A Grande Virada

I went into this film knowing very little apart from that the main character had an unusual name, and it had Ben Lee and Rose Byrne in it. I came out the other end knowing quite a bit more, and feeling very positive about the whole experience!

This is not your typical Australian film, for example, it doesn't resort to having characters with really strong 'Ocker' accents, and not everyone is wearing stubbies and a singlet. It represents, i think, the more real Australia than is normally shown, and it does it so with quirky, original characters. Placid's (Ben Lee) journey in this film is interesting and funny to watch, as we see a young man searching for more stability to his life, while Gemma (Rose Byrne) tries to show him that stability isn't what he needs.

All in all, I enjoyed this film immensely and I know that certain scenes will be sticking in my head for a long time yet. Excellent work by newcomer Ben Lee, and the expected great work by Rose Byrne and Garry Mcdonald help this film to stand head and shoulders above a lot of the fare coming out of Australia these days. Top Effort.

(Note to those who like useless trivia/details - watch out for Ben's girlfriend Claire Danes' cameo around half way through the film. Blink, and you'll nearly miss it!)

I really enjoyed this movie. I won't lie to you though it isn't uber-brilliant, deep or ultra-funny. It is the sort movie you watch late at night when your expectations are low. If you're looking for a movie that doesn't make you think too much this is it.

That being said I did find it funny, if somewhat puerile at times. I could relate to the main protagonist. The story moved along at a good pace and didn't get bogged down. I really wanted to see how it would end up.

I like that it didn't suffer from the usually Australian movie problem of "lets show you how uniquely Australian we can make this film" it just let itself be. It showed a side of Australia that wasn't purely rural or suburban.

Also Rose Byrne is absolutely gorgeous. I think I want to marry her!

Despite the misleading title, The Rage in Placid Lake is not some ropey horror movie sequel about teenagers being chomped to death by a malformed alligator. It is a semi-satirical, light-hearted but intelligent coming-of-age comedy following the exploits of the cruelly named Placid Lake. Placid did not have a 'conventional' upbringing. His parents are two of the most over-the-top, but yet entirely believable hippies ever committed to celluloid. Their 'new age' methods of child rearing subject young Placid to humiliation time and time again, but un be known to him, give him an inner wisdom and strength to deal with life's little problems. Unfortunately, Placid doesn't concern himself with life's little problems, he rises above them. Placid leaves school and begins to worry about life's bigger problems, such as what to do with his life. Without giving away too much of the story, Plaicd formulates a plan which involves re-inventing himself in the quest to fit in, lead a conventional life and annoy the hell out of his parents in the process. Of course Placid is far from conventional and it seems the harder he tries to be 'normal' the greater the challenge becomes. The gags in this film are a mix of satirical jibes at the modern society we live in, observational humor about the trials of growing up, and some good old fashioned slapstick that the Aussies do so well.

Ultimately, this film is a great coming of age tale of a young man coming to terms with the world and himself. The acting is fantastic, Ben Lee is entirely convincing as the dead-pan and slightly unhinged Placid. His parents are over-the-top caricatures, but do a splendid job of convincing us just how well meaning (but entirely mad) they are. Rose Bryne is fantastic as Placid's foil/love interest/best friend/sole mate, and really doesn't get the screen time she really deserves. There a plenty of smaller character parts which also stand out, all contributing to this wacky, but believable film. This is a film for anyone who ever felt they didn't quite fit in, or anyone who didn't want to fit in. 8.5/10

Characters are believable, yet stretched to be perfectly bizarre. I saw the film at an Indie Film Fest at a college where my mum works and the whole room just kept laughing. I thought my sides were going to burst!

This is definitely on my list of favorites now.... I just want to give it a hug.

Oh... you have to see the movie. You just have to. You will be laughing so hard throughout you won't be able to hear half of the lines and you will have to see the whole thing over again. I think i might re-watch it tonight and then have a bunch of people over to watch it again.

Not to be confused with the mediocre creature feature "Placid Lake," "The Rage in Placid Lake" is a quirky romantic comedy, a fun corporate satire and a weighty coming-of-age tale. Placid Lake (Benny Lee) is a ridiculously precocious high schooler raised by new age hippie parents and is constantly picked on by bullies. In an act of "fearlessness," Placid presents a brutally honest student video at school which assuredly lands him in the hospital. Recovering from his wounds, Placid realizes a change needs to be made and formulates a plan to become normal to the disappointment of his best friend Gemma (Rose Byrne).

Originally a play entitled "The Cafe Latte Kid" by Tony McNamara, the big screen adaptation is witty, charming and strangely reflective. Indie rocker Benny Lee's occasional voice over gives the script some tongue-and-cheek humor and the story becomes unpredictably fresh as Placid's inner psyche evolves. His unique charm and unconventional good looks work in his favor as he walks the line between adolescent naivety and adulthood cynicism. Likewise Rose Byrne makes Gemma uniquely fun as a prudish overachiever constantly egged on by her stepfather. The real standouts however are the supporting cast members. Miranda Richardson and Garry McDonald tread the waters well as a hippie couple with marital problems. Though originally introduced as a caricature both manage to make the best of their parts and transcend into fleshed out characters with motivations that aren't always virtuous but human. Likewise Saskia Smith and Christopher Stollery make the best of their screen time as Placid's sexually charged, emotionally distant co-worker and his boss respectively.

Many might find the humor a bit different in this film. In most satires, characters are a logical extension of the subject up for satire but after the first third of the film most characters are treated with some level of civility. Placid's corporate boss for example is first seen as a soulless task master but near the end of the movie you find he's just a person who has lost himself in a corporate world. Unfortunately this movie's freshness starts to fade away in the third act as story holes are quickly plugged in like so much spackle on drywall and Placid receives his happy Hollywood ending.

"Rage in Placid Lake" evokes comparisons to other teen comedies like "The Breakfast Club" and "Charlie Bartlett" which attempt to mix laughs with jolts of cinematic seriousness. It certainly succeeded in the former, but not in the later. Although not as scrabbled as "Charlie Bartlett," "The Rage in Lake Placid" isn't as composed as it should be. The jokes are sometimes laugh-out-loud funny but those moments are few and far in between and the love story lacks evolution. At points it seemed Rose Byrne could have been replaced with a male friend and most of the plot points would be the same throughout (though the end kiss would be a little awkward).

I would recommend this to anyone of sound mind and body but not strongly enough to warrant required watching status. Though it has a uniqueness that sticks with you after the credits roll, it only raises to the occasion of date night filler.

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