"You want me to go to Maine to look at a tooth?"      

LAKE PLACID (R)

Reviewed July 18, 1999 - Check out the Lake Placid Website.

Writer/Producer David E. Kelley, most famous for creating TV's Ally McBeal and The Practice, has now gone big-screen on us, putting together a quirky horror-comedy flick about a giant crocodile gone amuck in a quiet lake in Maine.  In Lake Placid (which ironically does not take place on Lake Placid), a small group is thrown together to investigate the gruesome death of a local diver bitten in half by some mysterious sea creature.  The odd cast of characters include Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda), a nature-averse paleontologist on her first field assignment, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), the Fish and Game warden in charge of the investigation, Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt), an eccentric and wealthy mythology professor who makes a hobby swimming with crocodiles, and Hank Keogh (Brendan Gleeson), the local sheriff who just wants to find the man-eating creature and kill it. 

Those who know and love David E. Kelley's very popular TV shows will be pleased to learn that the same sarcastic, wisecracking and often witty dialog that marks his television efforts also comes through in this film.  Indeed, it seems as if everyone in Lake Placid is blessed with a very sharp tongue and the ability to deliver a good comeback line.  The result, in typical David E. Kelley style, is a program that's really much more entertaining than it has any right to be.  Forget about the improbability of this entire giant-Croc-in-Maine scenario, or the questionable decisions made by every cast member at nearly every stage of the film, or the incredibly annoying character of Kelly Scott (who literally whines and screams throughout the film, a real waste of Bridget Fonda's talents).  What distinguishes Lake Placid from your standard monster flick is the wackiness, sarcasm, and overall sassiness that pervades this film.  If you're up for this kind of fun, then this film is definitely for you. 

On the other hand, for those who don't find amusement in this style of storytelling (do you like Ally McBeal or not?), Lake Placid is really not much more than an average hunt, chase and chomp kind of movie, the kind that can make you jump out of your seat a couple of times, but generally offers little else.  I should note a surprising and often hilarious performance by Betty White as the slightly deranged (and foul-mouthed) Mrs. Bickerman...great comic relief from a character that unfortunately received too little screentime.  Oh well, maybe we'll see more of her in the sequel... : )

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

kirsty bendle gives this movie  stars: "i watched this film in my media clas and i thought it was really good. although i thought it was a bit like godzilla, it definately was better. i liked the contrast between the comedy and horror, and the actors played convincing roles especially the man who played Hecter! Overall, i would recommended this!" (10/20/00)

spacejam@cableone.net gives this movie  stars: "I am watching Lake Placid right at this moment for the second time it is great I love the surprises just popping out every few seconds just like when the giant croc drug the bear into the lake!!!" (3/9/00)