Based on Mamet's experience as a freighter on the Great Lakes while a grad English lit student, Mantegna's screen version is so dramatically inert and artistically shapeless resulting in an uninvolving memory film.
Lakeboat (2001)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted: 41
Fresh: 34
Rotten:7
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Consensus: Though not much happens plot-wise, Lakeboat still has a lot to offer for fans of Mamet.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Veteran character actor Joe Mantegna makes his directorial debut with this big screen adaptation of David Mamet's semi-autobiographical play about a young man who learns some valuable life lessons... Veteran character actor Joe Mantegna makes his directorial debut with this big screen adaptation of David Mamet's semi-autobiographical play about a young man who learns some valuable life lessons aboard a ship one summer. Dale Katzman (Tony Mamet), an eager grad student in his early twenties, joins the crew aboard the Seaway Queen, a freight boat crossing Lake Michigan. Settling into his new world, he meets the crew: the bickering Skippy (Charles Durning), the storytelling Pierman (Peter Falk), the porn-loving Fireman (Denis Leary), the loudmouthed Stan (J.J. Johnston), and the sensitive Joe (Robert Forster). As the summer unfolds, Dale listens readily to the endless stories, arguments, and jokes that spew forth from the belligerent mouths of the lonely crewmembers. Eventually, Dale's honest, amiable presence cracks the hard surface of Joe, who shares a story that will remain with Dale forever. Mantegna, a Mamet regular, allows his actors to find the humanity in their characters, breathing life into the film's potentially stagey environment. The relentlessly crackling dialogue, both crude and hysterical, is pure Mamet, expressing repressed male behavior with an honesty (and vulgarity) that most writers dare not put down on the page. As the weathered Joe, Forster turns in another heartbreaking performance, which adds poignancy to the film's otherwise lighthearted tone. [More]
Starring: Charles Durning, Peter Falk, Robert Forster, Denis Leary
Starring: Charles Durning, Peter Falk, Robert Forster, Denis Leary, George Wendt, Andy Garcia
Director: Joe Mantegna
Director: Joe Mantegna
Screenwriter: David Mamet
Get This Movie
Reviews for Lakeboat
This plotless film is filled with a zillion little nostalgia stories that are both pointless and irritating, but some stories can also be devilishly charming.
Mamet's fixation on language is ... more effective onstage than onscreen, where the technical and visual requirements distract from the sounds of the words -- the heart of Mamet's work.
Mamet knows people so well that you can forgive his lack of actual story once in awhile.
For the most part a lot of fun, with some fine performances from a mature cast.
Watching it, you come to understand what it is that Mamet has been true to all these years.
As drama, it's not much; as a meditation on language and storytelling, it's a treat.
Viewers learn that these salty guys have salty imaginations and that Mamet's a master at capturing their thoughts in discursive detail.
Joe Mantegna... brings just the right tone of easy gab and tossed-off tales to this actor's showcase.
If you're an admirer of [Mamet's] work, or if you're willing to be as patiently observant as Dale, you will find much that is fascinating and illuminating.
Related Forums for Lakeboat
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
79% 79% |
Gran Torino |
30% 30% |
12 Rounds |
23% 23% |
Confessions of a Shopa… |
|
The Code |
39% 39% |
Inkheart |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
22% 22% |
Push |
12% 12% |
The Unborn |
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Lakeboat at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.

The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.

TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.

BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.



Top Critic

