Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8190 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-01-15
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 105 minutes

Synopsis
Kindly caretaker Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti, SIDEWAYS) discovers an elfin creature named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard, THE VILLAGE) living in the swimming pool of the apartment complex where he works. It soon becomes apparent to Cleveland that Story is not of this world, and that her mission to deliver a message to mankind is fraught with danger. The stuttering caretaker tries valiantly to protect her so that she may have safe passage back to the Blue World from whence she came. Suspension of disbelief is mandatory in this beautifully realised modern day fable, directed by master of suspense M. Night Shyamalan, who puts his own unique spin on the conventions of the traditional fairy tale.

Customer Reviews

Keep off the grass man.
It is hard to review this film, because it is so hard to remember it and that was just a couple of hours ago. If director M. Night Shyamalan was telling this story to his children as a bed time story? Was it to keep them from the pool, so that won't drown and to stop them playing on his expensive manicured lawns? If not, what was the bloody point to this exercise, because to entertain was not one of them.
Caretaker Cleveland Heep played by a very good Paul Giamatti, finds a person in his pool late at night, no it's not at Barrymore's place, it is at an apartment complex. This girl/women/nymph and her name is Story { I wish } played Bryce Dallas Howard. She has to get back, where? Frankly who cares, a creature that is trying to stop her lives on the lawn. Hold on, caretaker, lawn, surely you would think it would be his duty to mow it, end of story or is that too simple...

The best bit of this film is when you go on the caretakers rounds and meet the people living there, the story about this nymph creature is so tedious, that it gets in the way of empting bins and fixing lights.....

Really enjoyable
I wasn't really looking forward to this film due to some of the reviews that I read here, but after watching it I have to say I really enjoyed it.

It brings an old fairy tale to life and is purely a work of fantasy, it's very different from M Night Shyamalan's other films. Yes it is far fetched and wouldn't happen in real life, it is fantasy after all, but if you just go with it it's easy enough to be sucked in and have a great time.

I'd highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good fantasy film, although it isn't very fast paced, it is very intriguing with a great ending.

If you like feel good fantasy films...
... then this is for you.

If you like films with lots of special effects, twists or an intricate plot then this isn't for you.

It's essentially a tale about different querky personalities living in an appartment block who must all work together to return a water spirit to her home. (Yes - you will need to suspend your belief while watching the film but the director makes it easy for you to do this.) I thought the character development of the bit part characters was done well given the short space of time the director had with the multiple characters.

I really liked it but can understand some of the negative comments that it has attracted as this isn't a film that you get nowadays - a simple plot elegantly told on screen that draws you in and leaves you with a simple feeling of satisfaction having watched it.