Everyone's a critic...

Rick and I went to see Lady in the Water last night at the Alamo Draft House. Which, by the way, is kind of a cool place – along with the usual popcorn and sodas, you can order all kinds of “non-movie” food, like pizza and salads and hamburgers. (And you get a nice little table, so you don’t have to try to balance your food on your knees.) Plus, you can order all kinds of beer (hence the “draft house” moniker), wine, desserts, ice cream – and you never have to leave your seat. There’s a menu and paper and pencil every few chairs, and you simply write down your order and servers collect it and bring your food to you. You can order as much as you want, as many times as you want, and right before the movie ends, they bring you a check and take your money. It’s kind of a fun way to see a movie – like you’re almost at home, but not quite…

Anyway, back to the movie. I am a big M. Night Shyamalan fan, but I was really afraid to see Lady in the Water. The reviews have been so horrible, and a friend of Rick’s even said it was “the worst movie I’ve seen in ten years.” I’ve heard people say it was confusing, and it made no sense, and it was boring, and it wasn’t scary enough, etc. etc. So I really had no idea what to expect, except that I was assuming the movie would be pretty bad. Maybe even horrible. But as a fan, I felt like I had to give it a chance – I at least had to see it and judge it for myself.

When we got to the Alamo Draft House, we hadn’t yet decided what to see – it was between Lady in the Water, and Clerks II. I think Rick was leaning towards Clerks II, but he left the decision up to me. So I figured, “okay, it’s like ripping off a band-aid… I just have to go see it and get it over with, and if it’s horrible, it’s horrible. At least I can say I saw it…” So we bought tickets (Rick: “Aw… I wanted to see Clerks II… haha, just kidding…”) and I went into the theater with very low expectations. So imagine my surprise, when about halfway through the movie, I suddenly realized I was LOVING it. It was sort of a tentative love, kind of, “okay, don’t get your hopes up yet… maybe you’ll realize you hate it when it’s over…”

But as the movie progressed, I realized I was mesmerized – this was not your run-of-the-mill kind of movie, and perhaps that’s why so many people hated it. If you have no imagination, or creativity, or off-beat sense of humor, then perhaps this movie is not for you. It’s for people who can put aside cynicism for a couple hours, and for people who desire hope, and for people who can – for a little while at least – remember the wonder of hearing a good bedtime story when they were kids.

When I was a kid, my dad would tell me all sorts of made-up bedtime stories. I can remember one in particular that was about a very sleepy house – a sleepy house that was having trouble staying awake. So what could be done to keep it from falling asleep? Why, you simply had to flush copious amounts of coffee down all the toilets in the house, of course. This was hilarious to me when I was a child (and still funny today) – my dad’s stories were the best. And exactly the kind of thing kids love to hear. M. Night Shyamalan has said that Lady in the Water began as a bedtime story he was making up for his kids – so, like a story about flushing coffee down the toilet, you have to assume it’s going to be fanciful, and full of unusual characters, and dreamlike in quality. And it was – it was like a bedtime story brought to life.

Not only that, but there WERE some genuinely scary moments. In fact, there were a couple parts in this movie that made me jump more than anything ever did in “The Sixth Sense.” It wasn’t overtly “scary” – but none of M. Night’s movies ever are. I didn’t find it “confusing” in the least, and I wasn’t bored for one minute – quite the contrary. It was filmed beautifully, the soundtrack was perfect, and it had some of the quirkiest characters you’ll find in a movie. It was funny (I laughed out loud at several points…), inspiring, and hopeful. I do agree with the critics who said it was a bit arrogant for M. Night to cast HIMSELF as the writer whose words will change the world, but oh well. I guess when it’s YOUR movie, you can do stuff like that.

After seeing it, I honestly don’t understand why it was so negatively received. I mean, I was expecting a HORRIBLE movie, and couldn’t believe how much I loved it. I’m not sure why the critics were so harsh with it, but I have a couple theories. First, the only character to bite the dust in the movie was a critic – it was a not-so-subtle jab at the “flock of sheep” mentality many critics seem to have: “If your movie has this and this and this, then it’s good… if it has that and that and that, then it’s bad.” It was made more obvious by the critic’s final monologue, as he explained to himself that he was like the character in a horror movie who would get away at the very last second, perhaps providing the audience with a moment of comic relief. And it WAS funny… but of course he didn’t get away at the last second. It was obvious derision of the obvious. Which made it even more humorous, in my opinion…

And second, I think perhaps some people have gone into this movie with a much-too-analytical eye. There are certainly parts of the movie worth analyzing, but there are other parts that should simply wash over you – this movie was like being wrapped up in a blanket of wonder and curiosity. And perhaps adult critics can’t remember feeling wonder and curiosity? Or perhaps some of us are just more attuned to those feelings, and we’re always looking for those things, because “real life” can be depressing, and difficult, and hard to deal with.

I think what I liked most is that there is SO MUCH you can take away from this movie. It’s not just a nonsensical bedtime story (as it seems so many people thought) – there are lessons to be learned… or at least thoughts to be provoked. There’s a pervasive theme of “everyone has a purpose,” and the idea that our purpose isn’t always obvious. All of the little details in your life might be leading up to something bigger, and even the simple things we do for people can have an impact.

And, of course, a little wonder and curiosity can be a good thing…