Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, violence, sexuality, language and some drug references.
Directed by Neil LaBute (The Wicker Man, Nurse Betty…)
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington
Lakeview Terrace is a tension-filled, 110-minute ride into places that are uncomfortable and ugly. It’s up to you to decide whether you call that entertainment.
Chris (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa (Kerry Washington) Mattson, are an interracial couple who has just moved in to their dream home. It’s not long before they meet next door neighbor Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson's) who is a widower with two young children and a twenty-eight year member of the LAPD. The relationship between neighbors gets off to a bad start and it gets worse and worse and worse. Although Abel seems to be a good dad who runs a tight ship in a world without morals, his racist views on the
Mattson’s marriage leads to some very ugly behavior. All of this is set against the backdrop of raging California wildfires.
Let me first say, Samuel Jackson is back. There were a few roles there that had me worried (Jumper, Snakes on A Plane and few others). And while this is not his best, Jackson is relentless in his scary, please-don’t-even-look-at-me-stare that admittedly had me nervous, way too much.
O.K. maybe I allowed myself to get sucked in too much. But, this is one of those movies like Unlawful Entry or Pacific Heights (I know they are old, but they’re good) where you immediately identify with the main characters. As I watched Lakeview Terrace with my wife, I kept asking myself, “What if that were us?” “What would I do?” “How would I handle that?” Unfortunately, the characters disappointed me more than once. I don’t like it when I’m considerably smarter than the lead characters. Several times I had a better answer – which is why I can’t give it a higher rating than “Rental.”
It’s no secret that Neil LaBute has had his share of bad films (seriously, if I knew he directed The Wicker Man, I think I would have skipped this one), but I thought he did a decent job here. The film moves at a straight pace and he doesn’t get lost or bogged down in details. I also really liked the parallels between neighbors’ tension and the wildfires that are getting closer to the neighborhood.
I don’t know if “enjoyment” is a word I’d use to describe the movie… but I thought it was worth the rental.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The movie is rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, violence, sexuality, language and some drug references. The intense thematic material includes racial jokes, slurs and hatred. There are a few scenes of violence that are pretty extreme. Finally, although there is no nudity, there are a few scenes of sexuality including a couple being intimate in the pool and a bachelor party.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
