINTEDENT CLEVELEND HEEP RESCUES WHAT HE THINKS IS A YOUNG WOMAN FROM THE POOL HE MAINTAINS. WHEN HE DISCOVERS THAT SHE'S ACTUALLY A CHARACTER FROM A BEDTIME STORY WHO IS TRYING TO MAKE THE JOURNEY BACK TO HER HOME, HE WORKS WITH HIS TENENTS TO PROTECT HER FROM CREATURES THAT WANT TO KEEP HER HERE
Amazon.com
Or, if you prefer, I See Wet People. M. Night Shyamalan's attempt at a newfangled mythology--about a depressed apartment superintendent (Paul Giamatti) who discovers a sea-nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) who may hold the key to humanity's hopeful future--is intriguing enough to capture the imaginations of children and adults who haven't lost sight of their innocent sense of wonder. Cynics, on the other hand, will likely scoff at Shyamalan's awkward fantasy, which includes one victim--a film critic--widely interpreted as Shyamalan's revenge against reviewers who panned The Village. Shyamalan originally improvised this melancholy fantasy as a bedtime story for his children; unfortunately, it still feels mostly half-baked and ultimately ineffective due to a number of plot holes and inconsistencies that a writer as talented as Shyamalan should've been able to avoid. For those wishing to learn more about the film's troubled history, and Shyamalan's petulant split from Disney studios, The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale is an interesting read. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 378 more reviews...
 Delicous Delusions of Grandeur June 8, 2009
Sniff Code (Somewhere out there)
Lady in the Water is easily an old school Steven Spielberg-esque film. Shyamalan has given us Cleveland Heap, who in true ET style, is going to help a young woman make her way back home. There are, of course, enemies that stand in there way, but that is nothing compared to the lack of self-confidence in their ability to carry out this mission. Thankfully, they have an eclectic cast of supporting characters that will each in their own colorful way help these two do what they are meant to do.
As a child of the 80s who grew up on these types of movies, I enjoyed Lady in the Water more than most. Mostly because I recognized what it was. I understood it. This is a story where leading male characters can be emotionally vulnerable. It's a story where being "rescued" is not only not a bad thing, but maybe even the mutual purpose of two or more people who encounter each other, presumably, by chance.
Had I been a child of the cynical years that came after the 80s, I probably would have written Lady off as wide-eyed, corny fluff. Many of my friends did. The critics had their own reasons for panning this one: most likely because Night's critic character, whose purpose seems to dampen the more creative moments, managed to get under their skin. But that's kind of the point. The Lady in this film has the not so subtle name of "Story" -- and she's surrounded by a host of colorful characters that usually help along a good story. Also in her peripheral is the inevitable critic, who lingers in the back of the mind of every story (and story teller). Lady in the Water is ultimately Shyamalan's metaphor for the storytelling process.
Or maybe just HIS storytelling process. Consequently, he uses this movie to expose himself. And this might be where some of the objections against the movie become valid -- if you miss the metaphor...
This story is supposed to feel like the first draft, where rediculous ideas have not yet been removed. So, yes, the rediculous happens in the movie. Like a kid who reads synchronistic messages on the back of cereal boxes (which I used to do when I was that age), and a guy who has a hulk-hogan half body. Apparently, Disney, who was the intended distributor for this film nearly pitched a turd when they read the script. They didn't "get it."
Not all of these absurdities work, either. In a few areas you almost get the feeling that Shyamalan is embarrassed by what he's trying to pull off. Like casting himself as a writer who is going to write a "Cookbook" that will give the long awaited recipe for changing the world. M. Night follows through with this delicious delusion of grandeur, but chickens out that last minute by using a half-hearted joke to laugh it all away.
But if that was the worst of his crimes in Lady, then it's a misdemeanor at best. Every writer secretly suffers such delusions of grandeur. Night just admits it, albeit, he retracts immediately after.
Despite the intentional disjointed narrative, it is still possible to simply enjoy Lady in the Water as an inspiring and uplifting story. But that's assuming that you're willing to be inspired and that you're looking to be lifted. If not, and you're of the lifting-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps attitude, then you may rebuke this movie and its good intentions. But who knows, later on, when you're not so sure of yourself you may need what this Story has to offer.
 Not Worth My Time May 25, 2009
James Jerome
This film only gets two stars from me because Paul Giamatti is such a good actor; otherwise it was a waste of my time.
 We Need More Like This May 21, 2009
Diana (New Jersey United States)
I felt that this movie was very good! If you are a fan of fairy tales, and bed time stories, you'll love it. I think we need more movies like this instead of blood and gore that's out there now.
Keep Tooting Your Horn May 9, 2009
Jessica A. Mccarton (Charlotte, NC USA)
I was pleasantly surprised with this film. With a title such as "Lady in The Water", I really didn't think that much thought could have been put into the making of the film, but after watching it anyway, I'm glad I got past that. To me, it was like naming something "The Toe on My Foot" Even in the film, M. Knight refers to a book titled Cookbook and remarks that he knows it's a bad title. As for all the egotistical comments about M. Knight, I'm finding it humorous. Why have so many people spent so much time critiquing someone's belief in themselves, especially when they haven't made it clear as to why they cast themselves for the role anyway? So what if he thinks that highly of himself. Does this mean, all the greats past, present and future shouldn't be confident in their works?
I've watched this film 4 times and each time I watch it, I get more out of it. I love the symbolism that goes on throughout the film. I even enjoyed the little detail of this angel-like being named "Story". What is true of this film, is that each of us out there has purpose, and we do not always know or understand what that purpose is. There's a deeper story told in this film, and it seems that so many acclaimed critics have blown over those points because they felt M. Knight was tooting his own horn.
 Blu-Ray picture quality very poor March 26, 2009
David B. Smaldon (Mississauga, Ontario Canada)
I watched this movie in Blu-Ray.
I am only going to comment on the
quality of the picture. Compared with dozens of other
Blu Ray discs I have seen this one was very poor. It looked more like standard DVD than
Blu-Ray.
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