Lakeview Terrace

Infobox Film
name = Lakeview Terrace


caption = Theatrical poster
director = Neil LaBute
writer = David Loughery
Howard Korder
starring = Samuel L. Jackson
Kerry Washington
Patrick Wilson
producer = Jeffrey Graup
James Lassiter
David Loughery
Will Smith
distributor = Screen Gems
Alliance Films (Canada Theatrical)
released = September 19 2008
country = United States
language = English
website = http://www.sony.com/lakeviewterrace
budget = $20,000,000
gross = $27,640,028
imdb_id = 0947802
amg_id = 1:386281

"Lakeview Terrace" is a 2008 thriller/comedy film directed by Neil LaBute, produced by Will Smith, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington. Jackson plays an LAPD police officer who begins to terrorize his next-door neighbors after learning that they are an interacially married couple. The film was released on September 19, 2008.

Plot

Chris Mattson (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa Mattson (Kerry Washington) are a young married couple who have just moved into their California dream home. They soon become the target of their next-door neighbor, who disapproves of their interracial relationship. A stern, widowed-single father of two, LAPD officer Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson) is the watchdog of the neighborhood. His nightly foot patrols and overly watchful eyes bring comfort to some, but he becomes increasingly harassing to the newlyweds. The persistent intrusions into the lives of Chris and Lisa ultimately take a turn for the worse when the couple decide to fight back.

Cast

*Samuel L. Jackson as Officer Abel Turner
*Patrick Wilson as Chris Mattison
*Kerry Washington as Lisa Mattison
*Jaishon Fisher as Marcus Turner
*Regine Nehy as Celia Turner
*Jay Hernandez as Javier Villareal
*Keith Loneker as Clarence Darlington
*Ron Glass as Harold Perreau
*Caleeb Pinkett as Damon Richards

Filming locations

The majority of the movie was filmed in Walnut, California.

Reception

Critical reaction to "Lakeview Terrace" has been mixed. The film holds a rating of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009236-lakeview_terrace/ Lakeview Terrace reviews] , Rotten Tomatoes] and a score of 45 out of 100 on Metacritic [ [http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/lakeviewterrace Lakeview Terrace reviews] , Metacritic] .

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a very positive review, awarding it a score of four stars (out of four) and saying: "Some will find it exciting. Some will find it an opportunity for an examination of conscience. Some will leave feeling vaguely uneasy. Some won't like it and will be absolutely sure why they don't, but their reasons will not agree. Some will hate elements that others can't even see. Some will only see a thriller. I find movies like this alive and provoking, and I'm exhilarated to have my thinking challenged at every step of the way." [ [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080918/REVIEWS/809180303 Lakeview Terrace review] , Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, September 18, 2008]

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle also enjoyed the film, giving it three stars out of four, saying: "In its overall shape and message, "Lakeview Terrace" is a conventional suspense thriller, but the details kick it up a notch. [...] The fun of "Lakeview Terrace" is not in what happens but in how it happens." [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/18/DDMK1290A2.DTL&type=movies Lakeview Terrace review] , Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle, ] J.R. Jones of the Chicago Reader called the film "one of the toughest racial dramas to come out of Hollywood since the fires died down—much tougher, for instance, than Paul Haggis's hand-wringing Oscar winner "Crash"." [ [http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/moviereviews/080918/ Lakeview Terrace review] , J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader]

Dennis Harvey of Variety said that "Lakeview Terrace" "delivers fairly tense and engrossing drama" but "succumb [s] to thriller convention." [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117938230.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=Lakeview+Terrace Lakeview Terrace review] , Dennis Harvey, Variety] Anthony Lane of The New Yorker said that "the first hour of the film [...] feels dangerous, necessary, and rife with comic disturbance," but added that "the later stages [...] overheat and spill into silliness." [ [http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2008/09/22/080922crci_cinema_lane?currentPage=1 Lakeview Terrace review] , Anthony Lane, The New Yorker ] James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film two stars out of four, saying that "the first two-thirds of "Lakeview Terrace" offer a little more subtlety and complexity than the seemingly straightforward premise would afford, but the climax is loud, dumb, generic, and over-the-top." [ [http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=1336 Lakeview Terrace review] , James Berardinelli, ReelViews]

Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe said that "the movie might have something to say about black racism, but the conversations go nowhere, and the clichés of the genre take over." [ [http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=11269 Lakeview Terrace review] , Wesley Morris, Boston Globe] Sura Wood of The Hollywood Reporter said: " [The idea of] a black actor cast as the virulent bigot, with the object of his campaign of harassment the young interracial couple who move in next door, could be viewed as a novel twist. But the film, absent a sense of place and populated by repellent or weak characters, soon devolves into an increasingly foul litany of events." [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?rid=11631 Lakeview Terrace review] , Sura Wood, The Hollywood Reporter] Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal gave it one half of a star out of five, and called the film a "joyless and airless suspense thriller." [ [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122177747252654291.html Lakeview Terrace review] , Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal]

The film went on to gross $15.5 million dollars in its opening weekend, placing it at #1 at the U.S. box office.

References

External links

* [http://www.sony.com/lakeviewterrace Official website]
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* [http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/21/boxoffice.ap/index.html 'Lakeview Terrace' debuts in top spot at box office] "CNN"
* [http://razzmatz.com/lakeview-terrace-movie-review/ Lakeview Terrace Movie Review] Razzmatz.com.

Box Office Leaders USA
before= Burn After Reading
date= September 21
date2=
date3=
year= 2008
after= Eagle Eye