IMDb > Lady in the Water (2006)
Lady in the Water
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Lady in the Water (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 43 | slideshow) Videos (see all 16)
Lady in the Water (2006) -- Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with
Lady in the Water (2006) -- Clip: Cleveland Run!
Lady in the Water (2006) -- Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with
Lady in the Water (2006) -- Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with
Lady in the Water (2006) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   43,814 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

M. Night Shyamalan

Writer (WGA):

M. Night Shyamalan (written by)

Contact:

View company contact information for Lady in the Water on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

21 July 2006 (USA) more

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller more

Tagline:

Time is running out for a happy ending. more

Plot:

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world. full summary | full synopsis

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations more

User Comments:

One bizarre evening more (1010 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some frightening sequences.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1 more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The plot of the movie is based on a bedtime story M. Night Shyamalan wrote for his kids. more

Goofs:

Factual errors: When he sees Vick's book "The Cookbook," Cleveland says to himself, "This is s-s-s-s-silly." Stutterers do not have a stammer when talking to themselves; they only stutter when talking to other people. more

Quotes:

[first lines]
Cleveland Heep: Once, man and those in the water were linked. They inspired us. They spoke of the future. Man listened and it became real. But man does not listen very well. Man's need to own everything led him deeper into land. The magic world of the ones that lived in the ocean...
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Reflections of Lady in the Water (2006) (V) more

Soundtrack:

Spoon more


FAQ

What is the Great Eatlon?
Is the story here actually based on a Chinese folk tale?
What is a scrunt?
more
133 out of 209 people found the following comment useful.
One bizarre evening, 2 August 2006
Author: mstomaso from Vulcan

I can't rate this film.

When I go to see a Shyamalan film, I expect to be entertained and stimulated, but I never know exactly how this will be accomplished. Shyamalan's films use ambiguity aesthetically and he draws his audience through the seduction of interpretive participation. Of all of his films, perhaps Lady in the Water does this most profoundly. Although I understood the entire film - the plot, the themes, the method - I walked away asking "what the hell did I just see?" It's easy enough to categorize the film. Lady in the Water is an absurdist comedy. But it makes you ask yourself why you are laughing. With Shyamalan's talent as it is, it is impossible for me to believe that any aspect of the humor of this film was unintentional. Yet the other side of LITW is dark fantasy, in the tradition of Michael Cohn's Snow White.

With a cast David Lynch would have been happy with, Shyamalan tells a fable from East Asia as it is experienced by a superintendent (Giamatti) at an apartment complex full of mundanely odd characters. A strange and beautiful young woman (Howard) has emerged from the complex's pool, apparently seeking contact with the surface world so she can find folkloric archetypes who can protect her from the evil creatures that hunt her and return her to her world beneath the waves.

Giamatti, Howard, and Shyamalan himself are all very entertaining. Howard - a very unusual looking and uniquely pretty woman - is shot so beautifully that it is very difficult to take your eyes off of her. M. Night's performance is so bizarre, it is hard to tell whether or not he is acting.

LITW is definitely the strangest film I have seen from Shyamalan. I have been up and down with him since the beginning of his career, enjoying his early films, very much disliking Signs, and being impressed with the Village. I believe that with the Village and LITW, M. Night is establishing a new and unique direction for himself. And if he keeps going this way, I will gladly follow.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (1010 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lady in the Water (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
so why is it so bad wythedavis
Yet again, James Newton Howard was snubbed!! mitch_rh
Opening scenes narration steveb_007
Why You Shouldn't Hate This Film alerasoul
people who understood it - convince me (no haters plz) weemac1
Am I the only one to find this creepy?... rawvans
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Dark Water Runt Batman Begins Kindergarten Cop Dead Silence
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Mystery section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.