MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film an: Stars: Robert Forster Director: Joe Mantegna Rated: R, with strong profanity Length: 98 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(May 25, 2001) -- Noted writer David Mamet revisits his roots in Lakeboat, a modest screen adaptation of his 1980 play, based on a summer job he had during his graduate school years.

Mamet spent the summer on a Great Lakes freighter out of Chicago -- where he encountered a crew of likable, rough-hewn eccentrics whose working-class attitudes, speaking rhythms and salty language have been part of the Mamet style ever since.

Mamet's tale offers more of a slice of life than an engrossing narrative arc, but vivid performances by a first-rate cast will hold your interest.

Best of all is Rochester native and Jackie Brown Oscar-nominee Robert Forster as the most engaging sailor on board. This is among the top two or three performances in Forster's 34-year acting career.

Mamet's younger brother, Tony, plays Dale, the young grad student based on the author, during a four-month adventure on the steel-hauling freighter. Dale's shipmates include Stan (J.J. Johnson), Fred (Jack Wallace), Joe (Forster), the unnamed ship's fireman (Denis Leary) and two hefty officers (Charles Durning and George Wendt).

Much of the seemingly aimless dialogue finds the sailors combating boredom on the hot summer journey through unchallenging waters.

Hard-drinking Stan sees booze as a manly enterprise that's both "a curse and an elevation."

The fireman studies and categorizes porno magazines while engaged in his sole duty: watching two pressure gauges.

Fred falls back on the old locker room standby -- talking a big sex game. When even that gets boring, he argues the merits of Steven Seagal vs. Clint Eastwood.

We also see the guys pass time by embellishing incidents. (Several alternative versions are depicted in flashback of how the ship's night cook happened to miss the sailing. He's played in a silent uncredited cameo by Andy Garcia.)

As Joe, Forster delivers a richly humane performance, a poignant portrait that gives the film its purpose. Clearly, Forster's career revival -- jump-started by Jackie Brown -- is no fluke. He gets better and better, which is all you can ask of any performer.

Joe does everything he can to skip work to pursue a relentless passion for books. In two subtle conversations with Dale -- the highlights of the film -- Joe displays himself to young Dale as an example of someone who failed to fulfill his potential.

The lesson is clear for Dale, even though it's delivered by the gentle grace of a friendly guy asking for a cup of coffee.

Lakeboat has been directed by a Mamet veteran, actor Joe Mantegna. A long-time stage actor, he displays superb simpatico with his actors, but only passable skill as a film technician.

Mamet's script adapts what is obviously an early play. It displays the passion of a young writer who is eager to explore his life experiences, but without the maturity to fully articulate their meaning.

Still, for its look at the roots of an important writer -- and for the affecting portrayal by Forster -- Lakeboat is worth a ride.