User reviews

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

I really enjoyed this movie. I won't lie to you though it isn't uber-brilliant, deep or ultra-funny. It is the sort movie you watch late at night when your expectations are low. If you're looking for a movie that doesn't make you think too much this is it.

That being said I did find it funny, if somewhat puerile at times. I could relate to the main protagonist. The story moved along at a good pace and didn't get bogged down. I really wanted to see how it would end up.

I like that it didn't suffer from the usually Australian movie problem of "lets show you how uniquely Australian we can make this film" it just let itself be. It showed a side of Australia that wasn't purely rural or suburban.

Also Rose Byrne is absolutely gorgeous. I think I want to marry her!

I found this movie to be pretty good. While the jokes weren't hilariously funny, they were still worth a fair few laughs.

The acting was quite good, surprisingly including the singer Ben Lee;

The cinematography worked quite well with the general mood. Some of the camera work was imperfect, but that sort of added to the character of the film. Some of the shots were actually quite good

So it didn't do so well in the box office. It wasn't the sort of film you associate with box office takings. This is a film that makes you laugh and then makes you think. I really like that, and I love how much I felt for the characters at the end. For me, that character empathy is what makes a movie good, not how many dollars it made

Overall, an interesting film that throws an interesting twist on the teen movie and the Australian comedy

Characters are believable, yet stretched to be perfectly bizarre. I saw the film at an Indie Film Fest at a college where my mum works and the whole room just kept laughing. I thought my sides were going to burst!

This is definitely on my list of favorites now.... I just want to give it a hug.

Oh... you have to see the movie. You just have to. You will be laughing so hard throughout you won't be able to hear half of the lines and you will have to see the whole thing over again. I think i might re-watch it tonight and then have a bunch of people over to watch it again.

Not to be confused with the mediocre creature feature "Placid Lake," "The Rage in Placid Lake" is a quirky romantic comedy, a fun corporate satire and a weighty coming-of-age tale. Placid Lake (Benny 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 (Rose 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" and "Charlie Bartlett" 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 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.

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I can't believe I didn't hear about this film when it was released. I must have missed The Movie Show that particular week. I saw the DVD on the shelf of my local video shop, while it was in the New Releases section. I saw the cover, loved the word-play in the title, and, thinking it was American, I told myself I would get it out when it gets moved to the weekly section.

I saw it, in the weekly section, some time later, and I read the blurb on the back and thought, 'that sounds really interesting, I'll get it out someday'. Then last week, I picked it up again, and noticed the Australian Film Finance Corporation named on the back. I was in. I hired it, took it home, and loved every minute.

From the first scene, 'The Rage in Placid Lake' sets itself up to be taken only semi-seriously. The parents of Placid Lake, our hero, are, as his name would suggest, extreme New Agers. We first meet Placid at primary school, where his mother drops him off in a dress, admonishing him to challenge the other children's pre-conceived notions of sexuality. Between flashbacks to his childhood, the film follows Placid's transition from school to work, which is fraught with stresses. Having failed to achieve happiness following his parents' advice, Placid takes a new tack: he gets his hair cut like George W. Bush, buys a suit, and lands a job with an insurance company. All of which is most distressing to his best friend Gemma, and his parents, who go to great lengths to shake him out of this Capitalist madness.

Writer and Director Tony McNamara has worked primarily in theatre, and has also written for television, including Southern Star's magnificent 'The Secret Life of Us'. His background in the theatre, however, lends this film a very intimate and human touch. He had originally thought of this story as a play, but rightly judged it to be more suited to film, and made adjustments accordingly. The result is a film that stands out as something fresh, something that takes old ideas and stereotypes, and employs them to great effect.

While the characters in this film can be described as caricatures, Placid's journey into adulthood—his discovery of himself and of his relationships—resonates with such humanity that the suspension of disbelief is no effort. The pathos with which the characters are written boldly emphasises McNamara's assertion that we must be true to ourselves.

The most remarkable aspect of this film, however, remains the sad fact that so few people have seen it or even heard about it. It is an example of the magnificent films being produced in this country, and highlights the miserable plight of Australian filmmakers, overshadowed by the monstrous marketing ploys of their American counterparts. 'The Rage in Placid Lake' may not quite be as noteworthy in the history of Australian film as 'Jedda' or 'Mad Max' or 'Romper Stomper', but it makes a profound statement about humanity that sits somewhat uncomfortably in a world of Free Trade Agreements and 'Wars on Terror'. What's more, it makes that statement beautifully.

When Placid Lake was a little boy, his mother sent him to school wearing a dress, just so he could experience sexuality from a different point of view. As a result, he had the snot punched out of him and for years is constantly the victim of bullies, though he found a soul-mate in the nerdy/studious Gemma. Gemma loses her mother at 8 and her father, not quite sure how to deal with children, wants her to be a scientist. Years pass - Placid still lives with his Mum and Dad, ageing hippies with an eccentric outlook on the world and is about to finish school. Placid's idea of rebellion is to make a prize winning video of school life which will net him $10,000 and help him achieve his dream of fishing in Montana. At the official screening which turns out to be a little disasterous he falls from the school roof and undergoes a life change. This is a quirky "coming of age" flick - with a relatively unknown cast (to those outside Australia). Ben Lee in the title role is well cast as the slightly nerdy but intelligent Placid, Rose Byrne's Gemma is terrific and Garry McDonald and Miranda Richardson as Placid's hippy parents are brilliant. Take the time to see this film - it's worth it!

Just watched "The Rage in Placid Lake" and, wow, what a ride. This movie's got that quirky, off-the-beaten-path vibe that's hard to find. It's all about this guy, Placid Lake, who's anything but calm. Picture this: a dude who's been the odd one out his whole life, thanks to his super unconventional parents. Then, he decides to flip the script and dive headfirst into the corporate world. Yeah, talk about a plot twist.

Ben Lee plays Placid, and he absolutely kills it, bringing this perfect mix of sarcasm and depth to the character. You can't help but root for him, even when he's making the most bizarre choices. And the parents? They're a trip, making you rethink the whole 'normal' thing.

The movie's got humor, heart, and a little bit of that "stick it to the man" spirit. It's like a coming-of-age story but with a twist. Placid's journey from an outsider to, well, still an outsider, but on his own terms, is both hilarious and kinda inspiring.

The soundtrack's a banger, too, fitting the movie's mood perfectly. If you're into films that are a bit out there, with characters that stick with you and make you think, "The Rage in Placid Lake" is your jam. It's a reminder that it's okay to be different and that sometimes, the craziest path leads to the best destination. Definitely a must-watch if you're looking for something that's not your typical cookie-cutter flick.

This is so bad it's beyond belief...It's yet another bad Australian comedy.how many are we going to make until we realise this type of film has had it's day. The characters have no depth and I can see why it bombed at the box office. It's time for a change of scenery.

I went into this film knowing very little apart from that the main character had an unusual name, and it had Ben Lee and Rose Byrne in it. I came out the other end knowing quite a bit more, and feeling very positive about the whole experience!

This is not your typical Australian film, for example, it doesn't resort to having characters with really strong 'Ocker' accents, and not everyone is wearing stubbies and a singlet. It represents, i think, the more real Australia than is normally shown, and it does it so with quirky, original characters. Placid's (Ben Lee) journey in this film is interesting and funny to watch, as we see a young man searching for more stability to his life, while Gemma (Rose Byrne) tries to show him that stability isn't what he needs.

All in all, I enjoyed this film immensely and I know that certain scenes will be sticking in my head for a long time yet. Excellent work by newcomer Ben Lee, and the expected great work by Rose Byrne and Garry Mcdonald help this film to stand head and shoulders above a lot of the fare coming out of Australia these days. Top Effort.

(Note to those who like useless trivia/details - watch out for Ben's girlfriend Claire Danes' cameo around half way through the film. Blink, and you'll nearly miss it!)

I can't believe some of the positive reviews of this movie. The dialog is pretentious, pristine and unnatural.

The characters: NONE of them are likable. You just don't buy anything they say or do. POOR writing all around. This movie wants to be Rushmore or Juno or something like that and just falls flat on its face.

It is a needless movie that adds NOTHING to film.

Most of all, it's just not funny. Or clever.

At all.

I like Ben Lee's music and find it sad and unfortunate that he wasted his time with this unoriginal and lame movie.

i have been in love with Australian cinema for years. it all started with "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" & "Muriel's Wedding". it then continued with films like "Love & Other Catastrophes", "Hotel De Love", "Cosi" & "Garage Days". (not sure if those were the Australian titles for all of these films or not.) the problem is that America doesn't get a lot of Australian films to choose from. even American made independent films have a hard time making it to theatres. the overload of bad Hollywood films makes it hard for anything to make it to the screen. we have to either rent them on DVD or watch them on channels like IFC or Sundance, and now we have Logo. i know Ben Lee is a household name in Australia, but in America he is still relatively unknown. (which is just unfortunate for America.) i recently saw him in concert opening for Aimee Mann. he blew me away. once i got home i checked out his website and that's when i learned about "The Rage in Placid Lake". i rented it thinking that he would have just enough charisma as an actor to make it entertaining. instead he blew me away again. i was also pleased to see Miranda Richardson in this also. she is such an incredible actress. i would love to find out about more great Australian films that i should see. so if anyone out there can recommend some, please do. and as far as recommendations go, it said somewhere on here if you liked "The Rage In Placid Lake" that you should see "Kindergarten Cop". wow, i am not sure how that conclusion was made. if you did see this and liked it, check out some of the titles i mentioned above instead. some similarly themed American films you might check out are "The United States of Leland", "Garden State", "The Battle of Shaker Heights" and yes even "Napoleon Dynamite". and if you like good music check out Ben Lee in concert (i get to see him again soon, with Ben Folds & Rufus Wainwright) or get his CD "Awake is the New Sleep".

Aha! After last week's debacle with American Wake, I was starting to worry that the Reel 13 Indies were going to be a series of below average films that didn't receive more significant distribution for a reason (i.e. they stunk). But HERE - here they have found a diamond in the rough – that long lost indie gem that slipped through the cracks and failed to reach a wider audience. This, of course, leads me to two questions: 1) Who at Fox Searchlight or Focus Features went to somebody's bar mitzvah instead of a screening of this film allowing Film Movement to pick it up? and 2) Why in the hell didn't Reel 13 debut with this film instead of American Wake? (Sidenote: Another option would have been to air it on 2/2/08 when Reel 13 is showing Rebel Without a Cause – this would have been a PERFECT companion piece for that – why aren't they looking at content when pairing these films???) The first thing you need to know about The Rage in Placid Lake is that it's an Australian film. The second thing you need to know is that it stars that country's quirky rock/folk icon, Ben Lee (you may have noticed that I recently added one of his songs to the MySpace page – it's pretty good…). The film starts out with a five year-old Placid Lake being sent to school in a dress by his granola, new wave bisexual mother (Miranda Richardson) to challenge the other students' preconceived notions of sexuality or something like that. It's a very clever idea and very efficient – with a few simple images, it establishes Placid, his family and the series of problems he is likely to have when he grows up into Ben Lee.

The film is full of moments like this – visual, clever ideas that optimize screen time to push the story forward (There is a great dream scene in which Placid plays his own therapist and they discuss his life predicament and action steps to resolve it – more films need to be creative like this when it comes to exposition). There are not many belly laughs, per se, but the film is consistently amusing, often inspired and always irreverent. The script is really strong – structured without feeling manipulative and resisting the urge for sitcom-type "set-'em-up, slam it home" humor. There are a few minor contrivances (Placid's corporate job interview is a bit too easy) and there is a heavy reliance on voice-over, especially in the beginning (I am particularly biased against the over usage of VO – that and dissolves – but I won't get into that here. We could be here all day…), but on the whole, the film works on many levels.

Ben Lee is amiable and pleasant as the titular character. He has the charm, if not the chops. If you're looking for chops, look no further than Miranda Richardson as Sylvia Lake, reminding us why she was the Brit femme du jour of the early 90's when she received two Oscar nominations in a three year period (for Damage and Tom and Viv) before she faded into occasional obscure roles on BBC TV movies. Hopefully that won't be the same fate for Rose Byrne, who has the unique distinction of being the best thing in two very bad movies (Troy and Wicker Park). Byrne gives her best performance to date as Placid's genius best friend, Gemma. Byrne can't hide her sexiness (she was innocuously sexy as both a spunky slave girl and a psychotic stalker in the previously mentioned films), but she can (and does) layer it with intelligence, wit, (appropriate) pathos, and an emotional confusion that, to some degree, stems from her inability to reconcile her smarts with her sexuality.

The most memorable part of the film for me, though, involves the performance of Christopher Stollery as Joel, Placid's supervisor at his corporate insurance job. This has as much to do with Stollery's impeccable delivery and timing as it does the very concept behind the role itself. Joel becomes an unwitting, somewhat accidental surrogate father/big-brother to Placid - almost like a corporate soothsayer, whose advice is generally as much a surprise to the giver as it is to the recipient. This is a great, original narrative device invented by writer/director Tony McNamara who uses it consistently and effectively to steer the story in one direction or another.

As excited as I am that Reel 13 discovered and aired this film, I am somewhat appalled that it didn't receive domestic theatrical distribution. This isn't just a good little indie film – this is a good film in general and had it been released in 2003, it would have stood a good chance of making a few top ten lists that year, including my own. I understand that Ben Lee was less of a sell-able commodity at the time and that Australian films are not in high demand, but successes like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Bend it Like Beckham and Napoleon Dynamite prove that there is a market for more varied entertainment. We can only hope that the next hidden gem like The Rage in Placid Lake gets the kind of attention it deserves.

Don't waste your time on this. Absolutely one of the worst movies ever. I got it from the local library under the misapprehension that it would a respectable movie. I didn't (couldn't) finish it , but that part of it which I did see was nothing more than a string of obscenities, nudity and sex with puerile humor thrown in to try to connect it all together. This movies did not appear to have a single redeeming feature. The cover said it was a "Film Movement" movie, which apparently is new, arts-type movies which are normally not shown in cinemas. If this is typical of the series then I know why. In future I will stay well away from them.

I am constantly surprised by good reviews for Australian movies. Aren't we in the middle off a recession we had to have, why is it so easy for Australians to bag movies like take away and the wannabes, but when a good one comes along like this, we sit ashen faced and let inbred morons hope working dog make the castle 2.

stand up for Australian cinema. what other country in the world would try and make a movie star out of Mick Molloy. He's not Jewish or a Scientologist, but he's still a matinée idol in Australia.

If this movie was set in new jersey it would be an award winning movie that moves a generation, we don't need America's seal of approval on our movies. As long as we like them who gives a f*&k.

Iam a big fan of foreign movies but this one really was just bad. The acting was very poor especially the main character. The movie is not funny and most jokes are just copied of Hollywood movies. Save yourself2 hours and $3.99. It doesn't matter how much you try to get out of the movie at the end there was not much to get out of it. The jokes were mainly lame and the character was so dull and unfunny. The movie was not very original and the acting could have definitely been improved. There are lot of good Aussie movies out there but this is not one of them. The story line was very hollywoodish without life and at the end you wished you had followed you instinct and turn it off right at the beginning

I have watched this movie numerous times since discovering it 2 years ago. It is just fabulous! A very original story of friendship, oddball parents and love. Some of the scenes are unbelievably funny and shocking. If you liked this year's smash hit JUNO, which was excellent- I believe you'd love Placid and Gemma more. The most unfortunate thing about this excellent piece is it is rather hard to find in Canada and most likely US video stores. Get your hands on it and you won't be disappointed. My copy has gone MISSING! :( It was one of those items that was constantly borrowed and always a fight to get back since everyone loved it so much.

I didn't think it was possible that Ben Lee could act worse than he can sing, but I stand corrected. Although it's not entirely his fault that this movie is an embarrassment to the Australian film industry - equally to blame is whichever thirteen year old who wrote the script. Appalling. Even Gary Mcdonald can't make his lines work, and he is an amazing actor. Rose Byrne is her usual plank of wood self. Pretty, doe- eyed, and vacant. The dialogue between the two main characters is similar to the dialogue between characters in Dawsons Creek, trying very hard to be clever, but coming off sounding very try- hard. Ben Lee in particular blurts out his lines with a self- satisfied look on his face throughout the whole movie. I was not a bully in my high school days, but I would have been if Ben was there. I would definitely have pushed him down the stairs on more than one occasion. I was hoping his character would die a horrible death, and that rose Byrne's character would go into a coma permanently.

Coming of age film - two best friends have to decide what to do with their lives and what they are willing to compromise. Do you live your life for yourself or your parents dreams?

After an altercation with some bullies, Placid decides being an individual isn't worth the hassle. He shocks his hippy dippy idealistic parents and his best friend when he ceases raging against the machine and goes to work the man in a mundane 9-5 job.

Things are wrapped up predictably and neatly, but the character's journey raises empathy and there are many amusing moments. The director resists going over the top and keeps the humor and message understated yet strong.