See, the state of Michigan recently enacted some pretty generous tax incentives for film and television production companies, and since then, we've been inundated with movie types, ranging from the likes of Steven Spielberg, all the way down to the folks who made the picture I'm about to discuss in today's entry.
Michigan's film incentives have REALLY WORKED -- we can actually SEE the proof of that everywhere we look in the state. Since around 2005, countless communities have enjoyed the prestige and economic benefits of having film crews set up shop for a few weeks to make their little (or, big) projects.
In fact, a Sean Penn movie was shot in my former town of Bad Axe (population: three thousand) just this past year, and it was, like, the BIGGEST THING EVER to happen in the area. One of my best pals, who still lives in Bad Axe, described to me the whole atmosphere in the community as that motion picture was produced, and it sounds to me as though the ordeal was positively electric. Local restaurants and hotels benefited from having a film crew in town, and tons of people got to enjoy the thrill of meeting honest to God movie stars, hanging out smoking cigarettes in front of Pete's Bar, or simply gassing up at the Sunoco station. These were all GOOD things...and the story could be applied to tons of towns and cities in Michigan lately....
So, OF COURSE, what does our new governor want to do??? -- Kill the film incentives, of course!
It figures. God forbid Michigan might actually follow through with something THAT'S WORKING. Brilliant work, fellas in charge....
(Yes, our governor often dresses like Megaman, for some reason.) ANYway, today I have for you a movie that was a true treat for me to see. I drove up to the town of Saugatuck to check it out on Saturday. Called The Lake Effect, this lovely little dramatic comedy was produced mostly in a couple of Lake Michigan shoreline communities known as Covert and South Haven. It was made possible through the state's film incentives, and REALLY captured the essence of the locale in which it's set. I recommend this one highly.
The Lake Effect (2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1466068/
IMDB description (no Netflix available yet):
Rob Lawson's perpetual quest for success is interrupted when his estranged daughter shows up pregnant, challenging him to be a father before he becomes a grandfather.
I don't normally do this, but I might as well give you a little background info on what I do for a living. See, I'm, a reporter and, yes -- I found out about The Lake Effect through work. I got a press release one night from the movie's producer announcing its upcoming Michigan debut, and immediately thought, "Hot damn! Another locally produced motion picture...and this one seems SERIOUS!" I was all over that story within a matter of minutes.
I mean, I've written here on this blog a couple of times in the past about local movies -- about how I like to check them out, no matter what they are. Some are good, and some...well...not so much. But The Lake Effect seemed to be an entire different beast from the rest. The folks who made this bad boy are actually legitimate filmmakers (not just amateurs who dabble in the occasional making of a movie), coming from the City of Angels, and everything!
And...you know...I'm probably making a mistake by doing this, but here's a link to the story I wrote up on them. I think it describes the scenario behind the production of The Lake Effect fairly well, and why I was willing to drive 70-plus miles on my own dime to see it. Let's just all pretend that I haven't violated several rules of professionalism throughout the course of Who Wants Taters' 220 posts, and NOT get me in trouble through information gleaned through the posting of that link, shall we? :)
(However, I stand behind my allegation that he likes to dress like Megaman.) OK, OK. Enough screwing around. Let's get to the point.
As already stated, I hightailed it up to Saugatuck on Saturday for a screening of The Lake Effect, and must say that the film exceeded all expectations.
I mean, producer Jennifer and director Tara seemed very nice and professional over the phone when I spoke to them and all, but upon seeing the trailer for their film, I developed some doubts. I wondered if their picture was going to be another disappointing, shot-on-high-school-AV-club-level equipment, with-low-grade-acting-to-match, sort of nonexistent-budget affair. I've run into so many of them over the years that I guess it was only natural for me to have concerns....
But, in this case, they were unfounded.
The Lake Effect is a beautifully-shot, lovingly-constructed, heartfelt, little motion picture. It oozes warmth, charm, wit, and humor, and keeps us engaged for the full 90 minutes. I really was quite satisfied with the experience, and look forward to the film's upcoming professional distribution. This is a movie that deserves some attention.
(DISCLAIMER: Roger Ebert has not reviewed this movie.)OK, here's the story:
The Lake Effect is about a 40-50-ish year-old guy named Rob who hasn't seen his daughter in, oh, eight years or so. See, he's kind of too occupied with various business deals and such to devote any time to silly diversions like family and child rearing (hey, we can all relate, right?).
Anyway, Rob and his hottish, younger wife (Natalie) are preparing to spend a summer hanging out at his beach house along the shoreline of Lake Michigan when (you guessed it!) his teenage daughter (Celia) suddenly shows up, like, 97,000 months pregnant. Rob's all shocked and upset, but his little firecracker of a daughter isn't one to take crap from anyone, so she keeps his feeble attempts at discipline at bay pretty well throughout the film. Instead, they argue and bond; bond and argue. It's kind of a developing relationship....
Celia reminded me of Juno, only less annoying, and really, The Lake Effect boils down to the rebuilding of her relationship with Rob, as both of them mature and begin to accept their responsibilities to each other (well, maybe more so with Rob than Celia). Throw in Rob's own complicated marriage issues, and the eventual appearance of Celia's baby daddy (Jace), and we've got a recipe for some fairly compelling drama.
But The Lake Effect is, by no means, ALL serious. There's plenty of humor here -- smart, often-subtle jokes that rely on good timing and direction to work. More than anything, I was struck by how well such a clever script could be executed with so little in the way of resources. Tara Miele is OBVIOUSLY a talented writer, but the more I think about it, the more I'm impressed by her ability to pull this film off as a director, as well, given the circumstances under which it was shot. She REALLY captured the essence of this little corner of the world known as Southwest Michigan, and made the whole thing come across as very professional and natural and lovely. Good show.
Performances across the board exceed expectations. I was especially surprised by star Ross Partridge, as Rob, the kinda-sorta deadbeat dad. For a guy with so many flaws, he sure is likable. Heck, I'd even hang out with him (his character, I mean), and that's a pretty rare reaction for me to feel towards anyone, let alone a fictitious failed businessman. I also liked Celia, that little spark plug; and Rob's wife, Natalie, rounds out a cast of characters in need of some maturity with rock solid dependability.
The ONLY real complaints I might have about The Lake Effect are that it comes close to meandering about halfway through the third act, and the film's climax teeters on the edge of hokeyness. Then again, when all was said and done, I don't know how else it COULD have been handled. I walked out of the theater not regretting that I had spent 90 bucks on gas and restaurant expenses to see The Lake Effect, so I guess that right there tells you that whatever criticisms I could have mustered for the movie mattered not a whole lot in the end. It's a good movie, folks.
Check out The Lake Effect, if you get a chance. It really is a nice little story -- the kind of movie that needs to be encouraged. Sometimes, I get tired of the paint-by-the-numbers zombie flicks and stupid basement-kidnapping gorefests; I want to see more simple, DRAMATIC ultra-indie films. Stuff like what Hal Hartley would have once made. I bet HE'D like The Lake Effect.
I know I did.
Oh, and I'll keep you posted on when this baby shows up on Netflix....
4 out of 5.
b.
I heard about this movie thanks to local media, such as yourself. I thought it was really heartwarming. Thanks for the good review!
ReplyDeleteStanley