A bland drama about a grandpa who tells the story of himself as a young man to help put his grandson on the right path, Looking Through Water leaves no lasting impression.
When I first looked at the poster for Looking Through Water, I got an On Golden Pond vibe. I didn’t know what the film was about and there are no words other than the title, so I imagined that it was some kind of family drama with a lot of men and one woman. Oh, and there were at least two boats. I guess that’s kind of what I watched?
Looking Through The Water is about Kyle, a rebellious teen, who is staying with his mother at his grandfather’s house for a few days. Mom asks her father, William, to take Kyle fishing for the day to get him out of her hair. During this small boat trip, William tells Kyle a story of his youth, when he reconnected with his estranged father.
The biggest issue with this film is that it is incredibly boring. I kept looking for anything to connect to, but there is almost no depth – even in the moments that should have felt emotional.
When Kyle and William are in the boat, Kyle is a normal kid. He’s recently gotten into some kind of fight (he has a split lip and a black eye to show for it) and he is a “cranky teen” who refuses to be vulnerable with anyone. So, somehow, they begin a back and forth where Kyle will give some information and then William will. For some reason it made me think of Clarice and Dr. Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs, but mostly because I was trying to entertain myself.
When William was a younger man, he was rich and had a fast-moving life as a bigwig at a firm. I am not sure if they ever mentioned the firm or what he actually did, I was waiting for something of substance to happen. But after making a scene at a fancy dinner, a butler walks in out of nowhere (Is this Alfred? Is he Batman?). Then William has a ludicrous accident and somehow this leads to him reconnecting with his father on a fishing boat.
This movie is based on a book, so I feel a bit bad for the author. It is clear that this film is trying to hit very specific points, and that could only come from someone’s passion project or a book – which are kind of the same thing. It seems as if they just weren’t sure how to best tell the story, so instead of building depth or emotional connection, they went for events. And unfortunately, it didn’t work.
I did find it interesting that Michael Douglas and his son, Cameron Douglas, both star in this, although they have no scenes together. I am not familiar with Cameron’s work, but the way he speaks, with grit as well as his cadence, is just like his father. It is a fun little nugget to take away from this otherwise forgettable film.
Overall, Looking Through Water is a charmless but harmless tale about a grandpa telling his story to his grandson. It will not be memorable, but it’s not painful to watch. Do what you do.
Runtime: 105 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? No
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 2/5 Stars
Available:Torent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
When I first looked at the poster for Looking Through Water, I got an On Golden Pond vibe. I didn’t know what the film was about and there are no words other than the title, so I imagined that it was some kind of family drama with a lot of men and one woman. Oh, and there were at least two boats. I guess that’s kind of what I watched?
