CLEMENTINE'S REVIEWS

10th February 2010
The Rage in Placid Lake (2003)

Director: Tony McNamara
Writer: Tony McNamara
Starring: Ben Lee, Rose Byrne, Miranda Richardson, Garry McDonald

Not to be confused with Lake Placid.

The only child of hippie parents, Placid Lake (Ben Lee) is on the brink of graduation when his propensity towards provocation gets him into more trouble than ever. As he reflects on the problems in his life, Placid decides to rebel and become a stable insurance worker.

The concept is solid: a freethinking alternative soul decides to improve his life by joining the rat race, much to the horror of his bohemian parents Sylvia (Miranda Richardson) and Doug (Garry McDonald) and his best friend, the intellectual Gemma (Rose Byrne). Gemma is also having her own personal crisis - after following a path of hard study shes not certain the next obvious academic step is the right one. This period in our teenage lives, and often following us into our 20s, appears crucial in laying the right foundations for the rest of our lives (well, its not, change is constant). There's a lot of humour in the backwards sea change, especially for his hippie parents who feel they've failed in teaching him to challenge social norms. However, there are some major problems.

One of the most shocking things is the acting. I dont know if it was the too-witty dialogue or the stock of film, or the flat cinematography, but all the actors seemed like they were auditioning for a local theatre production. I think Ben Lee's music is great, but he's right up there with Norah Jones for the wooden singer-cast-as-an-actor award. I can't even blame Lee, because someone else cast him. Expecting a save from the always subtly good Rose Byrne, I was shocked that she was not taking to the material at all. Maybe it was the dialogue for the indignant super smart Gemma, or being distracted by Lee's performance, but it was mostly stiff and unnatural. Richardson's Sylvia was fanning about with melodrama, which I choose to attribute to poor direction. The school bullies looked as  uncomfortable on camera as I felt watching them. The script thought itself a bit too clever, which detracted from being believable in delivery, with some unlikely plot points which were unlikely enough to be quirky.
 
Not to make the movie sound was completely painful. There are some strong messages about deciding what you want in life, and some really fun moments. I just wished it could have been less amateur theatre.

Verdict: A fun, is slightly misshapen, journey for anyone who ever thought twice about what they should be doing.