Product Details

• Actors: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban, Sarita Choudhury
• Directors: M. Night Shyamalan
• Writers: M. Night Shyamalan
• Producers: M. Night Shyamalan, John Rusk, Jose L. Rodriguez, Sam Mercer
• Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• DVD Release Date: December 19, 2006
• Run Time: 110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (391 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000JU7KAO
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #73,002 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Lady in the Water (Combo HD DVD and Standard HD DVD)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Or, if you prefer, I See Wet People. M. Night Shyamalan's attempt at a newfangled mythology--about a depressed apartment superintendent (Paul Giamatti) who discovers a sea-nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) who may hold the key to humanity's hopeful future--is intriguing enough to capture the imaginations of children and adults who haven't lost sight of their innocent sense of wonder. Cynics, on the other hand, will likely scoff at Shyamalan's awkward fantasy, which includes one victim--a film critic--widely interpreted as Shyamalan's revenge against reviewers who panned The Village. Shyamalan originally improvised this melancholy fantasy as a bedtime story for his children; unfortunately, it still feels mostly half-baked and ultimately ineffective due to a number of plot holes and inconsistencies that a writer as talented as Shyamalan should've been able to avoid. For those wishing to learn more about the film's troubled history, and Shyamalan's petulant split from Disney studios, The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale is an interesting read. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bewitching allegory, August 23, 2006

By	- Kasia S. (New York City) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

M. Night Shyamalan doesn't do plain movies. As an artists he has his own unique approach of seeing extraordinary tales in mundane things whether its aliens, mythical beasts, ghosts or a mysterious azure pool. This tale is like no other, perhaps can be thought of as a tale of good and evil, of human purpose, common ground and understanding. When a mysterious pale woman with red hair saves an apartment superintendent, who looked like he gave up upon falling into the pool, simply because he didn't see a purpose to living, she brings hope and a sense of purpose to him and other tenants. Together they try to figure out who she is and why she came into their lives.

Story, is the name of the woman, perhaps those who save the Village, recognize her as the blind brave daughter Ivy Walker, takes on another roles this time as a narf, a word that does not really exist in an English dictionary but a word that takes on meaning by the time the movie ends. She is a fairy like creature that is on a mission and needs help from Cleveland Heep the stuttering superintendent who loses his stutter and finds his true calling. She needs to find a safe passage back to her own world, which is guarded by an evil wolf like beast, invisible to all but those who know how to find it. Together all the characters have to decipher the answers behind what she says and in all reality they have to save the modern world. She tells one of them that he will be a great orator and his book will change the world, cease wars and bring peace, she tells another that he can heal; others learn that they will have profound impact on the feuding life and who will improve life around them if they take the risks and do what she says.

This was a visually stunning and memorable movie, with hair rising music and some really jumpy special effects, especially with the wolf. Yes there are monsters and there are casualties but then there is a sense of purpose, of a mystery coming together brought upon this mysterious creature, who in my interpretation is an angel. She brings hope and love and unites those who sulk and lose their touch. It's a beautiful story that leaves one thinking long after leaving the theater, a story that feeds the soul and feeds a hungry mind ready for something different. It's a fairy tale that leaves one feeling good and light, with hope and understanding of the future. M. Night Shyamalan is such a fantasy wizard that no matter how outrageous his stories are they have a ring to truth about them. I can't wait to see what he cooks up next, for he is fabulous for those who like something special.

- Kasia S.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyday magic, January 3, 2010

By	Irene L (Norway) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lady in the Water (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

I think this is one of the most underrated films of the century. The bad reviews baffle me quite a bit because this has become one of my all time favourites. Lady in the Water reminds us of the magic that we left behind as we grew out of childhood. It shows us that we all have a place in life, no matter how trivial we think it is. This is a fairy tale for grown ups.

In addition to being visually stunning in every way, Lady in the Water has just the right balance of action, horror, drama and comedy, supported by a great cast of actors that bring everything to this story.

I am very much moved by this film and it is one of the few that I can watch again and again. If you have just a little fraction left of that innocent, inner child, then you will surely find the magic here as well.

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fairy tale enchantment on film!, July 23, 2006

By	Snowbrocade (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

Shyamalan's latest film is a quirky art film with a fairy tale sensibility. The story revolves around a sad disillusioned man, Cleveland Heep, who has given up everything after the loss of his family. Heep discovers a mystical creature, a narf, in the pool of the apartment complex he manages. Malevolent forces lurk in the gardens around the pool which she must be protected against. Ultimately this magical creature must be restored from whence she came. This quest to save the narf ends up involving many of the oddball yet normal apartment dwellers Heep has come to know over time. In the process of saving this creature, he find his own redemption and possibly hope for the future of our world.

This move has an enchanting storyline with intricate plot twists. The main stars, Paul Giamatti and Bryce Howard, are perfectly cast. Shyamalan plays a small, yet compelling role in the film. The look of the film is unadorned-these are ordinary people pursuing ordinary lives. There is humor and pathos in the lives of these people. Yet, when galvanized by the hope of something out of the ordinary and an opportunity to do good, these "normal" people gather around and give their all. In essence this film shows the magic of the everday.

This is a fairy tale on film-with all the strangeness and skewed logic of the fairy tale world. Not for those who are looking for a slick Hollywood film.