Mooshki - Movie Review - Lakeview Terrace
Before getting to the movie, I have to say that this was a very interesting theater experience. There was more security than I’ve ever seen at any preview screening. At least 6 security guards, including one 6'2" 350lb bouncer-type guy, two with metal detectors, and all very serious and doing thorough searches. I couldn’t figure out why they were so unusually concerned with piracy for this movie, then I realized they were probably worried about violence stemming from the interracial theme. The crowd I saw it with was mixed race, and as far as I could tell everyone was just having fun watching the movie - I don’t think there was anything serious enough about it to incite strong emotions. Anyway...
Lakeview Terrace tries to be both a thriller and a commentary on race and class issues, and does an okay but not great job with both. It raised some interesting questions, but never really went anywhere with them. I think the fact that there were some good moments lifted my expectations and then I was disappointed that it didn’t live up to them. If it had been a straight-up thriller it would have been forgettable, but perhaps a more satisfying movie-going experience. Samuel L. Jackson’s character and performance were a lot more subtle and varied than I expected from the preview. Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington were good as the feuding neighbors, but their characters weren’t very well developed, and I had trouble feeling any empathy for the guy. For the most part the supporting cast was wasted, except for Regine Nehy, who plays Jackson’s daughter - she was the most real character in the film for me, and her relationship with her father was the most complex and emotionally affecting. And I swear they called up Justin Chambers and said “as long as you’re already playing Alex Karev, you wanna come do him for a few minutes in our movie? I guess I’d recommend it if you’re a Samuel L. Jackson fan, as he’s always fun to watch, but otherwise it’s nothing special.
Lakeview Terrace tries to be both a thriller and a commentary on race and class issues, and does an okay but not great job with both. It raised some interesting questions, but never really went anywhere with them. I think the fact that there were some good moments lifted my expectations and then I was disappointed that it didn’t live up to them. If it had been a straight-up thriller it would have been forgettable, but perhaps a more satisfying movie-going experience. Samuel L. Jackson’s character and performance were a lot more subtle and varied than I expected from the preview. Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington were good as the feuding neighbors, but their characters weren’t very well developed, and I had trouble feeling any empathy for the guy. For the most part the supporting cast was wasted, except for Regine Nehy, who plays Jackson’s daughter - she was the most real character in the film for me, and her relationship with her father was the most complex and emotionally affecting. And I swear they called up Justin Chambers and said “as long as you’re already playing Alex Karev, you wanna come do him for a few minutes in our movie? I guess I’d recommend it if you’re a Samuel L. Jackson fan, as he’s always fun to watch, but otherwise it’s nothing special.
