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Credits

Director: Steve Miner Starring: Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson Screenplay: David E. Kelley Country: USA

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Lake Placid has an utterly ludicrous plot, but makes no apologies for it. A crocodile has turned up in a lake in Maine and is eating people that venture into its territory. At first the sheriff and the game warden are confused about what could be attacking people, because a crocodile isn't exactly a logical explanation, but an expert from a museum is sent in to help figure out what's going on and to be a convenient love interest. A rich, eccentric guy turns up to help track the croc, and the team quickly establish that, logic be damned, it's definitely a crocodile. What to do next remains a point of disagreement in the team, and a local old lady who lives on the lake seems to be hiding a few things…

Normally the people in this type of movie are completely disposable, and the more disposed of the better, but Lake Placid benefits greatly with the casting of Oliver Platt as the eccentric and Brendan Gleeson as the sheriff. These two are great fun together, and make even the non-croc related moments entertaining. They don't fully rescue the movie from mumbley Bill Pullman or anti-nepotism poster girl Bridget Fonda stinking up the screen, but Platt and Gleeson were a nice bonus in a crocodile movie. In fact, I suspect they're what made it a movie both my wife and I enjoyed, which is a rarity when it comes to movies I pick. Even more golden nowadays girl Betty White is very memorable as the old lady of the lake.

The script is often funny, and the story moves along at such a fast pace the movie seems like it's nearly over before you've even sat down in your seat. As escapist pap, it's almost flawless, as you are constantly distracted by what's happening on screen, but shouldn't think about what you've just seen at all. This would've been fun to see at a drive-in. Doubled with the equally credible Alligator! It might almost seem like a doco night.