User reviews

I love this movie. There is no other way to say it. It is so very well written and acted, and Betty White steals the show. Up until this movie I had only seen her in The Golden Girls. To hear her swear and lob insults the way she does in this movie is worth watching it. The rest of the cast plays well off each other as well, with all the snarky comments and playful banter. This is one of the best nature attacks themed movies out there. If you have seen this and forgotten how great it is, or have not yet seen it, then I suggest you drop everything and have at it.

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.

Lake Placid is an enjoyable and escapist movie that has the confidence to laugh at itself and its genre.

Despite the gore and blood of the movie, Lake Placid has its tongue firmly placed in its cheek, and ironically, this leaves the viewer with a 'feel good' perspective.

Cynics may dismiss Lake Placid for its lack of intricate plot, but to do this is to miss the point and the movie's subtle irony. If you like (and laugh at)films such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, you'll love Lake Placid.

I'm sure that the years will be kind to Lake Placid and give it 'cult status'. The movie has a timeless quality and all the ingredients and actors for enjoyment.

From the trailers compiled and screened in the UK, this was not a film I was going to go and see. As part of a group I went along and very glad I was too. Everything about this film is well done, from the casting and special effects to the direction and editing. All based on a very solid script filled with humour but without the over the top slapstick as in films like 'There's Something About Mary' and 'Cableman'. Its not a really scary horror film but does has its moments of tense 'knowing something is going to happen in a second' and any film that makes the audience laugh out loud through sheer enjoyment rather than embarrassment gets my vote.

Quite a few complaints about this one... a shame, really. I love this movie. I saw it three times in the theater and after renting it a few more I bought the video.

Oliver Platt is perpetually good in any role he takes... his Professor Cyr character in this is HILARIOUS! Brendan Gleeson is also brilliant as Sheriff Keough.

You have to keep in mind that this isn't The Piano or Shawshank Redemption... it's just a fun movie about a bigass crocodile. The special effects are excellent (really beats the hell out of that horrible CGI snake in Anaconda) and the dialogue between characters is hilarious.

I'll put it simply... if you liked Tremors, you'll like Lake Placid. The humor is actually more well-written and it's about the same level of gore.

If you didn't like Lake Placid, chances are you're too uptight to enjoy a fun monster movie and should go rent a French film noir or anything else that's nice and pretentious.

Watching this movie was a true treat. I'll admit I didn't expect too very much when I rented this. After seeing it I picked up a copy of the DVD on my next trip to the store. The script was tight and the movie moved at a very crisp pace. There was truely nothing missing here. It had suspence and thrills (the part with the grizzly ruled), good effects, a bit of gore (the first victem is the worst), but what really made this movie for me was the characters and thier interaction, especially between Oliver Platt (the excenteric millionaire) and the local sheriff. Truely hillarious and thoroughly enjoyable. I could watch those scenes all night. This movie was the best suprise I've had renting a movie I knew very little about in a long, long time.

I dunno why this movie has less than 6 stars. It's HILARIOUS. And it doesn't take itself seriously but also doesn't make a joke of itself or waste your time.

Gleeson and Platt are a hilarious team. I wish they'd do more comedy together. Throughly enjoyable.

Fonda's most likeable role and Pullman plays a believable character rather than some of his more ridiculous parts.

The cast chemistry works... The writing is delightfully funny if a little too profane for my liking. I think they got the R for the gore and decided to take advantage with the F word... although, it's certainly not a Tarantino movie.

I love it. Watch it every time it's on TV.

I've read quite a few reviews of this movie. Let me just say, I loved it. While Bill Pullman's acting was wooden (I think that was the point of his character) the Sheriff and Mythology Professor were EXCELLENT. Oliver Platt consistently plays great characters, and every time he adds a special flavor to each character. The dialogue, particularly that between Sherrif, Paleontologist, Ranger, and Professor is VERY well-written and fun to watch.

That's the point of this film. FUN. I see people complaining about various things, but sometimes you just have to LIGHTEN UP and just ENJOY a movie! This was one of my favorite movies on 1999 - I thought the CGI was very good (sure as hell better than Anaconda) and while the plot is a rehash (someone mentioned Jaws... ever heard of THEM!, kids? Ever heard of the Beast from 20000 Fathoms? Spielberg didn't create the genre!) it's still passable and if you just enjoy the filck, it's well worth the rental fee.

I compare this movie to another giant animal movie I love: Tremors. Similar plot, the only differences are climate and a different blend of characters. Tremors is a FUN movie. Lake Placid is a FUN movie. You want serious, go rent Blair Witch or The Insider. You want something to watch with a few friends so you can have a good laugh, rent Lake Placid. I hope Sci Fi channel or Turner picks this up... I guarantee I'd watch Lake Placid every time it appeared on cable.

Well you either love this movie or you hate it. I fall in to the first group (10/10) the movie simply rocks, The interaction of Hector and Hank make for one hell of a funny movie, add to that some great FX with the Crocodile and the Bear, mix in a great script full of humor and a great cast... Result a Classic.

Lake Placid was filmed brilliantly. Should you be able to suspend belief for the requisite two hours, you will enjoy this film and it's remarkable casting. Each player was able to capitalize on their own screen presona without appearing to reach to some place new and untried; except for Betty White. Her character practically "stoled the show;" although it was losly based on her chacter from the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou-Ann Nivens. Bridget Fonda was able to play a low keyed adaption of a critical character- and pull it off with intellegence and force. This is a movie that people can enjoy, and one that has the "legs" for viewers to see it again. It was made to entertain, and it does.

I just watched this movie for the umpteenth time, and I was horrified to see the harsh ratings and reviews for one of my favorite movies! I can only assume that those who have said horrible things about Lake Placid are a) stuffy barsets with no sense of fun, or b) mentally deficient and not to be trusted. While the characters are not exceedingly complex, each of the main characters is sort of different and definitely interesting --a far cry from being "cardboard cutouts" as others have suggested. The dialogue is some of the best and most fun I have ever heard. There are at least two dozen lines I would love to memorize so I could use them when the opportunity arose. Maybe it would help if people understand before seeing it that this is not a horror movie and it isn't even really a monster movie. It has tense and surprising moments even if at other times it is predictable. And it isn't a flat-out parody either, so don't expect that kind of nonsense. In the featurette they refer to it as an adventure movie and a comedy. Just enjoy it for what it is. Under other circumstances I might concede that it is only an 8/10, but I had to give it a 10/10 here just to counteract the ridiculous low votes of other people.

ok, i am a big horror movie fan and a lover of most movies. im so tired of people saying "oh the fx stunk", "oh there was'nt a realistic plot", "there was no character development".......who cares!!!! i thought the point of a movie is to have fun watchin it. this movie is great fun, the humor is soooo funny..especially all the little sarcastic one-liners. the characters are likeable and not boring and the fx were awesome..it wasnt a cheap rubber thing like anaconda(although i love anaconda too). To say this is a rip-off of anaconda or jaws is stupid because since jaws has come out any movie that has to do with a creature under water is now considered a rip-off of jaws and i think that's ridiculous..and even if they intentionally ripped it off so what!!! its not like they stole it scene by scene. in short this movie is pure entertainment and is a great movie and i hope more movies are made that arent just looking for good box office and are just made to entertain us true fans.

This horrific comedy scores on every level. What is it about "Lake Placid" that made it such a guilty pleasure to me? The cheeky dialogue, the beautiful scenery? Or the thirty foot crocodile that chomps on people in a remote lake in Maine? It must be all of that, laden with brilliant special effects and one liners, that makes this monster movie such a fun ride.

In Black Lake, something is killing off the wildlife. So in come the local police, led by Bill Pullman, a stuck-up paleontologist (beautiful and charming Bridget Fonda hams it up)and an eccentric crocodile-obsessed man (awesome Oliver Platt) to investigate the scene. What follows is the uncovering of a hysterical story involving an Asian Pacific crocodile that has migrated into Black Lake from the ocean, and doesn't plan to leave.

Mrs. Bickerman (Betty White, who will make your jaw drop with her side-splitting, show stealing performance) has been protecting the croc and feeding it cows in the lake. Now the rescue squad must find a way to excavate the crocodile from the area without being eaten alive in the process. With as much genuine scares as there are laughs, this thriller works enormously well as long as you keep in mind that it's all for fun. The crocodile looks amazing. Stan Winston created the realistic and startling animatronics of the prehistoric predator and the visual CGI effects are as equally impressive, if not more. Not to be missed.

It wasn't that long ago that a movie could be made that didn't require quotas, political messaging, etc. Just plain simple entertainment.

Scientifically weak but retread plot is presented with a comedic spin. Not simply another Jaws ripoff and even once you have seen the beast a few times it still makes you jump. Lots to get excited about in the theater but not really scary.

Not at all what I expected, but not all that bad either. Fonda, Pullman, and Platt provide excellent performances. I was surprised to see Meredith Salenger in there. But then she didn't even DIE! I mean, it's a vicious crocodile. Is Miner going for mainstream? Because since it is directed by Steve Miner I sort of expected something, well, scarier. I'm not in to comedy much. But this movie was a total cop-out. Do me a favor, Steve, and direct Jason X. Don't try the mainstream.

It deserves a solid 7. That's all.

I have to admit that I might only think this movie is not bad because I heard such horrible reviews for it, that when I actually saw it, I was like "That wasn't bad at all." I'm sure if I had heard it was great and saw it, I probably would have said "Really? That sucked." But I honestly didn't mind it at all. It had it's moments. The only real problem I had with it that got more and more irritating was whoever wrote the sarcastic one liners for this movie must have thought they were a lot more hilarious than they were. All of Hector's (Oliver Platt) sarcastic come back's to the sheriff were SO irritating and annoying. I love sarcasm, but whoever wrote those come back's and one liners must be an idiot who thinks that anything u say in a mean and sarcastic way is funny. Like when they're in the boat and Hector says to the sheriff something to the affect of "When friends or family say things, they tend not to register, so sometimes it helps hearing it from a total stranger...you're fat." Was that really supposed to sound clever? And his "Oh my, the earth is round and so should you be" line he says to him was so wannabe original and unfunny. ESPECIALLY since Oliver Platt is fat too! Which makes it even more annoying. And when Hector gets surprised while setting a trap at night and they start arguing and he says to the sheriff "These traps could save your life. And the longer you live, the more sex you get to have with your SISTER!" He yelled that line so loud and angry and annoying, like it was supposed to be a good one. So dumb. My wish is that the writer sees this review. Lol. I want him to know what a dumb as* he is. Not for the whole movie. Just for his attempt at good sarcastic humor. Sorry for harping so long about it. Just really almost ruins the movie. Bette White has a few lines like that too. And the only reason i'm not complaining about those is because of the fact that Bette White actually made them funny. Which no one else probably could have. Aside from all that, the movie isn't that bad at all. Just be prepared to be annoyed. Unless u actually have a lame sense of humor, and confuse lame sarcasm, with actual creative and witty sarcasm. :-)

One of my top five favorite comedies.

Great cast, Great writing, a real gem.

Viewers relishing the horror may be disappointed.

'This' film' was down' right' 'genuis' an incredible film' with 'me' giving it' ten' 'stars' it must be' good! I usually' do not' 'give' movies ten stars' unless I'm 'really' impressed! 'This' movie did and the title' did also: LAKE PLACID. What a film this was' anyone who wants' 'to' see this' movie see it' now I'm 'a' strict' movie' critic' and 'I' say this' movie deserves' 'to' be seen! 'By' everyone' who's seventeen and older! This movie' 'had' me in' it's 'action the whole time' it was' playing! 'And' I'm not joking. This movie kept' me going! This' is why' I love' Shark and crocodile' films all over! 'This gives the action movies' a 'good' 'name! Overall a great film.

It is simple. One moment you are laughing, the next moment you are holding your breath. The only drawback was the special effects were not consistent. Yet I found the movie more intense than most ecological horror stories.

Lake Placid had it all. It had a little bit of romance, a little bit of drama and not only one, but two 30 feet long man-eating alligators. The movie did well OK in theaters, it did reclaim the cost to make it and a little on the side. I am really hoping that the rentals are going to make up for it. I was in suspense the whole way through the movie. The casting was good and the acting was superb.

My wife and I and my brother and his wife all vote for this picture as the best (intentionally) hilarious comedy we've seen this year. We (and entire audience with us) all seemed to get the jokes and we all seemed to laugh at the same volume. Hell, this is Tucson, not Stepford. It's all just the dialog and body and facial languages. The actors are terrific, the dialog is worthy of comparison with "LA Confidential." I thought Betty White was the funniest of the cast, but you'll have to see the film to find out why. I can't type that kind of language.

Lake Placid was a very entertaining movie that had all the things that audiences who pay for admission for movies like this come to see... BLOOD, DEATH, and good ol' fashioned gore! If you like good movies, go see this one!

O.K so what about being stupid or anything this is not no anaconda movie this is a movie that has a good beginning and it stays with you from the beginning till end. I know what you are saying are you kidding me, no I'M not kidding you I have seen the previews and the movie is worth it. if you have seen anaconda you have seen the scene where they are all in the water and looking to see where the snake is, that looked liked they knew something was there but was it, and I'M like Betty White I would be for the croc and hope that it wins, and boy I liked it where the croc pulls down the helicopter O.K I know that would not happen but hey this is a movie O.K. It might not be worth it at a cinema but I know it would be worth it at a drive in and I can't wait to see it again. don't listen to any of the critics listen to me I believe in lake placid and it's worth the price of admission because it will stay with you and you will not know what will happen. go see it and you will see for yourself that i was right. it's a comedy and a horror movie so you know you will laugh more that you will scream go see it.

People are coming up in pieces at Black Lake. Is this natural or is something amiss? The museum sends Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda) to team up with the wildlife department, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), to sort this out. At the same time, the daring duo sorts each other out. In their investigation, they come across a sweet little lady of the lake Mrs. Delores Bickerman (Betty White) who likes to feed the fauna.

There is nothing special in the story and you probably know it from a dozen other movies. What is good is the people's interactions and hokie environment. Do not overlook Betty White as Mrs. Delores Bickerman, pet lover.