Lakeview Terrace - Samuel L. Jackson is Not a Nice Neighbor
Written: Oct 13 '08 (Updated Oct 13 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Jackson. Entertaining movie overall.
Cons: Plot could have been stronger. Predictable at times.
The Bottom Line: Lakeview Terrace had a few problems, but it was a good movie overall. Fans of Samuel L. Jackson will probably enjoy it.
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| dragonfire88's Full Review: Lakeview Terrace |
Many people might feel comforted by the idea of a police officer living in the neighborhood or even right next door. For characters in the new movie Lakeview Terrace that turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing.
Abel Turner was raising his daughter Celia and son Marcus alone, so he had a lot of rules for them. He tended to keep an eye on the neighborhood since he was a cop. He noticed people moving in next door and wasn't pleased when he figured out that the white man he thought was just a mover was actually one of the new neighbors who was in an interracial marriage. Chris and Lisa were a young married couple excited about moving into their first house. Chris wasn't sure what to think of a few things Abel said once the men finally did meet. Abel acted nice enough on the surface, but he kept making snide little comments about Chris and Lisa's relationship and about how they weren't welcome in the area. Abel just got more hostile but Chris and Lisa were determined to stay in their new home even though they had a few other issues to deal with that were stressing them.
I thought that the plot for Lakeview Terrace was very straightforward. There wasn't anything overly complex going on. I didn't expect one or two things that happened, but I didn't feel like those events were that surprising and they certainly weren't shocking. When one new development popped up, I immediately thought that two things would end up happening. I was glad that only one of the things happened, though I think things would have been more interesting if neither thing had happened. Overall, I thought the way that everything worked out was a bit predictable, though there was a bit of suspense in a few scenes.
There was an attempt to make things in Lakeview Terrace more complicated by adding in a few subplots. When they first moved in, it seemed like Chris and Lisa had a strong marriage. It wasn't long before it was shared that Chris had a little secret. While it wasn't that huge of a secret, it was tossed into the mix to add a bit of an issue in the marriage. There was an attempt to add more complications to their marriage that really didn't add much to what was going on other than giving them a chance to have an argument or two. That development made one of them look to be a bit manipulative with how it all worked out.
It was hinted that Chris didn't feel like Lisa's father Harold liked him, mostly because he was white without that being fully explored. The issues connected to Chris and Lisa being an interracial couple weren't fully developed or explored beyond Abel using that as his reason to try to drive them out of the area. A reason for his feelings came out very late in the movie and it wasn't anything that original. The fact that there were wildfires in the area was brought up several times without there being much attention given to them. As the movie progressed, it was brought up more often, usually by a news broadcast in the background. It seemed like the fires were just tossed in to try to add a bit of complexity to what was going on.
There really wasn't any action in Lakeview Terrace. The little bit of action that was in the movie occurred during the few scenes that showed Abel working. There was some violence in a few scenes that wasn't overly graphic but could still be a bit disturbing because of exactly what was happening. There was only a little bit of swearing, so people that don't like foul language in movies shouldn't be bothered that much by this one. The movie was rated PG-13. It really isn't a movie for children.
Instead of relying on action to keep things interesting, there was more focus on the characters and how they interacted. It was made clear very early that Abel had a problem with Chris and Lisa because they were an interracial couple. Abel really wasn't shown interacting with many characters other than his children and a few cops, so it wasn't clear if he had a problem with all white people or just ones in interracial relationships.
Relationships were important to what was going on throughout Lakeview Terrace, though all the issues with the relationships weren't fully explored. It wasn't clear exactly how long Chris and Lisa had been married, but they seemed to be happy with a strong relationship when they moved into the house. There were one or two sexual situations between them, but there really weren't any sex scenes in the movie. There wasn't any nudity either. Certain things happened during the course of the movie that did add some stress to the relationship. It was only briefly touched on that they had been having to deal with people being nasty or rude to them because they were an interracial couple. Lisa's dad was only briefly shown, but he made it clear through a few things he said and did that he wasn't happy with his daughter marrying Chris. I think it would have been interesting if there had been a bit more about that shared.
Some time was also taken to show Abel's relationship with his children, though it wasn't as developed. Abel was a very strict parent who was trying to control every aspect of his children. He said he was raising them to have respect which was fine, but it did seem like he was going a bit overboard with some of the rules. Celia and Marcus were only shown in a few scenes, but it was made clear that they both had issues with their father and weren't really happy. Abel was only briefly shown interacting with a few neighbors and people he worked with.
The only characters in Lakeview Terrace that received much attention were Abel, Chris, and Lisa. Abel was raising his children alone and he was strict with the rules. He had his way of doing and handling things and he wasn't willing to bend. He disliked Chris and Lisa just because they were an interracial couple. Abel did have some anger issues, and he wasn't a guy you would want angry or ticked off with you. I did think that Samuel L. Jackson handled the part well and made Abel a believable character, though certainly not likable.
Chris and Lisa were a young married couple who were very happy to be moving into their first home. They seemed nice enough for the most part. One of them did something that came across as very manipulative to me. It seemed like they had made a decision about something earlier, and then one of them decided to change their decision and just did something despite what the other felt which I didn't like. Chris worked for a grocery store in some sort of office position. Lisa was working at home, but I'm not exactly sure what she did. It looked like she was designing something, though I'm not sure if it was supposed to be graphics or clothes. There really wasn't any development for them beyond the fact that they were an interracial couple. Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington were fine in the parts. Ron Glass turned up briefly as Lisa's father Harold.
Main Cast
Ron Glass - Harold
Samuel L. Jackson - Abel
Kerry Washington - Lisa
Patrick Wilson - Chris
Neil LaBute - Director
Lakeview Terrace had a few issues, but it was still an entertaining movie overall that I enjoyed. The plot could have been a bit stronger and less predictable, which might bother some viewers. Fans of Samuel L. Jackson will probably find something to enjoy about the movie.
This review is part of CaptainD's 2008 Good Movie Write Off.
Samuel L. Jackson Movie Reviews
Amos & Andrew ~ Die Hard With a Vengeance ~ Freedomland ~ The Incredibles ~ Jumper ~ The Long Kiss Goodnight ~ No Good Deed ~ Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace ~ Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones ~ Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ~ S.W.A.T. ~ Twisted ~
Recommended:
Yes
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