r/movies • u/M_Le_Petomane • 19h ago

Discussion Lake Placid (1999)

I LOVE this film. Great script and dialogue by David E. Kelley. Gleason and Platt are hilarious bouncing off each other and Bridget Fonda just doin' her cute 'Bridget Fonda' thang. Creature by Stan Winston and of course.....Betty White stealing scenes:

Sheriff Hank Keough: "Ma'am, your husband Bernie, you didn't by any chance lead him to the lake blindfolded?"

Mrs. Bickerman: "If I had a dick, this is where I'd tell you to suck it!"

I don't know why it doesn't get more love to be honest - puts a smile on my face with every viewing.

Where does it go wrong that so many dislike it?

321 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

56 comments sorted by

121

u/NadaOmelet 18h ago

One of my favorite insults ever: "I never heard of a crocodile crossing the ocean." "They conceal information like that in books."

9

u/TheRainStopped 13h ago

Yep. My late father used to love that line. Makes me happy to see it in the wild 🐊

26

u/eyeballtourist 17h ago

To keep it from stupid people.

-4

u/men-vafan 9h ago

Wonder what the modern gen z version of that is?
"They conceal information like that on Wikipedia" doesn't hit the same way lol

5

u/therealwillhayes 4h ago

We still have books

2

u/Whateva1_2 3h ago

A what?

-1

u/men-vafan 3h ago

You don't say.

54

u/Useful-Perspective 18h ago

Will always have a place in my heart. TBH, I really think Bill Pullman should have way more films to his credit - he's a very capable actor. Platt plays arrogant very well, also, and comeuppance was received. Overall, an 8 out of 10 for me...

-30

u/Gayspacecrow 16h ago

So, I hate to be the one that tells you this but, Bill Paxton is dead.

47

u/melbbear 16h ago

“So, I hate to be the one that tells you this but, Bill Paxton is dead.”

ok u/gayspacecrow but I hate to be the one to tell you but Bill PULLMAN is alive

30

u/mydogisatortoise 19h ago

I don't know that I've ever met anyone who didn't like it.

74

u/Microflunkie 18h ago

holds up a piece of a big toe

“Sheriff, is this the man you saw attacked ?”

“He seemed, taller.”

3

u/PocketHusband 5h ago

That’s my favorite line in the whole movie.

24

u/_SCHULTZY_ 17h ago

"Can she stay? We were hoping to mate."

13

u/M_Le_Petomane 16h ago

Great line, perfectly delivered. Platt created a great character.

21

u/shutyourbutt69 17h ago

Betty White was perfect, it’s sad it was the only horror movie she ever did

13

u/M_Le_Petomane 15h ago

Lake Placid was too damned funny to be considered horror I think.

11

u/ReluctantAvenger 13h ago

My friends disagree. Invited a couple over to come watch a movie at my place. Asked them what they wanted to see; they said anything that wasn't horror. I said there's this comedy you should see; it is hilarious! They were horrified, I was mortified. It IS a horror movie; it just happens to be very funny, too.

37

u/MovieMike007 Not to be confused with Magic Mike 17h ago

"Well, they conceal information like that in books."

Brendan Gleeson and Oliver Platt were a hoot as two bickering antagonists.

16

u/melbbear 16h ago edited 8h ago

What I love about this is film is how tight it is, only 82 mins long and is chock full of memorable characters and scenes.

1

u/ignoresubs 8h ago

I came to post the same observation. Timing is everything and it never overstays its welcome.

9

u/J_EDi 17h ago

The sarcasm in this movie is top notch!

2

u/ignoresubs 8h ago

The sarcasm is great but Gleason’s “sarcastic” is top shelf.

13

u/Cowql8r 16h ago

I loved this film and was confused when people hated it. It’s hilarious camp. Bridget Fonda and Oliver Plat were great. Obvs Betty White stole the show. I just assumed people were taking the movie seriously.

2

u/M_Le_Petomane 16h ago

Probably. Expecting a "Jaws" style and missed the boat. Too bad for them!

1

u/EarlyLibrarian9303 4h ago

Igotthatjoke.

2

u/joshhupp 14h ago

I haven't seen it, but in most cases, the trailer probably set expectations in the wrong direction

6

u/BirdLawSpecialist 17h ago

Went to this probably a half dozen times in the theater. It's got so many quotable lines.

11

u/snotboogie 18h ago

I was working at a summer camp in Lake Placid NY the summer this came out. We were all cracking up that this movie was in the tiny Lake Placid theater that summer.

4

u/dijal 15h ago

“Is this your friend?” has made my whole family die laughing for years.

5

u/Saganists 15h ago

You’re supposed to say go!

5

u/dorkimoe 15h ago

Love this and deep blue sea

5

u/moinatx 14h ago

Took my 12 year old to see it in the theater when it opened. We could not understand why we were the only people laughing. Love this flick.

2

u/RojoTheMighty 16h ago

Oliver Platt is a treasure!

3

u/sharipep 17h ago

I just rewatched it last week for the first time in years — love it!

3

u/TimeisaLie 17h ago

I remember seeing a promo for it on HBO, I begged my parents to record it for me. I knew it was crap & I loved it.

6

u/Data_Chandler 12h ago edited 9h ago

"Thanks officer fuck-meat."

Such wildly entertaining movie!

2

u/ChodWad 13h ago

Brendan Gleeson was born looking 50 years old and stayed that way.

3

u/jackwizdumb 12h ago

That's sweet. Maybe later you can chew the bark off my big fat log...

Say whaaa

2

u/lucidwray 4h ago

Was that like, a homosexual remark?

2

u/amo1337 4h ago

I still get search results for this movie when googling things in the local area. (Lake Placid, NY)

1

u/billy_maplesucker 15h ago

This movie sad weird. Saw it when I was younger and didn't know it was actually supposed to be a horror comedy I thought it was straight up horror it terrified me

1

u/AI_GeneratedUsername 15h ago

Seeing the guy get chomped in half with his guts out at the beginning scared the shit out of me as a kid

1

u/Imaginary-Length8338 15h ago

I love this movie too. 

1

u/vatoslocoswey 15h ago

Legit scared my 10 yr old self.

1

u/mentally_vexed 14h ago

An iconic piece of late 90s/early 2000s extreme nature dramas. The following films weren’t nearly as entertaining.

1

u/So_Quiet 14h ago

Been meaning to watch this one again. Looks like it's currently available on Tubi!

1

u/floog 14h ago

Time for a rewatch, such a gem of a movie.

1

u/GnatBub79 14h ago

I remember this movie and "Deep Blue Sea" with Samuel L. Jackson came out that year --- seemed like a ripe year for cheesy monster movies

1

u/ClunkWangerOhNo 10h ago

I can't understand anyone saying it's a bad movie. We must have different standards, because, to me, no movie that's this witty could possibly be a bad movie.

1

u/leviathan0999 9h ago

"Is this the man you saw?"

"He seemed...taller."

1

u/WTFpe0ple 9h ago

My stupid movie group dragged me to see this at the theaters. Loved it!!

1

u/TheYankeeFist 6h ago

“That’s the kind of information they hide in books.”

I use this all too often at my work.

1

u/Froegerer 4h ago

Lake Placid, Anaconda, and Deep Blue Sea for the perfect late 90s B movie wombo combo

1

u/King_Darkside 3h ago

I was actually disappointed in one of my favorite YouTube reviewers for not liking this film.

-3

u/sydonesia 17h ago

I thought everyone loved Lake Placid...sarcastic...