Here’s the pitch. A man and his newlywed wife move into a peaceful neighborhood only to realize their neighbor is crazy and out to make their lives a living hell.
I know what you’re thinking, not very original, but wait, there’s more. The neighbor is black and the couple is bi-racial. Again, I know what you’re thinking, so what? Ha, gotcha, the neighbor isn’t fond of bi-racial couples (for reasons I will keep to myself so as not to spoil the film)!
Now I REALLY know what you’re thinking, Ahhhh snap! That idea is off the chains!
All joking aside, Lakeview Terrace is a tired story told in a tired way. You have seen it before and perhaps telling you the particulars may be interesting, but to see the story fleshed out on screen by Sam Jackson while Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington play the victim is not.
Sam Jackson’s status as a cop is used far too often in times of intimidation and explanation and the film never seems to have that edge it is desperately grasping for. On top of everything else, the relationship between Washington and Wilson is never believable, even as they are moving into this cozy little suburban neighborhood tension between the two seems to be on high.
I am not saying Lakeview Terrace didn’t stand a chance at being good. As a matter of fact director Neil LaBute has put together an impressive cast. He just does nothing with them. As California wildfires play something of a timeline device in the film the tension never reaches any significant high as the entire thing plays out exactly as you may expect given the variety of circumstances the characters are put in.
Lakeview Terrace is just another bargain bin PG-13 thriller to throw on the stockpile of generic films that seem to be clogging up the box-office wheels as of late. It tries nothing new and nothing inventive and that is exactly what it offers. Why not stay home and watch a Hitchcock flick? Save some money and never subject yourself to this mess. It’s a much better alternative than wasting your hard earned dollars on tickets, popcorn and the gas you burned getting to the theater.
C-
