Rating of
2/4
"Lady In The Water" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/18/12
A solitary motel caretaker finds a young woman in the swimming pool and discovers that she is a water nymph who he must help to escape the clutches of an evil creature lurking in the backyard. MNS finally ditches his trademark "twist" formula for which I am thankful because that got real old, real fast. Instead he has produced a modern fairytale that reminded me a little of the work of Hayao Miyazaki and Tim Burton. Paul Giamatti brings pathos, and more importantly, humour to his part, something sorely missing from MNS' previous work; I always thought he took himself far too seriously. Bryce Dallas Howard's elfin beauty also makes for a perfect nymph, and their relationship is sweetly endearing. Pretty much all of the other characters are a little too peripheral and underwritten and the whole format of fantasy means that there is no logic to events meaning little in the way of suspense or surprises. But it does have some charm, and is a pleasant little story that's probably far more satisfying for children than adults.
