Lakeboat

Customer Reviews:

Film version of Mamet's first play.......2007-07-09

We're used to Mamet plays and films filled with macho talk and expletives and there are plenty of those to be found here but this one is a very personal and powerful film from Mamet. The inspiration for this play as well as GlenGarry Glen Ross come from Mamet's own experiences as a real estate salesman and cook on a merchant ship before he became an award winning playwright. Dale (Tony Mamet, David's brother) is a college student who gets a job for the summer as a cook aboard a ship filled with crusty old men who end up teaching him a lot about life. The cast is fantastic with the likes of Peter Falk, Charles Durning, Andy Garcia, Denis Leary, Robert Forster, and Mamet regulars George Wendt, J.J. Johnston, and Jack Wallace. Dale is replacing the previous cook (Garcia) who was jumped by a prostitute and may even be dead as Falk tells him. When he arrives on-board he meets the men who all talk tough and put him through some initiation rituals but gradually the men warm to him and begin to enjoy his company. The man who does this the most is Robert Forster. He sees much of himself in Dale and recounts what a tough time he had as a man of Dale's age in the film's most powerful scene. It is a dark secret that he has kept hidden but finally feels comfortable enough to share it with someone. The tone is not all heavy though as Johnston and Wallace have some hilarious conversations discussing all the beer and women they have enjoyed over the years and arguing over how tough Steven Seagal really is. As the summer progresses Dale becomes more confident and independent and when the summer is up and its time for him to return to school there is a very touching scene where all the men walk him to the docks after the ship has pulled in. All the men give Dale something that they have kept with them on their numerous voyages. Its a very nice scene in terms of sentiment but also in giving an idea of the effect that these men have had on Mamet and how much they have influenced his work to come. Perhaps this is the birthplace of his trademark dialogue spending a summer in the company of these men and studying the way they talked. This was not a Mamet film I was aware of but once I read about it and bought it I was glad I discovered it. Sure its full of rough language and the graphic sexual talk of lonely men at sea its also very touching. This film marked the directorial debut of Joe Mantegna who was the lead in Mamet's own directorial debut House of Games. If you're a fan of Mamet this one is essential to see and understand how these men influenced his style to come so much so that he based his first play on that summer.

This ain't no Pirates of the Carribean..........2006-08-01

Anybody who has ever sailed on a ship as a crewmember will probably find this movie hilarious. For the rest of the population, it's probably hit-or-miss in terms of whether or not the viewers 'get it' and appreciate it for what it is. It's no action movie. It's no 'Pirates of the Carribean.' If you want a swordfight or an explosion every five minutes, don't even bother. This movie cruises along at the same slow, uneventful pace as the ship and crew it depicts. If on the other hand, you appreciate a film that delves into a lifestyle and a world you've not experienced, give this one a try. But be prepared to have your romantic/literary visions of the sailor's life swept away like those of the movie's protagonist. It's not glamorous, and definitely not politically correct. Some of the characters and stereotypes are exaggerated, but it generally reflects a truism that we jokingly use in this industry: the difference between a fairy tale and a sea story is that a fairy tale begins with "once upon a time," and a sea story begins with "this ain't no s***." Lakeboat generally tells it like it is. The DVD itself is pretty bare-bones, especially by today's standards, but it's well worth picking up if you want an insight into the lives of the men who drive ships for a living.

DVD info only.......2005-03-24

Re the DVD itself, not the film:
* Pan and scan only
* No close captioning
* Subtitles in Spanish only
Great movie, not the best DVD.

Apprentice.......2004-08-28

This is a guys movie about men teaching a grad college student about men's lives. They do it by association and without lecturing or posturing. Tough language in places, but it is how a lot of guys talk. Same idea as Duvall and Caine teaching the kid in "Second Hand Lions", except the 'student' was younger there. I enjoyed this movie a lot. Good acting and quite subtle for all the cursing. By the way, Jack Wallace, who initiates the funny Steven Seagal discussion, played Seagal's uncle in "Above the Law."

Small Interesting Film.......2003-03-23

For David Mamet fans, dialogue over special effects fans, fans of charming humor and people intertesed in a view of men without women...this is a quality film. Even for people who aren't fans of any of those things, but open to good acting and even bizarre, absurd conversations, funny non-sequitors. There are three great scenes: One from Jack Wallace as Fred, describing his introduction into the battle of the sexes, another between Jack Wallace and J.J. Johnston about Steven Seagal, and Robert Forster's tour de force monologue towards the end.

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