Lake Placid (1999)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Steve Miner

Writer (WGA):

David E. Kelley (written by)

Release Date:

16 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

You'll never know what bit you.

Plot:

Horror-Comedy about a man-eating crocodile loose in the lake.

Plot Keywords:

Crocodile | Lake | Paleontologist | Creature | Remote

Cast

Bill Pullman	...	Jack Wells
Bridget Fonda	...	Kelly Scott
Oliver Platt	...	Hector Cyr
Brendan Gleeson	...	Sheriff Hank Keough
Betty White	...	Mrs. Delores Bickerman
David Lewis	...	Walt Lawson
Tim Dixon	...	Stephen Daniels
Natassia Malthe	...	Janine
Mariska Hargitay	...	Myra Okubo
Meredith Salenger	...	Deputy Sharon Gare
Jed Rees	...	Deputy Burke
Richard Leacock	...	Deputy Stevens
Jake T. Roberts	...	Officer Coulson
Warren Takeuchi	...	Paramedic
Ty Olsson	...	State Trooper

Also Known As:

Lac Placid (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent creature attacks and related gore, and for language.

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (Canadian Home Video rating) | USA:R (No. 36663) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Denmark:11 | France:U | Germany:16 (nf) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | UK:15 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Buntzen Lake, Anmore, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

In the hospital, someone can be heard paging Mr. Miner in the background. Lake Placid was directed by Steve Miner.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wells shoots the tranquilizer into the trapped croc you can see the pink-feathered tranq projectile. The second croc jumps, is shot, and we cut back to the first croc who no longer has the tranquilizer dart.

Quotes:

Hector: You got to fire your big gun. Did it meet your expectations?
Sheriff Hank Keough: Overrated.

Movie Connections:

References Alligator (1980)

Soundtrack:

It's Not Unusual

One of the best-written movies I've ever seen

I love genre-bending movies, and especially those that mix horror with comedy. That puts me dead center of the target demographic of this film. The plot is pretty silly and there certainly isn't enough action for anyone looking for scares. What saves it is the script. It's witty and never takes itself too seriously. The characters are all foils for one another, setting up some of the most entertaining dialog of any movie I know.

The plot revolves around a 30 foot Asian crocodile somehow winding up in a lake in Maine - go figure. What makes the movie are the characters assembled to do something about it. Bridget Fonda is an annoying paleontologist who's never before ventured out of her museum. Here, she plays both the archetypal fish out of water as well as potential romantic interest for the local game warden, played by Bill Pullman. The essential characters are rounded out by Brendan Gleeson's dour sheriff, Oliver Platt's rich and eccentric mythology buff, and Betty White as the colorful local little old lady with a secret or two.

As I said, reduced to a plot outline, it's pretty unimpressive, but the verbal barbs that fly back and forth between the characters are what make the show. It's an "action/horror" movie I could watch with my eyes shut and still enjoy.