TJ Wells
04/02/07, 07:43 AM
The Lookout - 8.5/10
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Chris Pratt
Jeff Daniels as Lewis
Matthew Goode as Gary Spargo
Isla Fisher as Luvlee Lemons
Directed By Scott Frank
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Screenwriter Scott Frank has always been a fan of mixing the crime drama genre and the comedy genre. From Get Shorty to Out Of Sight, he's always been very good at mixing the two. While The Lookout (his directorial debut) is definitely more crime drama then comedy, one thing is clear; this is a name to look out for in the future.
Gordon-Levitt plays Chris Pratt, a former high school hockey star, who, after suffering a serious head injury in a car accident (that also killed two of his friends and took his girlfriend's leg), struggles to get through the day. He has to write his daily routine down in a notebook, and even then he often locks his keys in his car, blurts out inappropriate things (i.e. "I always think about fucking you" to his caseworker), and forgets how to do basic tasks. Aside from this, however, he lives an ultimately normal life; he works nights as a janitor at a bank, then drives home (in a car his father pays for) to an apartment (that his father pays for) he shares with his blind roommate, Lewis (Daniels). One day, he is approached by a former schoolmate, who slowly convinces him to help them rob the bank he works at.
The main reason this movie succeeds is ultimately the acting. Gordon-Levitt, who has been so good recently in Mysterious Skin and Brick, proves again why he's one of the best young actors working today, giving an incredibly understated performance as Pratt. He so easily could have tripped up and played him as a, more or less, mentally handicapped person (i.e. a Rain Man type character), but he doesn't; instead, he is just a person who is more or less no different than anyone else, but just has a little tougher time getting through the day. Daniels nearly matches the performance he gave in The Squid And The Whale as Lewis, who, despite being blind, seems to have a better handle on things than Chris. The best parts of this movie are the scenes between Chris and Lewis when they're just talking; the talent of the two combined with the crisp, witty writing of Frank makes for the best dialogue i've heard this year. Matthew Goode, as the head of the bank robbing team, also gives a very good performance.
I did have a couple of problems with this film. First off, Isla Fisher's character (Luvlee Lemons (her stage name)), who serves as Chris's love interest in the film, is never completely fleshed out; in fact, she completely disappears about 3/4 through the film. I have a feeling that there was probably a lot more in the script with her that was just cut out to keep the story going. Also, in the last fifteen or twenty minutes of the film, it devolves from a smart, new crime drama to a variation on pretty much every heist film you've seen. The only plus to the ending is that there is nothing tossed in just to trick you; no twist, no big reveal.
On a whole, however, I really liked this film. Along with Zodiac, it's probably the best movie i've seen so far this year. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a masterpiece, but it's something I definitely recommend more people check out (didn't even make the top 10 this weekend); you'll have a great time.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Chris Pratt
Jeff Daniels as Lewis
Matthew Goode as Gary Spargo
Isla Fisher as Luvlee Lemons
Directed By Scott Frank
-----------------------
Screenwriter Scott Frank has always been a fan of mixing the crime drama genre and the comedy genre. From Get Shorty to Out Of Sight, he's always been very good at mixing the two. While The Lookout (his directorial debut) is definitely more crime drama then comedy, one thing is clear; this is a name to look out for in the future.
Gordon-Levitt plays Chris Pratt, a former high school hockey star, who, after suffering a serious head injury in a car accident (that also killed two of his friends and took his girlfriend's leg), struggles to get through the day. He has to write his daily routine down in a notebook, and even then he often locks his keys in his car, blurts out inappropriate things (i.e. "I always think about fucking you" to his caseworker), and forgets how to do basic tasks. Aside from this, however, he lives an ultimately normal life; he works nights as a janitor at a bank, then drives home (in a car his father pays for) to an apartment (that his father pays for) he shares with his blind roommate, Lewis (Daniels). One day, he is approached by a former schoolmate, who slowly convinces him to help them rob the bank he works at.
The main reason this movie succeeds is ultimately the acting. Gordon-Levitt, who has been so good recently in Mysterious Skin and Brick, proves again why he's one of the best young actors working today, giving an incredibly understated performance as Pratt. He so easily could have tripped up and played him as a, more or less, mentally handicapped person (i.e. a Rain Man type character), but he doesn't; instead, he is just a person who is more or less no different than anyone else, but just has a little tougher time getting through the day. Daniels nearly matches the performance he gave in The Squid And The Whale as Lewis, who, despite being blind, seems to have a better handle on things than Chris. The best parts of this movie are the scenes between Chris and Lewis when they're just talking; the talent of the two combined with the crisp, witty writing of Frank makes for the best dialogue i've heard this year. Matthew Goode, as the head of the bank robbing team, also gives a very good performance.
I did have a couple of problems with this film. First off, Isla Fisher's character (Luvlee Lemons (her stage name)), who serves as Chris's love interest in the film, is never completely fleshed out; in fact, she completely disappears about 3/4 through the film. I have a feeling that there was probably a lot more in the script with her that was just cut out to keep the story going. Also, in the last fifteen or twenty minutes of the film, it devolves from a smart, new crime drama to a variation on pretty much every heist film you've seen. The only plus to the ending is that there is nothing tossed in just to trick you; no twist, no big reveal.
On a whole, however, I really liked this film. Along with Zodiac, it's probably the best movie i've seen so far this year. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a masterpiece, but it's something I definitely recommend more people check out (didn't even make the top 10 this weekend); you'll have a great time.