
THE STORY Quite often, difficult situations turn enemies into the most unexpected allies. This is precisely where we’re going to meet Don and Phyllis. Don is a hitman employed by mobsters and is ordered to kill Phyllis, but instead, he runs away with her on the road trip which changes everything. Phyllis, on the other hand, has her own plans and suggests to Don that they team up to steal money from all the people who want to see her dead. This is how their perverted story begins.
While watching Tribeca’s films this year, one common thread that stood out, quite by mistake, was the portrayal of a person through the eyes of another person. Over several movies, there seems to be a common pattern: two characters, whether together by chance or by design, go through certain events together. Whether they emerge victorious or poor in the end, is for the audience to determine, but that appropriate motif is where the film “Lake George” by Jeffrey Reiner is appropriate. The film is the textbook definition of the term, ‘modern noir,’ however, most importantly, it gets everything almost right to mainly entertain the audiences even if a bit of the load is on the shoulders of the film’s main protagonists.
The film “Lake George” centers on the character Don, played by Shea Whigham, who is released from prison and wants to start a new life in California. Without any possibility of a quick cash inflow and nowhere else to go, Don goes back to the gangsters who played a part in his incarceration. Like most career criminals, Armen, played by Glenn Fleshler, will provide Don with the cash he owes him. But then, Don will be required to murder Armen’s former mistress Phyllis (played by Carrie Coon) before she can discuss his business affairs. It is, however, Don’s failure to carry out this task, which he perceives as too far removed from the rest of the tasks he performs that ultimately leads to him and Phyllis developing an unconventional partnership in an effort to earn huge fortunes enough to allow them to escape their previous lives.
One of the most compelling reasons to go see the film is to watch an actor of Whigam’s caliber land a lead role. “Lake George” largely works for Whigham by complementing his portrayal with performances aligned with the talents of actors such as Edward G. Robinson. Don’s assed and raspy persona serves as a perfect antithesis to his criminal accomplice Phyllis. Coon has such an engaging presence that she not only connects well with Whigham but also lifts the overall energy of the film. Coon’s hysterical exuberance and impeccable comic timing clash with Whigam’s deadpan delivery, and the result works wonders even if much of the humor they’re given fails to hit its target. If it wasn’t for these two actors, the other weak points of the film would be even more pronounced.
Reiner’s direction offers the two leading roles some good performances, but everything else surrounding Whigam and Coon’s work here is sort of bland. Curiously, “Lake George” feels like a long episode of “Barry” especially with Fleshler playing the same character he did in the first season of the show, which adds to this feeling. Meanwhile, there is no denying the fact that while Lake George was constructed in a cinematic way, it is very much authored by tee-vee thinking. To transition from television to film in a feature requires a cultural disruption that does not stand when the predecessor held a more condensed practice. There are brief moments, where the pace slackens and the storytelling gets more in the classical 30s film noir genre, but without the stylistic elements that made those pictures so much more visually appealing. The screenplay is short and gets skittish when tackling the topic as fast as it writes. Nevertheless, every now and then we get a twist that keeps the viewer from losing focus.
To start off, most of the jokes are pretty well-timed, but I can see why the level of Choon’s character’s portrayal must appear to the audience as requiring more than one actor. In general, however, both Don and Phyllis have a very sturdy blanket around them. This is primarily because the audience is told often enough what both characters want (from each other). He is, nevertheless, better as a persona, be it owing to having a noted feature such as a disability caused by his former endeavors or having a substantive plot concentrating on the women in his life prior to his confinement. Other than to gain financially, it is also possible to interpret some of the actions taken by Phylis as being necessary to enable progress in the plot. The film seems to offer a variety of ideas that they would like to develop with Phyllis, but don’t seem willing to do so. After the two are united in the film, they do not head out of the door for several long periods. However, one gets the impression that Reiner is far more concerned with Don the character.
Editing the film has not been a challenge, and the movie is well-structured. “Lake George, however, is able to lose steam as it moves toward what feels like an already predetermined conclusion, as it has been for some time now.” It’s clear Reiner has already spanned the idea as much as possible, unfortunately, “Lake George” wraps up in near disappointment. However, throughout Lake George, there isn’t a time when it is not interesting to a certain degree. It doesn’t ever try to be anything it is not. It is fun to witness Don and Phyllis discuss the most random things like donuts, and indulge themselves in violent pit stops. Many would be pleased with Reiner’s recent outing, but it should be noted that it will not go down as the most entertaining.
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