Movie BS - Reviews

March 31st, 2007 by Brent

This one snuck up on me. I had no idea what The Lookout was about until yesterday, when I saw it listed with the other new releases and noticed the many positive reviews that it had received. After reading about the plot and cast, I was in and I can now say that The Lookout is a great little flick that should not be overlooked.

Some minor plot spoilers ahead, but I don't think it ruins anything.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, 3rd Rock From the Sun) plays Chris Pratt, a cocky hockey player, who comes from a wealthy family. While driving his friends down an old farm road, Chris turns the headlights off and the night sky fills with fireflies. Distracted by the fireflies and perhaps feeding his own recklessness, Chris hesitates to turn the headlights back on, until it is too late. The car slams into a piece of farm machinery and the night turns to tragedy.

Fast forward four years, where we now find different a Chris Pratt. Having been flung from his Mustang and suffering brain damage, he has a hard time remembering things. His room is filled with various reminders and he carries a notepad to jot down instructions or names. No longer the star hockey player, Chris now works as the night janitor at a local bank. His only friend is his blind roommate, Lewis (Jeff Daniels), who is also struggling to get his life together.

Then one night, Chris meets a guy named Gary (Matthew Goode) at a local bar and becomes good friends. All is not what is seems though, as Chris soon finds out that Gary plans to rob the bank that he works at and wants Chris to be the lookout for the job. Facing guilt from his past, Chris must decide to help Gary or stop him.

The bank robbery plot in The Lookout may appear to be the focus of the film, but it really isn't. There is no intricate plan like you would find in other heist flicks. Rather, the focus is on Chris and his struggle to overcome his newfound limitations and regain his life. It's because of Chris' inability to control things he says and remember details that elevate the bank heist plot line to a different level. It's different from what we've seen recently and because of that, it keeps you wondering what will happen next.

The performances in the film are great. Gordon-Levitt absolutely shines and this, along with his performance in Brick, proves that he is one of the best young actors working these days. I hope he continues to star in quality films such as this.

If you are like me and had no idea what The Lookout was about, I hope I've convinced you to at least take a look. It's a great movie and I don't think you'll be disappointed. I wasn't.

Quick Review
Plot/Storyline Reading the plot summary you may think its a simple bank robbery plot, but the unique circumstances of the characters lifts the story to another level and keeps you on your toes.	9
Acting/Characters Chris is a unique main character and Gordon-Levitt does an outstanding job. After this and Brick, he has proved to be one of the best young actors today.	9.5
Visuals/Sound Great camera work from first time director Scott Frank.	9
Replay Definitely worth a second look.	9
Overall Rating:	9
All scores are out of 10. Overall score is not an average.

You are not logged in. Login to leave a comment.