Lake Placid

Campy monster-movie fast-food that pokes fun at itself. Absolutely devoid of any message, but chock full of absurd parody.

Any movie that opens with a gruff county sheriff listening to "I Think I Love You" while he fishes can't be taken seriously. And it gets far goofier than that. The dialog is a relentless parade of one-liners between the five principals: a paleontologist (Bridget Fonda), a Fish & Game guy (Bill Pullman), a croc-worshiping professor (Oliver Platt), the sheriff (Brendan Gleeson), and an eccentric hermit (Betty White). Oh, and of course, a big creature with a big attitude and a big appetite.

Great character development; and all of the characters are over the top except maybe Pullman's, whose routine nice guy persona balances with the nuts. It's a toss-up who has the most joke lines or who delivers them with the most punch; as they reel off sarcasm at the speed of a machine gun. You can almost see the actors winking at the audience, and they obviously had fun making this. Even the monster (which usually looks real) performs like a seasoned comic. The only complaint to note is that once in a while the endless arguing may wear you out.

The story, which utilizes subtle references to big creature movies like Jurassic Park and Jaws, actually manages to go somewhere. There are a few clever surprises, and the closing scene is rather unique.

No cerebral activity will be necessary in the course of watching this movie. Just settle down with some popcorn, and get ready for some good comic idiocy.

An amusing take on the low-budget monster movies of the seventies, this is also a kind of follow-up to the Alligator movies of the early eighties. It wasn't a success, maybe due to the title - potential viewers may think it's a documentary about a lake - but is consistently humorous, thanks to a good cast. Fonda, as a paleontologist sent to investigate a sudden death by large teeth on the lake in question, is purposely irritating in the 'fish out of water' role. She reveals a surprising knack for comedy, the city girl from New Yawk stuck in the forest. Platt & Gleeson squabble like two long-lost overweight brothers as respectfully, eccentric millionaire & sheriff. Platt is always funny, and Gleeson matches him here. Pullman makes less of an impression, underplaying as the guy in charge. Betty White is a hoot as the foul-mouthed local old lady with a secret.

The monster in question, a 30-foot croc, stays out of sight for the first half-hour and when it does appear, it's strangely unsurprising, despite the suddenness. It's as if we've seen so many of these 'large animal' pictures by this point, this is just another one in a long line. It's a weird money shot as well, involving a growling bear, and is not as effective as it should be. Thanks to modern special FX, computer and otherwise, the croc is better realized than those of 20 years earlier. But that could be a problem: integrated into the wilderness like any other animal, there's nothing about the creature, despite its size, to inspire awe or real terror. It's just a big crocodile, after all. Like "Anaconda", this inspired a slew of big croc & alligator movies for the Sci-Fi Channel. UPDATE: Speaking of which, a sequel came out on the SF channel in late April, 2007.

Really enjoyable and fun "horror" movie about a ferocious giant crocodile picking people off from a secluded lake in Maine. Its worth watching just for a foul mouthed Betty White who steals the show but an excellent B monster movie.

This doesn't take itself too seriously and the cast all bounce well off each other as the investigative team, local Sherriff and crazy crocodile hunter. The dialogue is clever, filled with witty banter, and a sweet but not in your face romance between Bill Pullman and an initially super annoying Bridget Fonda,- whose character softens the more she (keeps) getting thrown out of the boat.

Really enjoyed Oliver Platt as the big game hunter and his barb filled exchanges with sheriff Brendan Gleeson. There a couple of awesome croc kills especially the first one with guy getting bit in half. Surprise! Gave me several laughs and is the kind of feel good movie you'll watch multiple times

The ending is just perfect... thanks again to Betty White.

The only thing placid about LAKE PLACID is Bill Pullman in one of his blander characterizations--but he's still a charmer. Bridget Fonda exchanges some good barbs with him--as does Brendan Gleeson (as the local sheriff) and Oliver Platt (as a wacko crocodile hunter). All of them are after the crock that's been lurking in the Maine lake and hungry for the next meal.

It's an uneven blend of nervous thrills (especially during any underwater scenes) and laughter--played to perfection. Brendan Gleeson's character manages to draw the most attention and the most laughs as the sheriff who tangles with an eccentric hunter (Oliver Platt). Platt is good but his character tends to be annoying at times.

Betty White plays a variation of her usual stock comedy character and provides an amusing twist for the final scene. Bridget Fonda looks attractive and handles her sharp exchanges with Pullman in a throughly professional manner.

An odd sort of movie that combines comedy and horror with mostly satisfying results. Not exactly a trailblazer but fun.

Finally got to see this flick on HBO last night. It was entertaining. These days it's tough to find a really good film because of all of the hype so your expectations of any movie can be too high. With Lake Placid what you see is what you get. It was fun although the closing credits with the actor's interviews would lead you to believe this was an Oscar contender. The special effects were much better than the Deep Blue Sea. The other comments for this movie are on the mark highlighting the Oliver Platt and Brendan Gleeson characters. Betty White was a hoot. If you see this movie don't take it or yourself too seriously, just have fun.