Lady in the Water

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Lady in the Water

PG-13

2006

1h 50m

Fantasy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

25%

Tomatometer

212 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

When Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues an enigmatic young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from danger, little does he know that she is a character from a bedtime story, who is trying to return to her world. As he falls deeply in love with her, he begins to realize that he and fellow tenants are also characters in the fable, and they must work together to protect her from those who would prevent her from returning home.

Critics Consensus

A far-fetched story with little suspense and unconvincing scenarios, Lady In The Water feels contrived, pretentious, and rather silly.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

02/06/2018

Still, the multicultural cast is fun, the images have a painterly beauty and there are some beguiling comic touches before the story sinks into a swamp of solemn metaphysical glop.

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

03/24/2007

It's a fairy tale that never flies the way it should.

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Roger Ebert

RogerEbert.com

09/13/2006

1.5/4

[Perhaps it's] improvised and protracted, nonsensically and unnecessarily, just for the sake of stringing us along. And, maybe, putting us to sleep.

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Rory Doherty

InSession Film

06/17/2024

If you watch Lady in the Water, I don’t think you’ll get the feeling that Shyamalan loves his craft. He just loves that he made it.

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Jonathan Weber

Out Magazine

05/25/2022

Nothing works in this film; it’s boring and incomprehensible, laughable when it should be inspiring.

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Sergio Benítez

Espinof

04/16/2020

Shyamalan proves once again to be a filmmaker who knows how to take advantage of some highly ridiculous scenarios and situations. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Cfunk D

@Cfunk2085 Mar 21

It's a little slow and drawn out. Not a bad watch to watch one time. The ending and music is great. Paul Giamatti is amazing.

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Angela A

@RT90657274 Mar 17

So superbly cast, each character brings a piece of a puzzle that when gathers together equals all the parts of a beautiful story.

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Glory K

@Ms.Glory Feb 25

Y'all missed the point. This flick was DESIGNED to be a bed-time fairytale for kiddos. When you watch through that lens, it's funny and charming. When you try to ground it in any kind of reality, it's as ridiculous as Hans and Gretel happening upon a house made of candy in which a cannibalistic witch resides.

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Ram L

@der_herrenwolf Feb 19

You’ll see a lot of negativity and a lot of goodwill in the reviews — and personally, I think the movie is just a fun watch. You needn’t (or you could) try to take in a deeper message; you needn’t really focus on the absurdities; you could just sit back and watch 15 or 20 absolutely different characters — every single one of them highly peculiar — come together to orchestrate a fun, engaging narrative. I think the highlight here is the sheer number of characters and how they are — every single one of them — odd!

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Shawan L

@ShawanLLibang Jan 5

A movie that plays like Shyamalan dared himself to craft a bedtime tale after a caffeine‑free all‑nighter, Lady in the Water paddles through its lore with the enthusiasm of a kid who just discovered the word "Narf" and won’t let it go. The characters move around like unpatched NPCs, the twists crash in with the chaotic gusto of a raccoon tipping over a trash can, and the whole production radiates the vibe of an overly sincere improv group performing beside the hotel elevators. By the time it ends, you’re left wondering whether you watched a film or accidentally peeked into someone’s deeply personal creative-writing fever dream.

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Van T

@Vanish8 Jan 4

One of my fave movies of all time. It’s beautiful, mystical, suspenseful, fantastic actors, makes you want to believe in more. The ethereal messages of people vs nature, there’s a lot to this. Brilliance can only be acknowledged and recognized when brilliance is experienced-👍🏽👍🏽

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M. Night Shyamalan

Director

Paul Giamatti

Cleveland Heep

Bryce Dallas Howard

Story

Jeffrey Wright

Mr. Dury

Bob Balaban

Harry Farber

Sarita Choudhury

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Synopsis

When Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues an enigmatic young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from danger, little does he know that she is a character from a bedtime story, who is trying to return to her world. As he falls deeply in love with her, he begins to realize that he and fellow tenants are also characters in the fable, and they must work together to protect her from those who would prevent her from returning home.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producer: Sam Mercer
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Blinding Edge Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Frightening Sequences)
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 21, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 4, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $42.3M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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