The Rage in Placid Lake (2003)

An exuberant, sharply satirical comedy about two parentally neglected teenagers who find the courage to believe in themselves

Director:

Tony McNamara

Writer:

Tony McNamara

Stars:

Jordan Brooking, Ben Lee, Rose Byrne

4 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jordan Brooking	...	Young Placid
Ben Lee	...	Placid Lake
Rose Byrne	...	Gemma Taylor
Miranda Richardson	...	Sylvia Lake
Lucas Fraccaro	...	Bull (5 years old)
Cruise Moylan	...	Angus (5 years old)
Zan Cross	...	Lachie (5 years old)
Garry McDonald	...	Doug Lake
Eleeza Hooker	...	Young Gemma
Jesse Spence	...	Jenny
Simone Cullinan	...	Sharon
Socratis Otto	...	Bozo
Toby Schmitz	...	Bull
Nathaniel Dean	...	Lachie
Stephen James King	...	Angus

Storyline

Precocious, bohemian teenager Placid Lake, finishes high school and decides to do the one thing that will annoy his new age parents the most--go straight! With a few weeks spent reading a library of self-help manuals, Placid has it all sorted out--and he has the haircut and the cheap suit to prove it. Can Placid Lake retire his rage in the pursuit of beige; embrace conformity and leap on the fast track to corporate success. Will his 'brainiac' friend Gemma be able to talk him out of this economic rationalist madness? And will poor Doug and Sylvia survive the ignominy of having a son with a burgeoning future in insurance? Never underestimate the evil of banality.

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Plot Keywords:

high school | haircut | student | mother son relationship | teenage boy | 

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Taglines:

Placid Lake isn't your usual rebel. He wants to work in insurance.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2003 (Australia)

Also Known As:

A Grande Virada

Filming Locations:

Sydney Central Business District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Macgowan Films, New South Wales Film & Television Office

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Placid Lake: I try to find the positives in my experiences
Young Placid: [dressed in a frilly dress for his first day of school, and about to be pushed onto the playground by his hippie mother] Mummy, I *can't*.
Sylvia Lake: Darling, just remember you're challenging their pre-conceived notions of sexuality.

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Connections

Featured in Getaway: Getaway to the Music (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Yellow Envelope"
Written by Clairanne Browne/Jan Skubiszewski
Performed by Jacket

User Reviews

Ever felt like you didn't quite fit in?

Despite the misleading title, The Rage in Placid Lake is not some ropey horror movie sequel about teenagers being chomped to death by a malformed alligator. It is a semi-satirical, light-hearted but intelligent coming-of-age comedy following the exploits of the cruelly named Placid Lake. Placid did not have a 'conventional' upbringing. His parents are two of the most over-the-top, but yet entirely believable hippies ever committed to celluloid. Their 'new age' methods of child rearing subject young Placid to humiliation time and time again, but un be known to him, give him an inner wisdom and strength to deal with life's little problems. Unfortunately, Placid doesn't concern himself with life's little problems, he rises above them. Placid leaves school and begins to worry about life's bigger problems, such as what to do with his life. Without giving away too much of the story, Plaicd formulates a plan which involves re-inventing himself in the quest to fit in, lead a conventional life and annoy the hell out of his parents in the process. Of course Placid is far from conventional and it seems the harder he tries to be 'normal' the greater the challenge becomes. The gags in this film are a mix of satirical jibes at the modern society we live in, observational humor about the trials of growing up, and some good old fashioned slapstick that the Aussies do so well.

Ultimately, this film is a great coming of age tale of a young man coming to terms with the world and himself. The acting is fantastic, Ben Lee is entirely convincing as the dead-pan and slightly unhinged Placid. His parents are over-the-top caricatures, but do a splendid job of convincing us just how well meaning (but entirely mad) they are. Rose Bryne is fantastic as Placid's foil/love interest/best friend/sole mate, and really doesn't get the screen time she really deserves. There a plenty of smaller character parts which also stand out, all contributing to this wacky, but believable film. This is a film for anyone who ever felt they didn't quite fit in, or anyone who didn't want to fit in. 8.5/10