Rage in Placid Lake

Year: 2003
Genre: Comedy
Directed: Tony McNamara
Stars: Benny Lee, Rose Byrne, Miranda Richardson, Garry McDonald, Simone Cullinan, Socratis Otto, Toby Schmitz, Nathaniel Dean, Stephen James King, Nicholas Hammond, Saskia Smith, Christopher Stollery
Production: Macgowan Films

Not to be confused with the mediocre creature feature Placid Lake (1999), The Rage in Placid Lake is a quirky romantic comedy, a fun corporate satire and a weighty coming-of-age tale. Placid Lake (Lee) is a ridiculously precocious high schooler raised by new age hippie parents and is constantly picked on by bullies. In an act of "fearlessness," Placid presents a brutally honest student video at school which assuredly lands him in the hospital. Recovering from his wounds, Placid realizes a change needs to be made and formulates a plan to become normal to the disappointment of his best friend Gemma (Byrne).

Originally a play entitled "The Cafe Latte Kid" by Tony McNamara, the big screen adaptation is witty, charming and strangely reflective. Indie rocker Benny Lee's occasional voice over gives the script some tongue-and-cheek humor and the story becomes unpredictably fresh as Placid's inner psyche evolves. His unique charm and unconventional good looks work in his favor as he walks the line between adolescent naivety and adulthood cynicism. Likewise Rose Byrne makes Gemma uniquely fun as a prudish overachiever constantly egged on by her stepfather. The real standouts however are the supporting cast members. Miranda Richardson and Garry McDonald tread the waters well as a hippie couple with marital problems. Though originally introduced as a caricature both manage to make the best of their parts and transcend into fleshed out characters with motivations that aren't always virtuous but human. Likewise Saskia Smith and Christopher Stollery make the best of their screen time as Placid's sexually charged, emotionally distant co-worker and his boss respectively.

Many might find the humor a bit different in this film. In most satires, characters are a logical extension of the subject up for satire but after the first third of the film most characters are treated with some level of civility. Placid's corporate boss for example is first seen as a soulless task master but near the end of the movie you find he's just a person who has lost himself in a corporate world. Unfortunately this movie's freshness starts to fade away in the third act as story holes are quickly plugged in like so much spackle on drywall and Placid receives his happy Hollywood ending.

Rage in Placid Lake evokes comparisons to other teen comedies like The Breakfast Club (1985) and Charlie Bartlett (2007) which attempt to mix laughs with jolts of cinematic seriousness. It certainly succeeded in the former, but not in the later. Although not as scrabbled as Charlie Bartlett, The Rage in Lake Placid isn't as composed as it should be. The jokes are sometimes laugh-out-loud funny but those moments are few and far in between and the love story lacks evolution. At points it seemed Rose Byrne could have been replaced with a male friend and most of the plot points would be the same throughout (though the end kiss would be a little awkward).

I would recommend this Aussie import to anyone of sound mind and body but not strongly enough to warrant required watching status. Though it has a uniqueness that sticks with you after the credits roll, it only raises to the occasion of date night filler.

Final Grade: C