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The Lake House (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Not exactly. Kate's 2006 self waited two years along with Alex's 2006 self. It was Kate's 2008 self that was corresponding to 2006 Alex. She existed in 2006 also, but it was her future self that was corresponding to Alex in the past. When she was waiting by the mailbox on Feb. 14, 2008 and crying, hoping he got her warning, he was taking one last look at her (her 2006 self) sitting in Daley Plaza having lunch with her mother). And while his 2006 self was taking one last look at her, his 2008 self was driving up the driveway of the lake house to meet her. Hope that makes sense - a lot of people are missing the fact that when Alex existed between 2004 and 2006 and then 2006 and 2008 (after Kate saved him) Kate also existed along with him during those times. It's just that her future self was corresponding with him across time through the mail box portal. When it shows him at a New Year 2006 party looking forlorn, Kate would have been living at the lake house I believe and getting ready to leave the lake house to begin her internship. Her 2006 self had no idea that her 2008 self was corresponding with a man she didn't even know yet.

First of all, thats not very romantic. Second of all, then there would have been no point to the movie. Her not looking him up was merely a plot device to help the story flow. Yes. In real life, she probably would've looked him up.

Heres the basic summary: Before Valentine's Day 2006, Kate leaves a note for the next tenant in the mailbox asking him/her to forward her mail to her new apartment. Kate moves to her new apartment and begins her new job. Even though Alex has now moved into the lake house (2004 his time) and gotten Kate's note, Kate is not aware of it because she is in Chicago and has started her new job. At this point in 2006, Kate has not returned to the lake house.

On Valentine's Day 2006, Kate is having lunch with her mother at Daley Plaza. A man is hit by a bus. Kate goes to his aid and tries to save him, but he dies in her arms. At this point she she has no idea who he is and clearly does not recognize him as the man she kissed at her birthday party back in 2004. I know that this has been a sticking point for a lot of people, but think about it. Back in 2004, Kate came home from the hospital to a surprise party that Morgan threw for her after she clearly said she did not want one. To make it worse they were all Morgan's friends and not hers. She was clearly pissed. Yes, she met Alex and kissed him but he was just some guy that she briefly met for the first time. Quite frankly, I have personally met people at parties, chatted with them for quite some time and don't recognize them two weeks later-it does happen- let it go. Back to 2006, Kate goes back to the hospital after the accident, visibly upset that a man just died in her arms after she gave her best to save him. Her supervisor tells her to go someplace where she most feels like herself on her days off if she's to survive the stress of working in an ER - so she goes back to the lake house.

After Valentine's Day 2006, Kate finds Alex's (2004 his time) letter in the mailbox when she goes back to visit the lake house. Kate begins to exchange letters (2006 her time) with Alex (2004 his time).

On Kate's birthday in 2006, she thinks back to her birthday party in 2004 and starts to remember the man that asked her about her favorite book- Persuasion by Jane Austen- the book she had recently asked (2006 her time) Alex to go fetch from the train station in his time 2004 because she left it on the bench and it meant a lot to her because her father gave it to her. It's on her birthday in 2006 that she realizes it was Alex that she met and kissed at her birthday party in 2004.

Kate and Alex make a dinner date at Il Mare the next day in her time, 2006, the next day two years later in his time. Kate is stood up at the restaurant because Alex died on Feb. 14, 2006. Alex is still corresponding with Kate in his present of 2004. At this point he is not aware that he died.

After the dinner date, 2006, Kate writes Alex (2004 his time) and tells him he did not show up. He replies that something must have happened, give him time, they'll try again. Kate writes a final letter to Alex 2006 her time, 2004 his time). In it she tells him that she has to stop writing to him. She needs to live in the present and find someone in the present. She tells him that life is too short and can be over in a matter of seconds. She writes that on Valentine's Day 2006, she was eating lunch at Daley Plaza with her mother when a stranger was hit by a bus and died in her arms and she wondered if he had anyone else in the world that was waiting for him.

During 2006 through 2008 her time, Kate hooks back up with her old boyfriend Morgan and tries to forget about Alex.

During 2004 after Kate stops writing and February 14, 2006, the day he died, Alex puts all of Kate's letter along with a few other things into a box, puts it into the attic and moves out of the lake house. He moves to Chicago with his brother and starts the Visionary Vanguard agency.

On Valentine's Day 2006, Alex is leaving the Visionary Vanguard agency with his brother in the morning. He asks his brother if he wants to do something together that night. Henry tells him it's Valentine's Day and he has a date. At that moment Alex remembers the final letter that Kate send and remembers that she said where she was on Valentine's Day 2006. Alex heads back to the lake house to reread that letter.

On Valentine's Day 2008, Kate and Morgan meet with an architect (Henry) at the Visionary Vangurad agency. As she's leaving Kate sees the picture of the lake house on the wall and asks who made it. Henry says his brother, Alex Wyler. When Kate asks where he is, Henry says he died exactly two years ago on Valentine's Day 2006. Kate remembers that in her final letter to Alex (2006 her time, 2004 his time) she told him she was at Daley Plaza on Valentine's Day 2006. She realizes that he came to see her on that day and it was him that was hit by the car.

She races back to the lake house and leaves a note in the mailbox saying that he didn't show up because it was him was killed on Valentine's Day 2006. She loves him and if he cares about her, he will not go to Daley Plaza to see her. She tells him that he needs to wait two more years to meet her and that he can not find her or talk to her during that time he needs to just wait until Valentine's 2008 and meet her at the lake house that day.

While Kate is at the mailbox in 2008, with the flag up because her note is in the box, Alex is in the attic 2006 reading her last letter focusing on the words, I was in Daley Plaza on February 14, 2006. As Alex runs out of the lake house clearly on his way to Daley Plaza in 2006, Kate in 2008 watches the run flag going down signalling that Alex got her warning note in 2006.

On Valentine's Day 2006, Alex goes to Daley Plaza where he takes one last look at Kate but does not step off the curb.

On Valentine's Day 2008 (both their times) while Kate is at the lake house, Alex shows up because he waited two years like Kate asked in the note.

In 2004 after Alex finds the book at the train station, he writes to Kate in 2006 and says, Kate, I have it and I'll find a way to get it to you sometime. He never says that he will put it in the mailbox. Being an architect and contractor, in 2004 I think he put it in the floor board in her apartment (he had her address in 2006 so he knew where to put it in 2004 while it was being constructed) and left the board loose hoping she would notice and find it. In 2008, she is clearly pissed when Morgan tells her to turn down the TV so he can concentrate. I think she went stomping off into the bedroom in a fit, hit a squeaky board, slammed her foot on it due to her bad mood, lifted the rug to inspect the squeaky board and found it. When she found it, she looked surprised, and she looked very touched when she opened the book and found the pressed leaf that Alex had left for her within the pages.

This question has been asked and answered over and over again on this bulletin board: he's laying face down, he can't be moved until the nature of his injuries is cleared up, while working on a patient in an emergency you are too busy to notice anything about him/her apart from what is necessary from a medical point of view (with authentic reports of people performing operations on family members of their own without noticing), we are told nothing specific about what happened to Alex between the accident and the moment he died, e.g. how long it took and whether or not he was moved to a hospital. Put differently, from a realistic point of view the fact that Kate doesn't recognize Alex is completely unproblematic. And there is more: in a heart-wrenching part of the surprise party sequence she tells Alex (and us) that she isn't able to recall the face of the only guy she ever loved.

In the warning letter that Kate sends at the last minute, she writes that it has taken her two years to admit it, but she loves him. I think that if they had gotten together between February 14, 2006 and February 14, 2008 she might have been commitment shy or run away from him for some reason. We know she was very isolated from the outside world. It wasn't until THAT day, February 14, 2008 that she knew for certain she loved him and that's why she asked him to wait - so that nothing would happen to jeopardize the love she had only realized RIGHT THEN that she had for him.

At that point in time, Kate hadn't saved him yet. It wasn't until Kate wrote him the letter on February 14, 2008 that he was saved. In other words, it was 2008 Kate who saved 2006 Alex. 2006 Kate, who was "stood up" by 2004 Alex (because unknown to her, he had already died at that point in 2006) hadn't yet warned Alex not to step off the curb. Alex originally couldn't meet Kate because he had died... in HIS timeline. But Kate, living in the future, found out and warned him not to cross the street, thus he didn't die in hers. Many people have brought up the end paradox: if Alex didn't die, Kate wouldn't have gone to the lake house; therefore she never would have met Alex. Remember that there are two different timelines: Alex first in 2004, then in 2006; Kate first in 2006, then in 2008.

They started writing during April of 2004 for Alex and April 2006 for Kate's timeline. Then they kept writing for a few months, most definitely through June-July of that year, because they took that walk together and enjoyed the summer in Chicago. Then they show the times changing and it was probably October or after October that they tried to set up a meeting (because the hostess from the restaurant said they're reserved until October). Im going to assume that it was early December because of the outdoor skating rink. After Kate was stood up she asked Alex not to write to her anymore. Then time has passed and Alex moves out of the Lake House and gave the keys to Kate's boyfriend, Morgan, (back in early 2005) so Kate can be at the Lake House which is what started the whole thing. Meanwhile, around February 2007, Kate has gotten back together with Morgan and lives with him for a year.

Heres a rough timeline of events: (/ indicates Alexs time/Kates time, - indicates until)

January 2006: Kate moves out of the lake house. February 14, 2006: Alex is killed in the accident. Late February 2006: Kate goes to the lake house on her "next day off" and finds Alex's note dated 2004. March- early April, 2004/2006: They write several letters back and forth and discover the time difference (and Alex tries to go to her new address). April 14, 2004/2006: They compare the exact date (deleted scene from trailer). May- August 2004/2006: They write many letters back and forth, have their walk through Chicago (again based on a deleted scene, I think this takes place on July 4, 2004/2006) Early September 2006: Kate's birthday (and in 2004 the famous party scenes) October 2004: Alex's father's death November 2004/2006: The deleted sunset scene. Early December 2006: The date at Il Mare. December 2006- January 2007: Alex keeps writing to Kate (December 2004 - January 2005 for him) and finally gives up after Jack runs off and moves out of the lake house and gives the keys to Morgan for Kate (who we can assume moves into the house in early 2005) and moves to Chicago to start the firm with Henry, she meanwhile goes back to Morgan. Sometime during 2007: Kate finds the book in the floorboards and Alex works on his sketch of the lake house (2005 for him) Early 2008: She finds the new place and shows it to Morgan February 14, 2006/2008: Kate, upon discovering that it was Alex who died that day she was eating lunch at Daley Plaza, writes him a desperate letter telling him not to step off the curb. February 14, 2008 (February 14, 2006 for Alex): The ending scenes (skipping over the two years that Alex has to wait for Kate, so the very last scene is February 14, 2008. for both of them.)

Possibly because he knew that 2004 Kate seemed overwhelmed about being in a relationship and if they started dating and it turned out bad, then 2006 Kate would instantly have that memory of a bad relationship with him. Also, he needed to wait until 2006 Kate was interested enough in him to meet him - which was still a couple of months away. He went to her party and kissed her probably around early September 2004. They didn't make plans to try to meet in person until around early December 2004 (for him) and 2006 (for her) I think.