MovieChat Forums > The Lake House (2006) Discussion > The dog was the silliest mistake... By f...

The dog was the silliest mistake... By far.

posted 8 years ago by GiovanaSamara
9 replies | jump to latest

I know the movie is pretty 'fantastic' and I don't mind that everything in it is 'unreal', but they could have "trimmed the edges" with the whole dog situation. Here's my point:

In 2004, Alex rescues a stray dog. When he moves out of his lake house, circa '05/'06, he ends up leaving the dog behind for some reason. Kate, then, moves in and keeps the dog.

Now a little timeline:

1 - A dog shows up at the lake house during Winter 03/04 and Alex takes her in.
2 - Kate (in 2006) is browsing through old pictures and warns Alex there'll be a late snowfall in Spring/04, then shows the picture to that same dog (that is now hers) and asks: "You were not happy. Remember that?"

How could the dog be in the Spring/04 picture with her, if she was obviously still Alex's dog during that time?!?

3 - Kate (again, in 2006) tells Alex they must have the same dog. She says: "I don't know why, but I call her Jack."
4 - Alex (back in 2004) looks at the dog and calls out: "Jack?!", and the dog perks up, as if she recognized her name.

How can the dog 'know' a name that will only be given to her by Kate, in the future?

^ This and the nonexistent attic are two mistakes that could have easily been avoided by writers/director (or anyone who read the script and took a look at that house)...

[–] mrhoversten 8 years ago

Did you enjoy the movie? I did. Who gives a crap about the dog? How and why do you watch a movie and look for mistakes? It takes months, maybe more than a year, to make the movie. Parts of the original scripts, some scenes shot get deleted for one reason or another, mistakes happen.

Unless a movie claims it's a true story, plot holes should be the last thing anyone cares about.

[–] GiovanaSamara 8 years ago

mrhoversten, exactly because I enjoyed the movie and I am fully aware of the whole movie-making process (as I've been involved with it in the past) is that I am a believer in trying to get it as right as possible in your one and only shot.
If they hadn't let those (supposed) mistakes slides, maybe the movie wouldn't be so critized and wouldn't have such low critic ratings.

[–] Kellymariekitty (158) 6 years ago

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[–] Daykin 8 years ago

Well stated!

[–] jeffer23 8 years ago

The time traveling dog was purposely left as a mystery in this movie.

The movie never mentions when Kate obtained Jack so it is very possible that Kate owned this dog in 2004. Morgan is not shown in the picture with the time stamp 2004 that she pulled out of the box so he wouldn't know that she owned the dog before Alex. Morgan didn't recognize the dog when it ran from Jack on the day of the birthday party. Morgan simply said Kate loves dogs. One possibility is that the dog ran away from Kate for a little while during their relationship. Jack was then returned to Kate when she ran away from Alex later in the movie and showed up at the work place for Morgan.

Note that when they are talking about the dog in the letters Kate is on the subway train (no dog). Jack is with Alex as he retrieves mail and later in that scene in front of the fireplace. Things are easier for Jack to be with both of them since Kate works night shifts. On the mail box incident where Alex is recovering from the flu you will also notice that the dog is with Alex and then reappears with Kate. The dog is then no longer with Jack in that scene. I don't think both of them had the dog simultaneously at any point in the movie. Jack is constantly time traveling between the two of them.

[–] GiovanaSamara 8 years ago

Okay... For people who are considering actual time travelling (for the dog) that's a whole other ball game. Not in any part of the movie time travelling is alluded to.
I am one of those who see that mailbox as a 'glitch in the Matrix'.
No one else seems to be communicating with people in the future or past, let alone coming back and forth in time. They are the only ones.

[–] jeffer23 8 years ago

It is presented to the viewer to figure it out just like the trick reversal of order for Fall season for Kate (driving away in Mustang) and Winter for Alex (arriving in Pickup truck) near the beginning of the movie. I am not the only one in the comments here to see it this way.

It actually works with the timeline. And Jack answers when her name is called out in both timelines. I suppose there isn't much difference in the appearance of a 6 year old dog and 8 year old dog, but both look like the same age dog to me.

[–] lokis_angels 8 years ago

If you can belief a glitch in the matrix, then what is the trouble with any of this?

Ow, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?

[–] smidget28 (805) 2 years ago

The dog ran away from him in 2006, after he doesn't show for the date.
It runs to HER. The photo is NOT at the lake house. That's how I took it.