Follow @screenit

"LAKEVIEW TERRACE" (2008) (Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Moderate Extreme Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Mild Heavy None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Mild Heavy Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Drama: A husband and wife must contend with their cop neighbor who isn't pleased that the interracial couple has moved in next door to him. PLOT: Chris (PATRICK WILSON) and Lisa Mattson (KERRY WASHINGTON) think they've found the perfect starter home in the suburbs of Los Angeles. After all, it has a pool, a great view, and a cop living next door. But Abel Turner (SAMUEL L. JACKSON) turns out to be anything but a godsend. A 28-year veteran with the LAPD and partnered with the younger Javier Villareal (JAY HERNANDEZ), Abel is a widower who's doing his best to raise his 15-year-old daughter, Celia (REGINE NEHY), and her younger brother, Marcus (JAISHON FISHER), but his strict rules don't sit well with the teenager, and he's no favorite with his street informants either, such as Clarence Darlington (KEITH LONEKER). A late night pool "christening" by the new next-door neighbors doesn't sit well with Abel, nor does the fact that they're an interracial couple. From that point on, and as Abel does his best to let them know he doesn't approve of them or their situation, the young couple tries to figure out what to do, especially when the situation begins to escalate and they realize they can't call the police for help. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into suspense/thrillers and/or are fans of anyone in the cast, they might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense thematic material, violence, sexuality, language and some drug references. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: SAMUEL L. JACKSON plays a veteran street cop with the LAPD who's raising his kids in a strict household with lots of rules (he's widowed three years). When Chris and Lisa move in, he doesn't approve of their interracial marriage and thus acts like a jerk toward them, just a little at first but then builds upon that through intimidation and finally threats. He's corrupt in other ways, is racist to some degree, drinks, and uses profanity. PATRICK WILSON plays his new next-door neighbor, a grocery chain employee whose excitement about his first home with Lisa is increasingly diminished by Abel's actions that end up putting a strain on their marriage. He drinks, smokes (hiding that from Lisa), and uses profanity. KERRY WASHINGTON plays his wife who works from home and is equally excited about their new place, but faces the same disappointment and then shock over Abel's actions. She also purposefully stops taking her birth control (without informing Chris) so that she'll get pregnant. She drinks and uses profanity. REGINE NEHY plays Abel's 15-year-old daughter who doesn't like living under his tight rules and thus rebels against him. She uses some profanity. JAISHON FISHER plays her younger brother who's more compliant. JAY HERNANDEZ plays Abel's cop partner who doesn't realize what the latter is doing in regard to Chris and Lisa. KEITH LONEKER plays a thug and informant that Abel uses for his underhanded dealings. He uses profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this suspense/thriller that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 2 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, a married couple has sex in their pool (no explicit nudity or movement, but kids watch from next door), full male nudity is barely covered, scantly clad strippers cavort at a bachelor party, and a teen is seen dancing about in a small bikini. Violence consists of several people being shot to death, others shot at or threatened with guns, and fighting and the hitting of others. Some of that has bloody results, and some of those scenes might be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers. Various bad attitudes are present, characters drink in several scenes, one smokes on and off camera, and there are several drug references. Some behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, and tense family material is present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of handheld camerawork in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Abel has a beer and offers one to Chris who declines the offer. Back home, Chris later has a beer. Abel comments on one neighbor who he believes is a drug dealer, and he mentions pills, weed, coke and meth. People have beer, wine and drinks at a party where Chris' friend jokes that Chris needs to hide the pot (after learning Abel is a cop). Chris, Lisa and her dad have wine. Chris and Lisa have wine. Various people drink at a bachelor party, including Abel who has Chris do a shot of liquor with him. Chris has a drink in a bar and then gets up to leave when Abel enters. The latter, however, orders drinks for both of them and Chris stays and has a bit of his. Abel states that the person who hit and killed his wife in the past was "high off his ass." Chris carries a bottle of wine over to a neighbor's party where various people drink, including Abel and Chris who separately have beer. BLOOD/GORE After Chris offers to help Abel fix the latter's car, it's implied that Abel purposefully moves a tool to pinch Chris' finger, slightly bloodying it. We see Lisa vomit into the sink (from being pregnant). After being attacked, Lisa ends up unconscious on the floor, with a little blood on that by her, as well as a small, bloody bump/cut on her forehead). Hearing the house alarm, Chris and Abel race there, with Abel shooting the intruder several times, killing him (his body falls into the pool where the water is then tinged with blood). Clarence urinates into a dresser drawer (we see the stream). We see bloody bullet holes in a dead man's shirt. We see bloody gauze over the bullet hole wound in Chris' chest (not seen). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE 15-year-old Celia isn't happy with the many rules her dad has imposed on her. Abel is disrespectful, mean and finally dangerous toward Chris and Lisa, mainly because he doesn't approve of their interracial marriage. He also uses his cop status to keep them from doing anything about that, and makes racist comments toward Clarence's ethnicity. After confronting Clarence for info, Abel tells him "no more little girls," with Clarence replying they're not too little for him. About the rap music Chris listens to, Abel tells him he can listen to all of that noise that he wants, but he'll still be white when he wakes up in the morning. Chris and Lisa have sex in their pool without turning off the lights (thus presenting the possibility of neighbors -- and thus kids -- seeing them). Chris and Lisa discover that their AC unit no longer works, with the implication being that Abel is responsible. After Chris offers to help Abel fix the latter's car, it's implied that Abel purposefully moves a tool to pinch Chris' finger, slightly bloodying it. Chris hides his smoking from Lisa, and discards his butts onto Abel's property. Later, Abel outs Chris about that at a party. Abel comments on one neighbor who allegedly beats his wife. Abel saying he puts up with diversity at work, but refuses to do so at home and in his neighborhood if he thinks it will affect his kids. Abel is somewhat overbearing toward Chris and Lisa's friends at a party, with one of those friends returning that attitude, thus prompting him to turn it up a notch. Chris and Lisa hear their car alarm going off in the garage, and then find the door open and their tire slashed, with the implication being that Abel is responsible. To retaliate for Abel's security lights that hit his home at night, Chris installs his own and aims them back at Abel's house. We see Celia in a small bikini that shows cleavage. She then does some sexy dancing moves in front of Lisa after talking about other kids "hooking up" in school. Abel isn't happy when he returns home to see that, and thus makes a point about her actions by stripping down to his t-shirt and boxers and mocking such dancing. She's upset with him, uses some profanity, and he slaps her hard across the face. The situation with Abel puts some strain on Chris and Lisa's marriage, and that's only exacerbated when she informs him that she's pregnant and he realizes she purposefully stopped taking her birth control without informing him. Noticing other cops (of various races, including black) stopping joking when he walks up, Abel says he's "heard nigger jokes before," but that wasn't what they were joking about. A cop at a bachelor party has a bad attitude toward Chris who's arrived to complain about the loud noise at 3 a.m. Abel then continues his own bad treatment, referring to Lisa as "dark meat," and says that Chris might not be enough man for her since "once you go black, you don't go back." Abel then signals for one stripper to do sexy dancing around Chris, and when he tries to leave, other cops hold him down and the stripper does her thing (we don't see the contact then, or when Lisa later views a video of that incident, delivered by Abel). As Chris and Abel go at it over newly planted trees, Chris backhands Lisa when she tries to intervene. About Chris and Lisa, Abel (who's black) refers to them as "You and your little chocolate drop." SPOILER ALERT: Abel has a criminal break into Chris and Lisa's house while they're away (and the latter ransacks the place, including urinating in a dresser drawer). Despite having "hired" him, Abel then shoots him dead. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Abel suddenly shows up at Chris' car window, startling him. He then holds his flashlight to Chris' neck, pretending that it's a gun (to prove a point and be intimidating to him). Throughout the film, there's footage of and news reports about approaching wildfires, with them being quite close at the end (nearby flames, lots of smoke at night). Abel and Javier respond to a domestic dispute where gunshots have reportedly been fired and a husband has his wife and child at gunpoint. When the cops arrive, they hear arguing, followed by a shotgun blast ripping a hole in the front door. Abel then runs after the perp and then proceeds slowly, with his gun drawn. The perp fires another shotgun blast at him but misses, and then holds the barrel of that shotgun to his own chin when Abel approaches. He realizes the man is bluffing and cocks the shotgun under the man's chin, and then uses the butt of that to hit the man in the chest before holding the barrel to his chin again. SPOILER ALERT: Abel has Clarence break into Chris and Lisa's house while they're away. The thug breaks various things and urinates into a drawer, and then gets physically violent with Lisa (grabbing, pinning and throwing her about) when she unexpectedly returns (she ends up unconscious on the floor, with a little blood on that by her, as well as a small, bloody bump/cut on her forehead). Hearing the house alarm, Chris and Abel race there, with Abel shooting Clarence several times, killing him (his body falls into the pool where the water is then tinged with blood). SPOILER ALERT: Abel sneaks into Chris and Lisa's home at night to try and find a cell phone that might incriminate him. He sneaks out when they return, but when Chris finds that phone and then dials the last caller, he realizes that's gone to Abel (who then pulls his gun over at his own house to show Chris he knows that Chris now knows). Chris races to get Lisa out of the house, with Abel then showing up, flashlight and gun drawn, looking for Chris. The latter then hits Abel over the head/back, they struggle and Abel's gun fires several times into the ceiling and Chris then hits him several times again. When he's distracted as Lisa rushes out, however, Abel uses his collapsible baton to strike Chris. Abel then fires at Lisa as she drives away, hitting her car and causing her to crash into a parked vehicle. Chris then hits Abel from behind, and then punches and pistol-whips him several times. As he rushes off to help Lisa, Abel fires at him several times. The police then arrive and aim their guns at Chris who's aiming a gun at Abel who's trying to act innocent. Chris eventually goads Abel into action, and the cop shoots and downs Chris, while the other cops riddle Abel with bullets, killing him. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Shotgun: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. Abel suddenly shows up at Chris' car window, startling him. He then holds his flashlight to Chris' neck, pretending that it's a gun (to prove a point and be intimidating to him). After Lisa's dad asks how Chris will protect their future kids, Chris sarcastically replies that he'll get a gun and then amass an arsenal. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*ck you," "Is that a we are the world f*ck you?" "French Connection bullsh*t," "You pulling this sh*t on me?" "Turn that sh*t down," "Oh sh*t," "I'm going to enjoy the sh*t out of it," "Stop bullsh*tting," "I don't give a sh*t," "Dawg, you're the sh*t," "Sh*t-load," "This is all bullsh*t," "Macho bullsh*t," "Sh*t got a little out of hand," "Look at that sh*t," "I bet you can't hear yourself screw," "Once you go black, you don't go back," "Whip those t*tties out," "Ain't nobody's bitch, you pr*ck," "Shake a leg," "A hell of a lot more," "Bitch" (man and woman), "Dumb ass," "Fake-ass Vanilla Ice impression," "Watch your ass," "You scared the hell out of me," "What the hell /is going on up here/are you doing?" "A lot of people to suck up to," "A hell of a day," "Dude, you're so busted," "Like how to be an asshole," "I was busting my hump for her," "I heard nigger jokes before" (said by a black man), "Dark meat" (black woman, said by a black man), "Bastard," "Shut up, my ass," "Sugar britches," "Oh damn," "Poisonous race crap," "High off his ass," "You and your little chocolate drop" (said by a black man), "Whatever," "Hard-ass," "Big ass," "What the hell, dude?" "You son of a bitch" and "I don't give a damn if you're the Pope, asshole." The act of intimidating others might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Abel suddenly shows up at Chris' car window, startling him. He then holds his flashlight to Chris' neck, pretending that it's a gun (to prove a point and be intimidating to him). Chris, Abel and his partner have tattoos. To retaliate for Abel's security lights that hit his home at night, Chris installs his own and aims them back at Abel's house. We see miscellaneous graffiti. Clarence urinates into a dresser drawer (we see the stream). JUMP SCENES Abel suddenly shows up at Chris' car window, startling him. A shotgun blast suddenly rips through a door. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None, but various songs had lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus presenting the possibility of them potentially containing objectionable material. PROFANITY At least 2 "f" words, 26 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("screw"), 3 using male genitals ("pr*ck"), 1 using female ones ("p*ssy"), 2 for breasts ("t*tties"), 13 asses (6 used with "hole"), 8 hells, 3 damns, 1 crap, 1 S.O.B., 9 uses of "G-damn," 3 each of "Oh God" and "Oh my God," 2 of "Swear to God" and 1 use each of "God," "Jesus," "Jesus Christ" and "Oh Jesus." SEX/NUDITY Chris playfully taps Lisa on her clothed butt with a water bottle. When Abel's security lights pour into their bedroom, Chris gets up, fully nude (it's implied Lisa is nude under the covers), barely holding a bag and then towel over his body to cover his crotch (but we do see partial glimpses of the side of his bare butt). About Abel being a cop, Chris playfully tells Lisa that maybe they can borrow his handcuffs. Chris comes home to find Lisa already in the pool. He starts to undress and informs her that it's time to christen the pool. They kiss and we then see Abel's kids watching from their house (no nudity, but close contact and kissing, as well as Chris working on the back of Lisa's bikini top, and then throwing something wet -- her swimsuit or his boxers -- out of the pool). We see Lisa snuggled up with Chris, who's shirtless, in bed. She's wearing a nightgown that shows some cleavage, while we then see him in his boxers. We see Chris in just jogging shorts. Lisa shows a little cleavage. We see Celia in a small bikini that shows cleavage. She then does some sexy dancing moves in front of Lisa after talking about other kids "hooking up" in school. Abel isn't happy when he returns home to see that, and thus makes a point about her actions by stripping down to his t-shirt and boxers and mocking such dancing. We see Chris shirtless in bed, while Lisa is in a nightgown that rides up a bit as she lies on her stomach, but nothing explicit is seen. Abel offers to host a bachelor party at his house, stating the kids are away and that he needs a good lap dance. We then see that party, where a cop makes some sort of sexual remark and various sexily-dressed strippers (in short skirts and tops that reveal cleavage) parade around. When Chris arrives to complain about the loud noise at 3 a.m., Abel jokes that he bets the latter "can't hear yourself screw." He then refers to Lisa as "dark meat," and says that Chris might not be enough man for her since "once you go black, you don't go back." Abel then signals for one stripper to do sexy dancing around Chris, and when he tries to leave, other cops hold him down and the stripper does her thing (we don't see the contact then, or when Lisa later views a video of that incident). Abel then asks Chris if that woman has a "nice pair" (breasts) and asks if he thinks they're better than Lisa's. Abel then tells the stripper to "whip those t*tties out," but we don't know if she does or not. We see Lisa in a bikini top. We see Lisa's bare back as she starts to undress, but she's later seen with a top on. SMOKING Chris is seen smoking once, but it's implied he smokes more (and hides that from Lisa), with Abel finding some of his discarded cigarette butts, while a miscellaneous person also smokes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES 15-year-old Celia isn't happy with the many rules her dad has imposed on her. There's brief talk from Celia and Marcus that their mom is dead. Abel comments on one neighbor who allegedly beats his wife. There's some strain between Chris and his father-in-law, especially over Chris and Lisa having kids and how Chris will protect them. Abel and Javier respond to a domestic dispute where gunshots have reportedly been fired and a husband has his wife and child at gunpoint. We see Celia in a small bikini that shows cleavage. She then does some sexy dancing moves in front of Lisa after talking about other kids "hooking up" in school. Abel isn't happy when he returns home to see that, and thus makes a point about her actions by stripping down to his t-shirt and boxers and mocking such dancing. She's upset with him, uses some profanity, and he slaps her hard across the face. The situation with Abel puts some strain on Chris and Lisa's marriage, and that's only exacerbated when she informs him that she's pregnant and he realizes she purposefully stopped taking her birth control without informing him. As Chris and Abel go at it over newly planted trees, Chris backhands Lisa when she tries to intervene. Abel states that it's the third anniversary of his wife's death in a vehicular accident (where she was traveling somewhere unknown with her boss), and that she died on a hospital gurney. Abel is still upset about this, particularly because the boss was white, and due to thinking Abel's wife wasn't treated right away due to being black. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Abel is disrespectful, mean and finally dangerous toward Chris and Lisa, mainly because he doesn't approve of their interracial marriage. He also uses his cop status to keep them from doing anything about that, and makes racist comments toward Clarence's ethnicity. About the rap music Chris listens to, Abel tells him he can listen to all of that noise that he wants, but he'll still be white when he wakes up in the morning. Abel comments on one neighbor who allegedly beats his wife. Abel saying he puts up with diversity at work, but refuses to do so at home and in his neighborhood if he thinks it will affect his kids. Internal Affairs. Lisa going off birth control without telling Chris. VIOLENCE Clarence kicks over a grocery cart in a parking lot when Abel and Javier confront him. Abel then pushes Clarence down onto a car and then shoves him again. Celia and Marcus shove and then struggle with each other. After Chris offers to help Abel fix the latter's car, it's implied that Abel purposefully moves a tool to pinch Chris' finger, slightly bloodying it. Chris and Lisa hear their car alarm going off in the garage, and then find the door open and their tire slashed, with the implication being that Abel is responsible. Abel and Javier respond to a domestic dispute where gunshots have reportedly been fired and a husband has his wife and child at gunpoint. When the cops arrive, they hear arguing, followed by a shotgun blast ripping a hole in the front door. Abel then runs after the perp but then proceeds slowly, with his gun drawn. The perp fires another shotgun blast at him but misses, and then holds the barrel of that shotgun to his own chin when Abel approaches. He realizes the man is bluffing and cocks the shotgun under the man's chin, and then uses the butt of that to hit the man in the chest before holding the barrel to his chin again. Abel slaps Celia hard across the face for being disrespectful. After Chris has trees planted along the fence separating their yards, Abel takes a chainsaw to the parts hanging over or sticking through the fence. That outrages Chris and the two then go at it from their sides, with Abel thrusting his chainsaw at him, and Chris thrusting a rake back at him. The latter also shoves Lisa backwards when she tries to intervene. SPOILER ALERT: Abel has Clarence break into Chris and Lisa's house while they're away. The thug breaks various things and urinates into a drawer, and then gets physically violent with Lisa (grabbing, pinning and throwing her about) when she unexpectedly returns (she ends up unconscious on the floor, with a little blood on that by her, as well as a small, bloody bump/cut on her forehead). Hearing the house alarm, Chris and Abel race there, with Abel shooting Clarence several times, killing him (his body falls into the pool where the water is then tinged with blood). SPOILER ALERT: Chris races to get Lisa out of the house, with Abel then showing up, flashlight and gun drawn, looking for Chris. The latter then hits Abel over the head/back, they struggle and Abel's gun fires several times into the ceiling and Chris then hits him several times again. When he's distracted as Lisa rushes out, however, Abel uses his collapsible baton to strike Chris. Abel then fires at Lisa as she drives away, hitting her car and causing her to crash into a parked vehicle. Chris then hits Abel from behind, and then punches and pistol-whips him several times. As he rushes off to help Lisa, Abel fires at him several times. The police then arrive and aim their guns at Chris who's aiming a gun at Abel who's trying to act innocent. Chris eventually goads Abel into action, and the cop shoots and downs Chris, while the other cops riddle Abel with bullets, killing him. Reviewed August 18, 2008 / Posted September 19, 2008

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2016 Screen It, Inc.