A few years ago a goofy, scary movie was made a la "Jaws" called "Lake Placid". If you are in the mood for a drive-in kind of film, this is a good bet. The cast is excellent: Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, and Betty White. There is a thirty foot crocodile in an isolate freshwater lake in Maine. There are murky underwater scenes and scary music. There are plenty of surprises and twists, a good backstory for Fonda, who is terrifically funny here, and even a romance that has some heat to it. Oliver Platt is irresistably loopy and endearing, and his feud wwith Gleeson is hilarious. The plot is just barely plausible, and the cast makes it so. Cook up a big bowl of popcorn, break out the cans of cola, and relax. This ride is as good as the roller coaster at the beach.
Whatever this kind of movie does: plug into our fear of nature, give us a T Rex thrill, escape the horrors of news headlines, once in a while, I love to endulge. Like "Jaws", the solution is simple: stay out of the water, but then the land isn't safe, or the boats, or even the helicopter. As Fonda's character admits, it's fun, and she feels fully alive. You can't make her leave. She's just getting started and doesn't want to miss a thing. The movie is worth seeing alone for Betty White's character. What a kick!
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