One look at busy actress Carrie Coon, and many of us go, “Oh, I adore her!” One look at Shea Whigham and we add, “Wow. Love that guy.” They’re faces you recognize, even if their names don’t immediately conjure their credits, but they’re two of the best actors today. Coon is the brilliant force from The Leftovers and the upcoming Season 3 of The White Lotus, and Whigham is consistently great in classics like Take Shelter and Boardwalk Empire. The actors were actually paired for a bit in the Emmy-winning third season of FX’s Fargo as good-natured police officers. Well, writer-director Jeffrey Reiner’s delicious new noir comedy-thriller Lake George changes that nature a bit and brings them together in a glorious pairing.
Like Fargo, the new film offers plenty of dryly comedic moments within its tense narrative, and sees the two celebrated stars own their roles of small-time crooks caught up in a deadly mess, and trying to somehow retain a sliver of their moral compass. More mainstream viewers will be left wanting more by the end, especially regarding the blossoming, potentially sexual rapport between Whigham and Coon’s characters, but for the rest of us, don’t let the small-scale nature quell your intrigue. Soak up the delicious and surprisingly compassionate performances and brace yourself for certain shocking plot developments that remind us of the original creator of Fargo, the Coen brothers.
Shea Whigham Is Gritty & Great as a Vulnerable Sucker
3.5/5
Lake George
Lake George follows a recently released white-collar criminal who is strong-armed by mobsters to execute a hit on Phyllis, but instead the two hatch a plan to steal money from the people who want her dead.
- Release Date
- June 9, 2024
- Runtime
- 118 Minutes
- Carrie Coon is perfect as always with a fresh take on the femme fatale.
- Whigham is reliably authentic, vulnerable, and funny with a bit of grit, and his odd pairing with Coon is great.
- Surprising plot twists keep the momentum up.
- The small-scale nature of this slightly long indie movie doesn’t leave a really memorable impact.
- Coon and Whigham are so great together that you wish there was more time spent with the two together.
The versatile Whigham has nailed a number of gritty and gruff roles over the years — and when he steps onto the screen in Lake George for the first time, you might not be surprised to learn his character’s name is simply Don. Yes, he looks a bit like a “Don,” doesn’t he? Either way, after a slow-burn introductory sequence that leaves you purposefully perplexed as to why Don is so deep in thought right off the bat, things start to make sense. That’s what 10 years of federal prison might do to a man.
When Don returns to his former colleague, Armen (Glenn Fleshler, reliably terrifying), to seek a chunk of dough he’s owed after all this time, Armen doesn’t exactly see it that way. Oh, did we mention Armen is a wildcard of a crime lord, perpetually camping out in his daunting mansion overlooking sunny Southern California like a god? Not only does he reject providing down-and-out Don the money that’s rightfully his, but Armen then has the bright idea of strong-arming Don into tracking down Armen’s ex-girlfriend and former business partner who allegedly betrayed him — and kill her.
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“I’m not that guy,” says Don, and we believe it. Sure, Whigham can deliver that cold, raspy voice that sends chills down viewers’ spines, with those icy eyes that can cut through glass, but there’s something about Don’s vulnerable demeanor in Lake George that doesn’t exactly evoke “contract killer” status. But with the barrel of a gun pointed at your head, sometimes you have to compromise. Don is soon enough on his way to the known whereabouts of Phyllis (Coon) with a loaded firearm of his own.
Carrie Coon Redefines the Femme Fatale
Phyllis is what some might call “a breath of fresh air” in the realm of masculine thrillers and film noir. Just as beloved Oscar-winner Frances McDormand put a clever spin on the detective prototype in Fargo, so too does Coon with Phyllis, as a uniquely bright & shiny femme fatale. Sure, she’s a beautiful blonde just like the classic manipulative characters from all those thrillers of a certain era, but Phyllis keeps you on your toes with Coon’s signature sharp-witted antics, throwing poor Don’s world for a loop as he shakily aims that tiny cannon at her supposedly warm heart once they finally meet in the flesh.
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Can Don bring himself to finish the job and collect Armen’s dough? You can probably guess the answer, even if you’re coming into this indie project fresh. From there, Phyllis promises not only safety and honesty for Don going forward (“I’m not who Armen says I am”), but perhaps even a future of wealth, since she knows the passcodes to infiltrate Armen’s headquarters and swipe a whole boatload of money for her and Don to split.
A Small Movie but a More Than Worthy Diversion
Every performance here pops in its own quirky way, even down to Armen’s crooked henchmen, such as wise guy second-in-command Harout (Max Casella, who previously teamed with Fleshler and Whigham in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire). One minute you’ll be laughing out loud at certain bumbling principal characters; at another, you’ll be wincing at the nail-biting suspense. Plus, writer-director Reiner — who has previously proven his storytelling chops on the hit series Friday Night Lights and The Affair — continues to up the ante in his little caper with genuinely surprising twists and turns along the way.
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And why the title? Tune in to discover why the real-life California landmark holds such significance. Sometimes, we need a break from the big city life and could benefit from a reset out in the wilderness, as unlikely hero Don recommends to Phyllis during their crime-laced journey. And sometimes, we moviegoers need a break from the big cinematic efforts and could benefit from a small reality check with an authentic, off-kilter little picture examining desperate people on the fringe. The witty yet humane performances behind the immaculate odd couple of Coon and Whigham is worth the cost of admission alone. From Magnet Releasing and Magnolia Pictures, Lake George will be released in theaters and on digital December 6.
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