The Lookout Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Whoever has the money has the power
An admired high school hockey player (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) with a bright future foolishly takes a drive in the night with his girl friend and two other friends with his headlights off with devastating results. The former athlete is left with a brain injury that prevents him from remembering many things for extended periods of time. To compensate, he keeps notes in a small notebook to aid him in remembering what he is to do. He also lives with a blind friend (Jeff Daniels) who aids him. Obviously, with the mental incapacitation, he is unable to have meaningful work. Thus he works as a night cleaning man in a bank. It is there he comes under the scrutiny of a gang planning to rob the bank. The leader (Matthew Goode) befriends him and gets him involved with a young woman (Isla Fisher) who further reels him in. After they get close and after reeling him in with his own failures, the bank plan unfolds. Confused but wanting to escape his current existence, he initially goes along with the scheme. After realizing he is being used, he attempts to stop the robbery, which of course immediately goes awry. Bruce McGill and Alberta Watson also co-star as the young man's parents, who still search for the person that was there before the tragic crash.
| Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Chris Pratt |
| Jeff Daniels | Lewis |
| Matthew Goode | Gary Spargo |
| Isla Fisher | Luvlee |
| Carla Gugino | Janet |
| Bruce McGill | Robert Pratt |
| Alberta Watson | Barbara Pratt |
| Alex Borstein | Mrs. Lange |
| Sergio Di Zio | Deputy Ted |
| David Huband | Mr. Tuttle |
| Laura Vandervoort | Kelly |
| Greg Dunham | Bone |
| Morgan Kelly | Marty |
| Aaron Berg | Cork |
| Tinsel Korey | Maura |
| Scott Frank |
7.40 out of 10 (10218 votes)
Visitor Reviews
He Blew His Mind Out in a Car
posted on 12 Aug 2009High School hockey star Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as Chris Pratt) is a reckless driver. To watch fireflies, he turns off his car's headlights, while out on a double date with four friends. He seriously crashes. Of the foursome, two are killed, one loses a leg, and Mr. Gordon-Levitt is mild-to-moderately brain-damaged. He has trouble "sequencing". Four years later, Gordon-Levitt has successfully mastered independent living. He receives assistance at Kansas City's "Life Skills Center", and works nights as an evening bank janitor. Blind roommate Jeff Daniels (as Lewis) dreams about opening a restaurant with Gordon-Levitt.Frustrated by the limitations resulting from his head injury, Gordon-Levitt is recruited to be "The Lookout" in a bank robbery, by asthmatic ex-con Matthew Goode (as Gary Spargo). Mr. Goode is plotting to rob the "Noel State Bank & Trust", where Gordon-Levitt works. Seductive Isla Fisher (as Luvlee Lemons) helps to reel Gordon-Levitt into Goode's gang. The power of sex and money threatens to derail Gordon-Levitt's life.Debuting director, and acclaimed writer, Scott Frank makes a favorable debut; shots involving doors and windows are especially effective at enhancing mood and increasing tension. Gordon-Levitt deftly refrains from overplaying the leading character's disability. Interestingly, co-stars Daniels and Goode are also disabled (blindness and asthma). The performances, and story, are excellent."The Lookout" is a film, however, which should have been improved upon. Many movies deserve to be cut, but this one could have stood some lengthening. In particular, the relationships Gordon-Levitt has with Ms. Fisher and two other women leave you wanting, and wondering. More information regarding Gordon-Levitt's brain condition could have been given; apparently, he has a restricted driver's license? More importantly, the struggle between Daniels and Goode, for Gordon-Levitt's soul, is too subdued. Despite what's lacking, it's a fine film. ******* The Lookout (2007) Scott Frank ~ Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode
Joseph Gordon-Levitt thrills in another terrific performance
posted on 22 Jul 2009The Lookout tells the story of Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mysterious Skin), a former high-school hockey star who suffered a severe head injury in a car crash that he caused. We see the crash in the beginning of the film. He's with his girlfriend and two other friends, and while driving down a country road at night he turns the headlights off. As it is a country road, there are no streetlamps, so all they see are fireflies racing by set against the backdrop of a clear night sky of stars. It's a gorgeous and closely shot scene, almost faerie-like in its wonder. But his passengers soon feel fear, and urge him to turn the lights back on. As soon as he does, the cameras pull way back and the headlights shine upon a combine in the middle of the road (odd place for a combine??), and they crash head on. His girlfriend loses her leg, the other couple is killed, and he suffers a severe head injury that leaves him brain damaged.
Four years later, we find him living in a small apartment with a blind roommate, Lewis (Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale). Chris now needs notes to remind him to do simple things, such as to grind the coffee beans before trying to make a pot of coffee (although he could just buy pre-ground coffee...little details like this slip past in the script, but are easily forgiven as they convey a potent message). He even writes down things like, "Get up, take a shower with soap", and on his alarm clock is a reminder to turn it off after it wakes him up. He keeps a spare key in the bottom of his shoe because he seems to leave his keys in the ignition of his car on a daily basis. He has a social worker that tries to help him, but Chris's inappropriate overtures to her interrupt that help. His life - what we learn was somewhat of a superstar life - is left behind, and all he has left is this shell.
Gordon-Levitt does a terrific job in an understated performance. We've seen actors in roles like this before, and they always make sure to remind us through very specific facial tics or movements that they are, as Lewis refers to them once, "gimps". His sad, old-soul eyes tell more of the story than his movements. Gordon-Levitt is easily one of the best actors of his generation. His performances in Manic, Brick, and most notably Mysterious Skin tag him as an actor to watch.
Chris runs into Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode, Match Point), who claims to have known Chris since high school. Chris doesn't remember him, but when Gary mentions that he went out with his sister Alison (who later tells Chris that she doesn't remember him), Chris good-naturedly believes him. Gary introduces Chris to some girls the next night, and one of them, Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fisher, Wedding Crashers) appears keenly interested in Chris. She reminds him of a hockey game that she saw him in, which reminds him of what he used to be. Gary and his friends do this often, reminding Chris of who he was, how much he has lost, and how impotent he is. It's part of a well-rehearsed con. Once Chris begins to piece together who he was, and is keenly aware that his existence depends on others,
And what he wants is this: Chris is a night janitor in a bank, and Gary wants to rob that bank.
I had difficulty believing that Chris would have found employment in a bank. With all the sympathy I would have for anyone in Chris's position, I would not put him by himself in a position where he's alone with tens of thousands of dollars. Remember, he needs to write notes that say, "take a shower *with soap*". Gary and his pals also expect quite a bit from Chris, and again, you'd have to be a fool to do so with so much riding on him getting everything right.
The bank manager and Gary aren't the only ones expecting much of Chris: the director, Scott Frank (a screenwriter turned first-time director with this film) is expecting much as well. It's difficult to imagine Chris overcoming all of the obstacles thrown at him, if not impossible.
The film was at its strongest when dealing with Chris's personal issues. It was at its weakest when it asked us to believe that Chris could be so capable.
However, both Scott Frank and Joseph Gordon-Levitt did something remarkable: they created a character that you can't help but root for. In the end, we are firmly in Chris's corner.
Familiar Yet New
posted on 17 Jul 2009A wholly original but — at the same time — familiar film, THE LOOKOUT has that bank heist noir feel with a human twist.I started searching out Scott Frank films (writer and director of The Lookout) after watching GET SHORTY many years back. His snappy dialogue and unique look at 'fish-out-of-water' characters caught my attention and I've been pleased with his most, if not all, of his work.Add to this film the talents of relative newcomer Joseph Gordon-Levitt (BRICK) and veteran Jeff Daniels (GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK) and I was intrigued ...to say the least.The familiar element is the bank heist reminiscent of THE SQUEEZE (1978) with Lee Van Cleef. The unfamiliar comes from Chris Pratt played by the aforementioned Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's damaged goods. Not just mentally but physically. Involved in a car crash that killed several friends, injured another, and left Chris with a traumatic brain injury, the audience is left to ponder what would have become of an all-star athlete who now has serious lapses in memory and can only hold down a janitorial job at a local bank.Living with another handicapped man named Lewis (Jeff Daniels), the two are an odd, disabled pair. Lewis helps keep Chris on-track with his brain-injured therapy, while Chris plods along trying to make sense of the changes in his life that aren't really changes at all ...just problems with memory. His frustrations are palpable, including his problems he has with his father who doles out guilt money only as he sees fit.Into the picture comes a group of bank robbers with their eyes on Chris. Included in the group is a lovely young lady named ...well ...Luvlee (Isla Fisher). Gaining Chris' trust (and sexual advances) Luvlee soon reveals her true nature. Handing Chris into the deadly hands of her cohort Gary (Matthew Goode, MATCH POINT), Chris finds himself at the center of the heist at the bank where he works and stuck without a way out. Or does he have one? The fact that the audience is left guessing as to the depth of Chris' brain damage is a nice ending. How much he actually knows of what he's doing and why is an unusual turn on a familiar film road. The weaving in and out of the night of Chris' deadly car crash with his current no-win situation is pulled off exceptionally well and had me glued to my seat. And Jeff Daniels' masterful portrayal of a blind man with a set of chops also added immensely to the film's success. And Luvlee is pretty nice to look at, too (wink!).A good heist film that has helped relaunch the genre in a new direction ...far removed from things like the OCEAN'S films.
Lookie Lookie for this awesome flickie!
posted on 11 Jul 2009Lookout for the coolest flick of 2007! That would be Writer-Director Scott Frank's "The Lookout". Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Chris Pratt, a former high school all-star hockey player who caused a fatal crash that killed two of his friends, crippled his girlfriend, and left him with short-term memory impairments. "The Lookout" eyes Chris four years after the accident. He is a night janitor in a bank who rooms with a blind man and must constantly write down his daily tasks in a petite pad so he does not forget his responsibilities; it is a very similar pad to the one that my wife gave me but the sad fact is that I do not have Chris' impairment. So let's talk about "Memento" MMM! Maybe, I do have it! Ouch! Anyway, Chris befriends a shady but suave character in Gary Spargo. Chris starts to confide in Gary so much that eventually Gary convinces Chris to be a "Lookout" in a bank robbery that Gary's crew plan to pull off at the bank that Chris works at. Chris also is seduced by a free-spirit beauty named Luvlee. Yes, you heard right! Chris loves her so much that he takes her to Karaoke and starts singing to her "Isn't She Luvlee?" OK, so that was not in the script but it would of have been lovely. Luvlee turns out to be a pawn in Gary's brinks job master plan to convince Chris to be on the "lookout". The ensemble acting of "The Lookout" is worth looking out for. Gordon-Levitt, formerly of the TV series "3rd Rock From The Sun, rocked as the contrived Chris. I was not blinded by the wonderfully whimsical performance of Jeff Daniels as Chris' blind roommate Lewis; "eye" wonder why Daniels was not nominated as Best Supporting Actor. Mathew Goode was, well, definitely good as the manipulating Gary. And Isla Fisher is la right actress to portray the stupendously voluptuous Luvlee. However, to be frank with you the real hero of "The Lookout" was Scott Frank! His orchestrated vision of "The Lookout" should have been looked at more vigilantly by the Academy because it was worthy of Oscar nominations. "The Lookout" is one that you should lookout to move to the top of your Netflix query list! ***** Excellent
Familiar Yet New
posted on 10 Jul 2009A wholly original but -- at the same time -- familiar film, THE LOOKOUT has that bank heist noir feel with a human twist.
I started searching out Scott Frank films (writer and director of The Lookout) after watching Get Shorty many years back. His snappy dialogue and unique look at `fish-out-of-water' characters caught my attention and I've been pleased with his most, if not all, of his work.
Add to this film the talents of relative newcomer Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick) and veteran Jeff Daniels (Good Night, and Good Luck) and I was intrigued ...to say the least.
The familiar element is the bank heist reminiscent of The Squeeze (1978) with Lee Van Cleef. The unfamiliar comes from Chris Pratt played by the aforementioned Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's damaged goods. Not just mentally but physically. Involved in a car crash that killed several friends, injured another, and left Chris with a traumatic brain injury, the audience is left to ponder what would have become of an all-star athlete who now has serious lapses in memory and can only hold down a janitorial job at a local bank.
Living with another handicapped man named Lewis (Jeff Daniels), the two are an odd, disabled pair. Lewis helps keep Chris on-track with his brain-injured therapy, while Chris plods along trying to make sense of the changes in his life that aren't really changes at all ...just problems with memory. His frustrations are palpable, including his problems he has with his father who doles out guilt money only as he sees fit.
Into the picture comes a group of bank robbers with their eyes on Chris. Included in the group is a lovely young lady named ...well ...Luvlee (Isla Fisher). Gaining Chris' trust (and sexual advances) Luvlee soon reveals her true nature. Handing Chris into the deadly hands of her cohort Gary (Matthew Goode, Match Point), Chris finds himself at the center of the heist at the bank where he works and stuck without a way out. Or does he have one?
The fact that the audience is left guessing as to the depth of Chris' brain damage is a nice ending. How much he actually knows of what he's doing and why is an unusual turn on a familiar film road. The weaving in and out of the night of Chris' deadly car crash with his current no-win situation is pulled off exceptionally well and had me glued to my seat. And Jeff Daniels' masterful portrayal of a blind man with a set of chops also added immensely to the film's success. And Luvlee is pretty nice to look at, too (wink!).
A good heist film that has helped relaunch the genre in a new direction ...far removed from things like the OCEAN'S films.
Familiar Character Study is Predictable but well-acted.
posted on 09 Jul 2009This movie is not a "heist" movie or a thriller. It's really a character study about someone who is paying a horrible price for a youthful mistake. Gordon Levitt plays a young man who caused an accident that destroyed his promising life, and as a result of his injuries, he is mentally impaired. His well-to-do parents condescend and don't understand, his life situation is impoverished and empty and he recognizes his own shortcomings and the burden of responsibility he carries for the tragedy he caused. Everyone in the small Kansas town he lives in knows him and the story, and he is treated with Pity, indifference by most, as he lives the simple life circumstances allow him.Suddenly, a schemer enters his life and offers him a chance to change his situation. He is drawn into a web of manipulation, understanding parts of the situation at best.The story unfolds simply and logically up until a point, the final resolution of the conflict is somewhat forced and doesn't really make much sense, but he basically comes out intact, and ultimately he is resolved to his circumstances. If the ending is not "happy", it at least doesn't end in tragedy(which might have been more impactive, actually).There is nothing new here, laconic middle-class emptiness, Midwestern anomie, the lure and the trap are all familiar ground. What saves this film is the acting. There is not a bad performance here. Mathew Goode as the evil schemer is strong. Jeff Daniels is fantastic. Ilse Fisher is more than adequate. Gorden Levitt has a deceptively easy part, but he never over-acts or seems contrived. All the supporting players are good.A movie I would recommend, but not a must-see.
Great performances and a solid directorial debut for Scott Frank
posted on 01 Jul 2009The Lookout was an amazing movie with splendid performances all around. It's hard to believe that Joseph Gordon Levitt was once on "3rd Rock From The Sun". He's come along way.After a horrible accident which killed two people, seriously wounded another, and left Chris Pratt (Levitt) with a brain injury which makes it nearly impossible for him to remember things without writing them down in a notebook that he carries with him, he is no longer the cocky hockey player. Instead he now lives his life while working as a janitor in a bank and living with a blind roommate named Lewis (Jeff Daniels in a fascinating performance).While drinking at a bar, he meets the charismatic Gary Spargo (played by Matthew Goode) who then introduces Chris to the lovely Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fischer.) They later asked him to serve as lookout while they rob the bank he works at. Chris at first doesn't agree, but Gary plays the other people in Chris' life against him in subtle ways, and after Chris finds out that some of what Gary said seems true, he agrees. The story goes on from there, but I will not even discuss the ending.The lookout is a strong movie, and it is the phenomenal acting which holds the movie together the best. Scott Frank has a way of getting the best out of his actors here, and what we get is a psychological drama that holds your interest. At a brisk 99 minutes, it seemed over much too quickly. Some of the later scenes in the movie felt a little contrived I agree, but even they pale in comparison to the welcoming acting where even the main villain (Goode) doesn't seem totally utterly evil. Of course I can't say the same thing about his quiet henchman with the glasses. I liked this movie a lot, but I do wish we could've gotten to know more about Luvlee Lemons. Her character seem to be pushed out later in the movie, and I found myself a little disappointed in this. Still, overall this was a very good movie.
Memento revisited? Nah this is different
posted on 21 Jun 2009The movie begins on a high note giving you a feel of memento. Chris(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a brain damaged student who needs a notepad to tell him to take shower and eat breakfast. But within 5 minutes you realize this one's different . The plot takes a while to develop so the first half is quite boring except for the flashbacks which tell us that Chris was a promising teenager with a perfect life before a tragic accident changed everything. Now he lives with his blind friend Lewis who is a wannabe entrepreneur . they share a good chemistry with light humor . He works as a night janitor in a bank and because of his condition is approached by a gang who is gonna use him to steal some cash. The climax is fine making the film worth watching once.
One Terrific Movie!!!
posted on 01 Jun 2009What happens when someone takes a masterpiece like "Fargo" and replaces the quirky, darkly comic and bleak tale with a centered story about the trappings of youth and the delusions of immortality? Why, you end up with a film like "The Lookout," which contrary to the opinions of so many, really is not a clone of a film like "Memento," or for that matter of "Fargo," although the parallels with the latter are impossible to miss.The story surrounds the life of Chris Pratt, a young man who on the night of his high school prom, had everything a young man could ever want: the admiration of those around him, a great car, wealthy family, beautiful girlfriend and a promising hockey career. Indeed, in a couple of scenes in the movie, there is a cocky and yet grounded demeanor to Chris that should be so familiar to everyone who ever went to high school or ever lived in a small town.Then, on the night of that prom, as he tried to show his girlfriend the beauty of the fireflies on a stretch of road unpolluted by street lamps, Chris is involved in a car crash which kills two and leaves him scarred.Four years after the accident, Chris tries to put the pieces of his life together, but the head injury from that night limits what he is capable of doing physically, and the memories of that night haunt him emotionally. The admired athlete succumbs to a bland life of routine in which his needs are taken care of by his parents, and his day to day challenges are overcome with the help of his blind roommate Lewis.One night, while he is enjoying a beer at the local bar, he meets Gary, a man a bit older who explains that he once dated Chris' sister. Gary becomes the object of Chris' adulation because he is able to do things that Chris himself is unable to do: talk to women, remember things that have just happened, and ultimately relate to his surroundings. Indeed, through Gary, Chris meets Luvlee, a girl who was familiar with the guy Chris used to be.Slowly but surely, Chris is pulled further and further away from his family and Lewis, and closer and closer to Luvlee, and through her, to Gary and his crew. This of course was planned all along, for the plans they have are to rob the bank that Chris routinely cleans.This movie is much more straight played than Fargo, and so even though the "good guy" throws in with the bad folk, and there are some violent happenings that shake the story up, none of it is played to be darkly comic or quirky. Indeed, in a story like this, where promise has been lost in a car accident, and the fragility of life is put to the test, there is no room for Fargo-esquire subplots. The story doesn't need them.The movie is carried along largely off the strength of acting of both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jeff Daniels. As the young man coming to terms with what he has become, Gordon-Levitt is brilliant- there is a simplicity, a vulnerability, indeed an almost innocent demeanor to him after the accident that lends so much credibility to what has happened to him. This contrasts so well with the few scenes in which he appears brash, cocky and so full of promise.Daniels, as some have already suggested, pulls off the comic relief, but there is also a bitterness and jaded reserve to him that lends authenticity to his performance as well. After all, a man who's been "turned down more than the beds at the Holiday Inn" couldn't be happy go lucky all the time: his conversation with Luvlee seems in part guided by concern for Chris, and in other part resentful that he doesn't have a woman in his life.I think there is a very real chance, after seeing Ryan Gossling nominated for "Full Nelson," that Joseph Gordon-Levitt may see an Oscar nomination: if he does, it will be well deserved for this performance. Fargo it ain't, but go in with an open mind, and prepare to be blown away...and you may just find a film that in some ways works much better than Fargo.A film that feels much more real.
Invigorating
posted on 01 Jun 2009Now, I argued with myself about rating this a 9: I sooner award an imperfect ambitious effort with a lot of good intentions with some extra credit than a lesser effort from an experienced and famed director. We can only keep benefiting from acclaimed directors' work for a little time, the search for new talents to refuel audience members' creative needs is a road with more let downs along the way than rewarding and invigorating watches.'The Lookout' is one of those movies that fills you with hope. Not only does it know how to be subtle and how to pace, it's an economic production, fresh without being far fetched, without trying too hard to be quirky it succeeds to become that way through only a few lines of dialog by Jeff Daniels' sightless character. His character illustrates that handicapped people have every bit as much a right to be flawed (impolite, inconsiderate) than the rest of us. Daniels' sells his lines with such a seeming ease that you wonder why he bothers making comedies of questionable taste (RV).First time director (but long time screenplay writer) Scott Frank puts his faith into the hands of Joseph Gordon-Levitt to carry the movie, and those who keep an eye open for the next generation of Academy Award winners will know that household name well already (Brick, Mysterious Skin). It's rare to find young actors with such a great deal of exciting movies on their belt, with that in my mind, it's still crystal clear that 'The Lookout' is a - for the time being - career-defining performance. His portrayal of the frustrated, tangled up amnesiac Chris Pratt borders on perfection. His face going to stone, heart nearly stopping, when a friend of his painfully reminds him of the restrictions and impossibilities in his love and professional life. A forced smile, sad eyes looking at us from out of the mists of despair. It becomes painfully clear to him that he's treading water when he's denied a minor loan by his dad. He ignores all his instincts and is exhorted by Gary Spargo into a 'business' deal. Gary's a self-declared friend of his sister's, though when asked about, she has no recollection of him. Chris agrees to help a gang of thugs rob the bank he's employed at, but when he does a volte-face on the plan at the last minute, his bridges are already burned and the misplacement of his trust in two-faced Gary dawns on him. As he rises above his weaknesses (he can't sequence events, has trouble with short-term memory,...) and saves his roommate's life, he takes a first step towards getting his life out of the tailspin...'The Lookout' entices with it's sincere message of hope, impresses with it's performances (both Daniels and Levitt pull out all stops) and amazes with writing that makes your head spin (the pacing in particular is masterful). Movies that explore extremes can fascinate, but the road 'The Lookout' takes, the one in between emotionally intelligent and intelligent in the more narrow sense of the word (brainy), can lead to excellence too when the right urgency's present in the writing and acting, a little bonus on top of that is the simple, pretty cinematography. Despite the similar sounding premise, 'The Lookout' is nothing like 'Memento'. Nolan's brilliant thriller's script is monumentally intellectual, it's goal is to explore that extreme, while 'The Lookout' ambitions to move it's audience without forced emotional moments whilst also providing a clever plot.
Disappointing
posted on 31 May 2009After hearing the great reviews this movie got, I was very excited to watch it on dvd. After watching it, the only thought going through my head was "That's It?" I heard countless comparisons of this movie to Memento, one of the best movies ever made. There are some basic plot similarities between the two, but other than that, not much. Joseph Gorden Levit's performance was hyped up way too much. I mean, he was solid, but not great. Isla Fisher was not very good, but instead just pretty to look at. Maybe it was because of the high expectations I had going into The Lookout, but either way, I was pretty disappointed with it.
Look Out For This Fantastic Heist Flick
posted on 21 May 2009The story follows a young man (played very well by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who after a horrific car accident loses some of his motor functions and his short-term memory. He was the star of the local hockey team, now he's just a dysfunctional young man who goes to a help center rather than college on a scholarship and works the graveyard shift as a janitor at a bank. He lives with a blind man (played brilliantly by Jeff Daniels) who was placed as his roommate by the center so they could help each other on a daily basis. The young man eventually gets caught up in a heist thought up by men who know he works at the bank. This is an excellent mystery and heist film. The entire cast is fantastic. Some of the memory plot points are slightly similar to Christopher Nolan's Memento, but beyond that this is an original and captivating film. Enjoy!
More Deserving Than Some Reviewers Gave It
posted on 21 May 2009This is not a high-speed chase, cut scene, after cut scene, type of movie and maybe that's why some reviewers gave it 1 and 2 Stars, but that's because you actually have to have an attention span longer than 30 seconds to really enjoy this lost gem.
"The Lookout" does have its flaws, but the good acting of Jeff Daniels and Joseph Gordon-Levitt(Third rock from the sun) pulls it all together in the end. If you have patience, and a desire to view a better than average thriller, take your time and let it spin its web, you won't be disappointed.
For Viewers Who Have Never Seen A Heist Movie
posted on 20 May 2009Predictable narrative and clichéd characters overshadow the few good things "The Lookout" has to offer to the viewer. Firstly, it is a heist movie with not one original bone in its body. The narrative is composed of a catalogue of movie clichés. Moreover, the main villain, dressed in black with black shades, is the kind of thing you see in an old Chuck Norris movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt rises above the material and gives an excellent performance. He makes an unwatchable film, watchable. Jeff Daniels is surprisingly effective in a thankless role as Gordon-Levitt's blind friend. Bruce McGill is wasted in the stereotypical role of the rich father with a heart of ice. It is slick but I've seen this movie many many times before. Only for fans of Gordon-Levitt.
bargain bin bound
posted on 03 May 2009The only thing that happens in the first 45 minutes is that you learn to dislike everyone in the film. Jeff Daniels chooses to play Jeff Bridges' Dude character from Big Lebowski. That in itself is amusing for a few minutes. There is no "twist" at the end. I'd say its more of a thunk.
Look out for Gordon-Levitt in The Lookout
posted on 29 Apr 2009Joseph Gordon-Levitt is outstanding in his role of a mentally disabled local hero (Chris Pratt), alongside a blind Jeff Daniels (Lewis), who would probably steal the show if he were given just a bit more screen time. Some of the characters were not developed as much as they could have been, and this can leave you wondering what happened to them. Where did Luvlee Lemons run off to? Where did the mysterious Bone come from?
Don't expect an intense thriller or an hour and a half of bank robbery suspense, because that's only half the story here. The first half shows us Chris Pratt's accident and his life thereafter, and Lewis bringing a flavor of comedy relief. The second half presents a group of thugs, with Matthew Goode (Gary) as their dark ringleader, taking advantage of Chris Pratt by using him in their bank heist scheme.
Better than expected - dry, slow and deep
posted on 28 Apr 2009This movie is a thriller of a different kind. Its story is being told in a very slow, rather dry way and without any long shootings or huge explosion scenes.Despite of this, though, the acting of Jeff Daniels as well as Joseph Gordon-Levitt is definitely moving and makes the whole film worth seeing. I was very surprised to find Levitt playing this tragic character in such a convincing way.The Lookout is not the popcorn-and-coke movie for a nice Sunday afternoon, but if you are in the mood for a drama with really good acting, this is the one to go for.
An excellent character based movie
posted on 26 Apr 2009I was drawn to this film by comparisons to Brick and Memento. After seeing it, I concur with this comparison but for different reasons than I had expected. There is obviously the memory angle and Chris Pratt's routine based coping strategies (Memento). Of course, there is also that kid from 3rd Rock from the Son (more about him later). However, the most telling point of comparison is in the three films' excellent characterisation.It is easy to forget that the heart of Memento is not the ingenious reverse sequencing of the film, but Guy Pearce's portrayal of loss and blind vengeance. In Brick, similarly, while it is easy to get caught up on the stylistic features of dialogue employed, the movie shines through its beautiful examination of love, domination and obsession. These are character based movies and 'The Lookout' doesn't just follow suit but even trumps the other two aces.The basic plot revolves around Chris Pratt who is the all American High School Hero- popular and good looking, excelling at sports and widely idolised by all around him. Then he is to blame for a terrible car crash, killing two of his friends and sustaining serious head injuries that leave him with an impaired memory, a tendency to spill interior monologue at inopportune moments and an awkward lurching gait. Not only are his dreams of professional hockey over, but his envied charisma and confidence evaporate, leaving him cleaning the floor in a bank for a living and blurting out inappropriate chat up lines to girls ('and I thought I was good looking!'- most amusing!) To add to his woes, he gets sucked into being a pawn in a scheme to rob the bank where he works. From object of adoration to object of pity and manipulation in just four years.It is for the insightful portrayal of this transformation that this film deserves to be seen more widely. Pratt is not a naturally likable character- there are hints of an arrogant brutishness before the crash- and he doesn't thoroughly redeem himself by the end of the film. However, this is not a blockbuster (at last!) where characters are only designed to live for one and a half hours. 'The Lookout' gives the viewer a snapshot of a shattered life that is on the road to recovery. It is an examination of the deepest loss imaginable, the loss of yourself, and I found Chris Pratt one of the most moving characters that I have experienced in a cinema for quite some time. For this, the credit does not just lie in Scott Frank's excellent screenplay, but in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's sensitive and understated performance. In Brick, there were moments when the convoluted slang of the script seemed to drive his performance but here his character is the central attraction and he wins the audience over to Chris Pratt and his plight.I also appreciated the subtlety of the film. Frank doesn't bother explaining how Luvlee and Maura get involved with Gary Spargo's gang, he simply leaves the viewer to decipher a few regretful glances and half a mobile phone conversation. He doesn't waste time on Lewis' probably very compelling back story, but simply gives a couple of glimpses into his past and lets Jeff Daniels' masterful performance do the rest.(Is this how Jeffrey Lebowski would turn out if he had lost his sight?)As mentioned as well, he doesn't feel the need to demonise Chris Pratt past or to fully redeem Chris Pratt present, but leaves it to us to fill in the gaps. Other questions abide- what was the deal with the old man's farm? Who exactly was Bones? Did Lewis know Spargo? None of which needed to be answered and all of which keep your attention firmly on Pratt's existential quest.Having said that, the voice-over ending was perhaps a little trite and I didn't feel that the final song captured the mood of the film successfully but these are small gripes. A first class movie.
for mature audiences
posted on 15 Aug 2009Remember Harrison Ford's anecdote about the time, when performing a bit-player walk-on, he was berated for not emoting more dramatically? "When Tony Curtis had a walk-on as a delivery boy," carped Ford's enraged director, "the audience could see Curtis's star quality as a good actor!" "Funny," Harrison Ford retorted, "but I thought the audience was supposed to see a delivery boy." In that context, my only hesitation about THE LOOKOUT is that the audience is continually aware of how good the acting is and how well-thought-out the script is.
Yes, the two male leads are very good with very challenging roles, and the character parts of the local cop and the hero's father are handled quite nicely. But of particular merit is the arc of character development achieved by Matthew Goode, as a villain of remarkable dimension as the plot unfolds. Sleazy seducer, menacing thug, terminally wounded desperado--Goode grips the screen.
With more conventional script, acting, and direction, Goode and the others would have inhabited a conventional, cardboard heist film. Instead, it's clear from the opening scene that much thought and consideration have gone into making a personal motion picture in which each character--hero, villain, etc.--is the sum of distinct flaws.
The movie bravely sustains a slow pace for the first half hour or more, all the better to prepare us for legitimate character-driven plot twists that not only pay off on cue but also resonate with the viewer long after the movie is over.