Calling
this insipid little film low-rent does injustice to low-rent films. What's even
more surprising is that it was written by the beloved David E. Kelley (TV's Ally
McBeal and The Practice). Kelley tries to mesh comedy and horror in this tale
of a gigantic crocodile that brings havoc to a small lake community.
The
man behind the camera is Steve Miner who directed last years disappointing Halloween
H2O. Like that film, Lake Placid seems to end before anything really happens.
Of course, H2O had Jamie Lee Curtis, which almost made it bearable.
This
film wastes an all-star cast due to poor writing and characterization. With Bridget
Fonda (Jackie Brown), Brendan Gleeson (Braveheart), Bill Pullman (Independence
Day), and Oliver Platt (Bulworth), you'd think something good would happen--guess
again. Golden Girl Betty White is along for the ride as well. She runs around
spouting obscenities as if she were desperately trying to shed her wholesome image.
It's just plain awful.
Meshing
comedy and horror is tricky business. Movies like American Werewolf In London,
Evil Dead 2, Creepshow, and The Howling work, but Lake Placid isn't funny or scary.
It's just out to make a quick buck off of Kelley's name. Lake Flaccid is more
like it!
