Lady in the Water

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Lady in the Water

PG-13

Released Jul 21, 2006

1h 50m

Fantasy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

25%

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212 Reviews

49%

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250,000+ Ratings

When Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues an enigmatic young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from danger, little does he know that she is a character from a bedtime story, who is trying to return to her world. As he falls deeply in love with her, he begins to realize that he and fellow tenants are also characters in the fable, and they must work together to protect her from those who would prevent her from returning home.

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Critics Consensus

A far-fetched story with little suspense and unconvincing scenarios, Lady In The Water feels contrived, pretentious, and rather silly.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Still, the multicultural cast is fun, the images have a painterly beauty and there are some beguiling comic touches before the story sinks into a swamp of solemn metaphysical glop.

Feb 6, 2018

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

It's a fairy tale that never flies the way it should.

Mar 24, 2007

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Roger Ebert

RogerEbert.com

[Perhaps it's] improvised and protracted, nonsensically and unnecessarily, just for the sake of stringing us along. And, maybe, putting us to sleep.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 13, 2006

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Rory Doherty

InSession Film

If you watch Lady in the Water, I don’t think you’ll get the feeling that Shyamalan loves his craft. He just loves that he made it.

Jun 17, 2024

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Jonathan Weber

Out Magazine

Nothing works in this film; it’s boring and incomprehensible, laughable when it should be inspiring.

May 25, 2022

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Sergio Benítez

Espinof

Shyamalan proves once again to be a filmmaker who knows how to take advantage of some highly ridiculous scenarios and situations. [Full Review in Spanish]

Apr 16, 2020

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Anna B

I’m not sure why people hate on this movie so much. I personally love it and think it’s really interesting and enjoyable

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/28/24

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Billy R

I don’t get why people don’t like this movie. It really is good and ultimately enjoyable

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/06/24

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Emmy W

I love this movie. It's basically a bedtime story. It's not meant to be taken as seriously as critic reviews seem to think it should. I personally like all of M.Night's movies and this one is no exception.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/30/24

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Joshua S

OMG, this movie is horrible, and also one of the most boring fantasy films I’ve ever seen. Bad acting, bad writing, bad directing, and also the plot twist in this movie is stupid. If anyone is a horror or fantasy fan, I recommend not to watch this film.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/28/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I liked this movie. I hope the acting was really good and it was a plot twist. It wasn’t your every day marvel superhero movie. I’ve watched it many times.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/21/24

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MsCaramello73

I adore this movie. There is so much humor and hopefulness about humanity and what we can do if we just come together-who we could save and who we could heal. It also says that we have a purpose that is predestined. I don't personally believe that, but it's an interesting idea. Overall, this movie was fun to watch and gave me a warm feeling inside, which few movies do nowadays.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/24

Full Review

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M. Night Shyamalan

Director

Paul Giamatti

Cleveland Heep

Bryce Dallas Howard

Story

Jeffrey Wright

Mr. Dury

Bob Balaban

Harry Farber

Sarita Choudhury

Anna Ran

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Synopsis

When Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues an enigmatic young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from danger, little does he know that she is a character from a bedtime story, who is trying to return to her world. As he falls deeply in love with her, he begins to realize that he and fellow tenants are also characters in the fable, and they must work together to protect her from those who would prevent her from returning home.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producer: M. Night Shyamalan, Sam Mercer
Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Blinding Edge Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros.
Rating: PG-13 (Some Frightening Sequences)
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 21, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 4, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $42.3M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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