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It's like assuming he sucks is now an Internet meme of its own.

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So The Lake House is a cute movie. I even bought the dvd. I don't know what it is though about this movie. One moment these characters have good chemistry, and in another moment they seem to fall flat. With a movie like this, chemistry is key, because the movie isn't really plot-driven.

Example of good chemistry: The two main characters are sitting on the porch at Kate's birthday party. All through the previous party scenes, Alex has been trying to get her attention (the time traveling fact not fully dawning on him, that this version wouldn't remember him), so he is just wanting to talk to her. They talk, and he brings up the book. She explains the book, and there it is...a beat...and he says "Why do you like that" and she laughs. They laugh. That is my --favorite-- moment, it seemed natural.

Example of bad chemistry: Okay so this might not go well but here it goes. The ending. The last kiss we see. These two characters have been through so much together. He died in her arms. She felt that sadness. He waited for two years for her. She saved him. She was crying--hoping-- that he read that letter. She was hoping that she got there in time. And now all of that sadness, love, and feeling... it is there together. Him and her. They have finally found the time to be with each other, and that kiss just fell short from that highest point of emotional experience for them. Put it this way, you are writing to a guy who looks like Keanu Reeves. He has all the qualities you like. He writes you back. The feeling is mutual. You realize it was him who died in your arms on Valentines' Day. You have a chance to save him. You --Love-- him. He listens to you, and finds you. There you two are, standing in front of the each other. If you like women, imagine it is Sandra's character who is in front of you, after all of that. How do you feel? What do you do? Did those two actors discribe/show those feelings the way you just imagined? They didn't for me.

Now I love the acting skills of both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock (who just was made the most beautiful woman by People Magazine, and she's 50. Killing it? I think she is), but there are points in this movie where their acting to me seems distant. Perhaps that's what the director was going for, I don't know.

example of performance for Keanu Reeves: Okay, so two points, The sneeze, and the crying.
Keanu's character has all these feelings about his dad, and how his dad treated their mom, like she meant nothing to him. I mean that is a lot to deal with. Then his dad's heart attack. Now he has the news, and Kate's delivery of the book. He sees that his dad really did have love for his children, for him. That moment, when he is (I guess) fighting back tears, just seemed like he was making noises, not actually crying at all. I think he could have done better. The sneeze, just seemed fake. (I know short answer, but it was a short observation).

example of performance for Sandra Bullock: Here you have this actress, who can do action, comedy, drama, and whatever else she puts her mind to. I bet she'll still be as loved when she's 90, as she is now. "Betty White" style beloved. Her character seems barely interested enough to be mildly annoyed with her environment. It is her character pretty much the entire time, just sort of there. This makes me question, what about Alex, made her fall for him, via a letter, in the first place?

On the movie: This movie is georgous like George. I love the idea. I dig that it is based off of an already established story. Who wouldn't want a chess playing dog named Jack? Who wouldn't want a Construction working-Keanu Reeves? Uh, yes please. I don't care about what plotholes can be gleaned from the string of scenes here or the sequences there. That doesn't matter to me.

What matters to me are reasons, motivations, and actions. Which all should come together in the Chance.
These two characters love each other. (motivations)
Why do they love each? True Love, I guess. (reasons)
What do they do, because of the above mentioned? (actions)

Then there is chance.
Kate and Alex find each other in their crazy loveless lives, they find each other.
They fall for each other. They, dare I say, yearn for each other.
They finally meet at Kate's birthday party. They talk. they laugh. They dance. They kiss.
They get caught.
Alex doesn't go any more to the house, where he --knows-- she is. She says "I like you. you should have said something," or something like that. He never goes back.
Why? Why with such a lovely reason, and such a strong motivation, would he not go back? The two men could have made a proper vie for Kate's womanly affections, with her permission of course. The movie, based on logical actions from characters, could have been different.

I'm aware that I have written something like a page, and no one asked for this. I apologize, maybe I went to too many film classes or something. Seriously I'm sorry, but I just have so much to say about Keanu's acting in general, and I can't seem to put that subject down. I can't seem to just be a fan sometimes...smh. I think I'm done, though I am fighting my urge to explain why I think Keanu Reeves' acting gets better with age like fine wine, using his performance in The Lake House compared to John Wick. Okay I won't do it. I won't. I won't.

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I think Keanu Reeves' acting gets better with age like fine wine

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Just compare the two 'crying scenes' in the above mentioned movies. Quite a difference :)
Although, to be fair, the emotional moments are different. Alex fights conflicting emotions: he just discovered that his father did, after all, love his children, but the father has just died. Yes, Alex is fighting back tears; those noises are him failing at not crying.
John Wick is mourning the love of his life. Very different moment there.

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Why with such a lovely reason, and such a strong motivation, would he not go back?

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And Kate was not the patient kind (maybe that's why her character is a doctor? :)

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Oh yes indeed! ;-)

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oh, but it does ;)

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John Wick is mourning the love of his life. Very different moment there.

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Sure I understand that the moments are different, but both characters were dealing with a variety of emotions, that were previously under the surface. Both characters in one moment, had to deal with the death of someone related to them. Those are the characters compared. I would use those two movies mentioned, only to compare Keanu's acting, and how it has only gotten better to me. Keanu Wine XD.

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But his acting already good in earlier movies

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Yup Misty, I agree. I wouldn't cheapen his previous work by saying something like "Oh he was only good in this movie" He has done way too much for that disrespect.
True Kate is most distant, good point.

I dig this discussion. Nice opinions all.

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The Lake House is a cute movie. ... Now I love the acting skills of both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

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It was a cute story. I do not know if Keanu is the best in the romantic comedies or maybe he is more like an action hero - there are more his movies of this kind but I liked that a bit 'fairy tale story'. Regarding his acting I found his playing very convincing (although I do not like when he plays a bad guy) and I am always looking forward to the new productions. I think that Sweet November was a movie when I looked more for the separate scenes. Maybe it is a question of 'the construction' of the whole story or sometimes interesting interiors in the background that I started to discover.

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I think Keanu Reeves' acting gets better with age like fine wine

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Everybody says that :)

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So he had to be patient and wait.

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Actually, I think he is a patient person. I mean in a real life :) - all these repeating the scenes, interviews, fans, etc.

I have a theory that Keanu plays many variations of a type of person that some people just aren't familiar with. And, for those of us who are it just seems right. There is a book about misunderstandings between communication styles called "that's Not What I Meant ". I think there is something similar about emotional expressions. I see people who call him wooden, and I think how can they say that with all the emotion expressed in his face and postures. The scene where Alex cries after reading his fathers book is a perfect example. To me it seems just right because I could see and hear myself crying in the hospital stairwell when my father died. I've seen that scene contrasted with another such scene that I considered melodramatic and unrealistic. I may have been wrong. Maybe there really are people like that.

But for me, Keanu shows us characters that I can believe. And, I watch movies of types I might not normally to see how he brings the character to us.

About the final kiss scene, I think it is an example of something Keanu does especially well. Lots of movie kisses show lust and I have nothing against that, but he can show love in his kisses. Then when they hold each other cheek to cheek they show such comfort. It says we're together, we made it, we're safe.

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I hate it when people deleting posts that I haven't read, because it makes me curious.

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lol me too, but it has been solved, so I will stuff my curiousity back where it came from. I don't want to find out I'm a cat, the hard way, anyway. XD

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I don't often see that yearning in movies by a man. This is of course contrasted by the way Kate keeps pulling back.

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Yeah, good point.

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To me it seems just right because I could see and hear myself crying in the hospital stairwell when my father died. I've seen that scene contrasted with another such scene that I considered melodramatic and unrealistic. I may have been wrong. Maybe there really are people like that.

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Firstly, I'm sorry for your loss. I've experience the death of a few close family members, but never a parent, Praise God. I'm not knocking Reeves for anything. Secondly, to me, he seemed to be phoning that crying scene in. You see, he has shown a range of acting that set a standard for himself (In my uneducated opinion). I think he could have done better, because he has done better than that before.

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I have a theory that Keanu plays many variations of a type of person that some people just aren't familiar with.

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I wrote a theory pretty much like that in an article I wrote. It is called, "Keanu Reeves is a Genius". The link is here in the fan made section. Many of his characters internalizes feelings and thoughts, some audience members don't pick up on that.

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Secondly, to me, he seemed to be phoning that crying scene in. You see, he has shown a range of acting that set a standard for himself (In my uneducated opinion). I think he could have done better, because he has done better than that before.

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Personally, the way I saw that scene, is that, exactly because he has done better than that before, this is how he intended for Alex to be. Before that moment, Alex was someone who could not forget or forgive his father, let alone cry for him. So those noises are the most Alex can let out.
Of course, this is just a personal opinion, based on my own reactions to grief...

So. If that's how you have it with one of your parents, Keanu was perfection times infinity in those scenes.

It's nice to see too how well his scenes with Christopher Plummer hold up. They're a great match, and the way KR conveys the quiet, desperate pain Alex has lived with for decades is the perfect foil for Plummer's bluster and bravado.