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Lakeview Terrace: Samuel L. Jackson Stars
in Embarrassing Outing as Racist Cop
by Kam Williams
One hint that a movie’s a bomb is when the studio won’t let the
critics screen it prior to its release. Another clue is when its cast
members are reluctant to promote it, which was what I encountered in the
case of Lakeview Terrace when its stars, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry
Washington, decided to duck me, rather than grant an interview about the
picture.
And now that I’ve seen this cinematic fiasco, I understand entirely, for
this movie rings false from beginning to end, from its patently absurd
premise clear through to its unintentionally funny resolution. Unless
director Neil LaBute pulled a switcheroo, I’d guess the stars must have
known even when they read the script that it was a turkey, yet they
probably decided to sign on the bottom line anyway for one of those
take-the-money-and-run paydays.
Get a load of the how ridiculous the plot is. Jackson plays Abel “A.T.”
Turner, a short-tempered bigot with a very specific prejudice, namely,
mixed couples where the man is white and the woman is black. Otherwise,
this guy has friends of every ethnicity.
Now, somehow, on an LAPD cop’s salary, this widower in need of anger
management somehow owns a mountaintop home with a view in an upscale
section of Los Angeles. At the point of departure, newlyweds Chris
(Patrick Wilson) and Lisa Mattson (Washington) buy the house next-door,
and wouldn’t you know he’s Caucasian and she’s African-American.
Pleasant and attractive, but dumber than dirt, the clueless couple fails
to pick up on the fact that A.T. is out to make their lives a living
Hell.
Their denseness enables Abel to find meaning in life by secretly
torturing them, even though he’s a gainfully-employed, single-dad
raising a couple of kids (Regine Nehy and Jaishon Fisher) alone since
his wife died three years ago. Nonetheless, the sadist embarks on an
ever-escalating reign of terror which includes such Geneva Conventions
violations as “accidentally” banging Chris’ hand with a wrench on
purpose, training floodlights on his new neighbors’ property, trimming
their tress without permission, sabotaging their air conditioner, and
hiring a hoodlum (Keith Loneker) to trash their house, to name a few.
But no matter how devious or cruel A.T. gets, the Stepford-like Mattsons
merely question themselves rather than suspect that their many
misfortunes might be the work of a racist psycho. So, in between Abel’s
dastardly deeds, they keep accepting his social invitations, even
sometimes apologizing, when they’ve done nothing wrong.
Protagonists this dumb don’t deserve an audience’s sympathy, especially
when they recycle lame Rodney King poster-speak like “Can’t we all just
get along?” This has the unfortunate effect of turning the movie into a
comedy prior to the denouement confessional during which they belatedly
wise up.
You don’t have to be a Biblical scholar to figure out what happens to
Abel next, although investing your hard-earned cash and a couple of
hours in a molasses-paced picture this pathetic is likely to leave you
raising Cain.
10 Worst List bad.
Poor (0 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, mature themes, violence and drug
references
Running time: 110 minutes
Studio: Screen Gems
To see a trailer of Lakeview Terrace, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RigUfNqmH_c&feature=pyv
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Lloyd
Kam Williams 