by Jared Garrett

Created on: April 22, 2008

Critics have good reason to lambast M. Night Shyamalan's movie, "Lady in the Water." Its metaphors and message are heavy-handed, the twists can easily be seen by an omniscient audience, and Shyamalan himself plays too pivotal a role. The message of a war-loving humanity needing to find peace was overdone, as was Shyamalan's response to the critics he hates.

However, if a viewer can swallow his or her cynicism and become immersed in the magic of storytelling, "Lady in the Water" can become a wonderful, moving experience.

This movie tells the story of Cleveland Heep, an impressive as always Paul Giamatti, who is the superintendant of an apartment building called The Cove. The building is peopled by a variety of characters, with Freddy Rodriguez playing a young man pumping iron with one arm only, Bob Balaban playing a critic and a number of other important players in the story. We have a Hispanic father of several sisters, a woman who seems to call creatures to her, a father and son who work with codes and words, a Korean family and a brother and sister living together, with the brother an aspiring writer. Finally, there is an apartment full of pot-smoking partiers.

One night, Cleveland Heep finds a young woman swimming in the building's pool. She is Story, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, and she is a narf. She is being hunted by a scrunt, but she is also on a mission to find a human writer who needs to be injected with confidence. Because his writing is going to bring peace to the world.

Through a series of sometimes funny, sometimes moving, scenes, the somewhat complicated details of Story's origins and her mission are made clear. Story must talk to the writer and also be picked up by a huge eagle, and the tenants of The Cove must each play a part in the resolution of Story's story.

Shyamalan does not depend on his trademark, out-of-the-blue twists with Lady in the Water. We see the twists coming. But that is because this is a fairy tale, and fairy tales are never surprising. There are some suspenseful moments that are genuinely tense, but all in all, the movie moves along at a dream's pace.

And this is why a person who can swallow cynicism can enjoy this movie. It is a fairy tale populated by characters who resonate with us. Heep's past is movingly brought to life by Giamatti's excellent performance, and he takes us along with him as he comes to a catharsis. We can allow ourselves to be moved as we enjoy the wonder of these people as they find themselves in a story book.

Who hasn't wanted to be in a book? With Lady in the Water, Shyamalan takes his audience into a fairy tale where justice is served and good people find a way to triumph. Predictable, yes. But also entertaining.

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