Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Film Perfection

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Those who expected the combination of words "Lake + Yasmine + Bleeth" to equal ninety minutes of the ravishing former Baywatch star parading in colorful bikinis and too tight bathing suits might be *slightly* disappointed, but all the others are likely to be pleasantly surprised after seeing this produced-for-TV 90's thriller. The plot offers absolutely nothing original, as it's just another umpteenth variation on the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" theme, but the overall atmosphere is remarkably unsettling, the pacing is kept stable without too many boring relapses and the acting performances are more than adequate. If you can accept the unearthly beautiful & voluptuous Bleeth to play the role of an intelligent nurse, you won't have any problems sinking your teeth into the rest of derivative story, neither. Jackie Ivers returns to her little hometown, San Vincento, California, after she received note that her abusive and drunkard father is dying from liver cirrhosis. She immediately notices something isn't kosher in town. Severely injured victims of car accidents happily walk the streets the day after, friendly elderly neighbors turn into grumpy and emotionless people overnight and even Jackie's terminally ill father miraculously cures and transforms into an amiable guy. Long before Jackie does, the attentive and experienced viewer figures out the townsfolk are gradually being replaced with replicas from a parallel dimension, and this through an eerie vortex in the middle of the town's lake. Admittedly you're always several steps ahead of the script, but the film at least contains a handful of well-staged & tense scenes (for example, when neighbor Maggie runs into her own doppelganger) and the paranoid climax even reminded me of the genuinely nostalgic Sci-Fi efforts of the 1950's. Admirers of the lovely Mrs. Bleeth – and, honestly, what male individual on this planet isn't one – are treated to a double portion of eye-candy near the end of the movie and even during that scene she behaves like a professional actress. "The Lake" also stars Haley Joel Osment before he became a world star thanks to "The Sixth Sense" and the always reliable Robert Prosky whose face anyone will recognize. Decent rainy-Saturday-afternoon time-waster.

I really enjoyed this movie. I'm not usually a fan of TV movies, but this one surprised me. - Watch out here, I'm about to tell part of the movie. If you haven't seen it, don't read. - I love the part where Marion Ross' character runs upstairs, opens her door, and finds her 'twin' at her sewing machine! The 'twin' turns around and says, "What are YOU doing here?", (and she has that weird look on her face) at which point the original starts freaking out! The first time I saw it I got the chills! Very creepy... It's definitely a good movie to check out - I recorded it and am keeping it on file. My whole family enjoys it. If it had been a blockbuster Hollywood movie I think it would have been horrible. They would've added so much cussing and nudity that kids wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Check it out - it's worth it.

The first 60 minutes of this movie are really good. Great plot till then. Yasmine Bleeth looks awesome as always. And plays her character more then well. But then all of the sudden the plot turns around in 180 degrees. One of the worst second part of a movie I've ever seen. And the ending is even more disappointing.A definite bad day for the good cast. Could have been MUCH better if the script writers had put in some more effort.

What an enjoyable movie this is! It's one of those plots that keep you thinking right the way through the film. This is fortunate, as it tends to distract you from the low budget and sometimes questionable acting. Although it's basically a variation on the old BODY SNATCHERS story, THE LAKE has some interesting angles which make it quite unique.Yasmine Bleeth, who wraps up warm throughout the movie (well that red bathing suit can't keep much of the cold out!), is passable as the Los Angeles girl who returns home to find her friends and family taking on bizarrely different personalities. She looks good, but cannot quite grasp that lead-actress air that would have been nice. Her biggest assets (those that were exploited every Saturday afternoon in my teens) are defiantly not an issue here (to the credit of Ms Bleeth and the director). So it's good to see her in a role which relies on other talents. The supporting artists in the film, however, are rather unmemorable and serve as 'character wallpaper' in this highly decorated story. Of interest, though, is a slightly younger (and trendier) Haley Joel Osment who has just shot to fame as Cole in THE SIXTH SENSE.In conclusion, this is an enjoyable movie with flaws that are somewhat masked by a damn good story. A bigger budget would have really made a difference (a cinema release may have been able to give us a glimpse of "the other side" in its exciting climax). But as a TV-movie this definitely works. So jump right in, and stay close to the shore!