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.
In the end, Shyamalan's stumbling Lady never gives us a reason to believe.
– Amy Biancolli,
Houston Chronicle,
21 Jul 2006
rotten:
The story is so convoluted and ultimately preposterous that you're almost embarrassed by the earnestness of the actors trying to carry it off.
– Jack Mathews,
New York Daily News,
21 Jul 2006
rotten:
despite the childlike nature of the story, Lady in the Water will prove too confusing for most kids, which is a shame, since they're also the ones most like to greet that giant-eagle business with something other than a derisive laugh.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
21 Jul 2006
rotten:
What was [Shyamalan] thinking? This isn't just duff, it's career-threatening catastrophic.
– Trevor Johnston,
Time Out,
10 Aug 2006
rotten:
[Perhaps it's] improvised and protracted, nonsensically and unnecessarily, just for the sake of stringing us along. And, maybe, putting us to sleep.