The Lake House

A doctor (Sandra Bullock) and an architect (Keanu Reeves) fall in love through notes left in the mailbox of a house on Lake Michigan where they both lived at different times. In fact, they’re still in different times: He’s living in 2004, and she’s in 2006. David Auburn’s script (based on the Korean film Il Mare) is an almost purely literary conceit, and the two pen pals are entirely too blasé about their time-warp relationship. But the movie makes metaphorical sense: We all know the feeling of missing out on love because the time just wasn’t right. Bullock and Reeves (together for the first time since 1994’s Speed) have real chemistry, bringing out the best in each other, and Auburn and director Alejandro Agresti have the wit to construct the film so that the stars actually share the screen.