LAKE PLACID Reviewed by Jamie Peck
Rating: **1/2 (out of ****) 20th Century Fox / 1:23 / 1999 / R (language, violence/gore) Cast: Bridget Fonda; Bill Pullman; Oliver Platt; Brendan Gleeson; Betty White; Meredith Salinger Director: Steve Miner Screenplay: David E. Kelley
The biggest mystery in "Lake Placid" doesn't concern how a 30-foot Asian crocodile migrated from its native continent to a seaside New England community, but rather if the David E. Kelley credited with the screenplay is the same David E. Kelley behind current TV lawyer hits like "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice." The answer: a surprising yes. If Kelley's trying to broaden his range and/or media success with this sassy monster mish-mash, then mission partially accomplished.
While "McBeal"'s skinny Calista Flockhart fends off charges of anorexia and bulimia, Kelley's Lake lead visibly noshes just fine - on anything and everything in mouth's reach, in fact. He's the aforementioned centerpiece of this clownish creature feature, a gargantuan reptile that attracts the attention of provincial authorities and big city scientists after leaving one of his chompers in a partially-consumed scuba snack. All of the diver goes into the water, but only half comes up. This casualty happens in the opening sequence, which makes obvious the movie's sly agenda.
Enter "Lake Placid"'s human cast, an attractive crew of underdeveloped but engaging personalities. Chief among them are Bridget Fonda, a recently-dumped paleontologist with some amusing neurotic tics, and Bill Pullman, a fish and game warden not given much in the way of interesting traits. They team up with the local sheriff ("The General"'s Brendan Gleeson) and an eccentric mythology expert (the wonderful Oliver Platt) to investigate their surroundings, and this latter pair's ongoing rivalry constitutes a great deal of "Lake Placid"'s offbeat enjoyment factor.
Also present for potential animal nourishment is none other than Betty White, and the ex-Golden Girl cusses a blue streak as a batty town resident who isn't afraid to let loose some hilariously profane barbs when provoked. The mere inclusion of this character further proves that "Lake Placid" shouldn't be taken at horror-flick face value, but instead relished as Kelley's mostly successful attempt to invest his trademark wit and sarcasm in a genre typically associated with only unintentional humor.
Unfortunately, Kelley doesn't seem to want to script the whole show with a wink, as evidenced by a throwaway budding romance between Fonda and Pullman and several other serious sidetracks. "Lake Placid" runs a tight 83 minutes, hardly allowing time for any genuine lulls, but there are some jarringly uncomfortable tone shifts. Good thing the movie moves at a clip under the direction of Steve Miner, who, as evidenced in his "Halloween: H20" last summer, still knows how to both keep tongue firmly in cheek and stage an effective decapitation.
Of course, the audiences that will turn out for "Lake Placid" could probably care less about the levels of irony found in this "Jaws"-with-jokes. They'll want their fill of the film's cold-blooded main attraction, of which they'll get a satisfying dose: This Stan Winston-masterminded special effect - all imposing girth, teeth and stare - is such a nifty sight that many will exit heralding, "What a croc!" Those unenamored of "Lake Placid" might utter the same - only with a K on the end of the last word.
© 1999 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit The Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ "'20 Dates' tells the story of Myles Berkowitz, a man who wants to make a film, and to fall in love. These areas are his ‘two greatest failures, professional and personal,' so he decides to make a film about going out on 20 dates. By the film's end, he has won the love of the lovely Elisabeth - maybe - but his professional life is obviously still a failure." -Roger Ebert on "20 Dates"
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