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Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives the best performance of his career and Jeff Daniels is equally outstanding in writer/director Scott Frank’s The Lookout, an immensely entertaining and mesmerizing story about a guy with brain damage who becomes involved in a bank robbery. This is an amazingly genuine and absorbing film that pulls you in from the get-go and doesn’t let up until the ending credits scroll by. Big man on campus/hockey star Chris Pratt’s driving his girl, his best friend, and his best friend’s date to a high school party when a horrific accident destroys the lives of all four of the high school friends. Two perish in the accident and Chris, the driver who was at fault, is left a shell of his former self. Flash-forward four years from the accident and Chris is no longer the stud everyone looked up to in school. He can’t remember things without writing them down – including the simplest tasks. His days consist of going to rehab to learn life skills and his nights are spent working as a janitor at a local bank. And instead of coming home to a hot young thing every night, Chris is living with a sharp-witted blind man (Daniels) who’s better equipped at handling life than he is. At a bar sucking down a near-beer, Chris runs into a real smooth operator who introduces himself as a friend of Chris’ sister and someone who knew him and looked up to him back before the accident. Gary (Matthew Goode) has a way with women and Chris, whose brain no longer filters inappropriate statements before he can say them out loud, finds Gary’s bad boy demeanor and gorgeous female friends irresistible. Chris becomes attached to ex-stripper Luvlee Lemons (the very sexy Isla Fisher), a member of Gary’s clique who isn’t taken aback when Chris blurts out that he wants to see her naked. Unfortunately for the easily manipulated Chris, Gary’s got more than friendship and good times on his mind. He pulls the unsuspecting Chris into his tight knit group of hoods, and presents him with an opportunity to regain some independence and power over his own life. (By Rebecca Murray, About.com Guide)Read full review
"The Lookout" got overlooked when it was released earlier in the year. This unusual thriller directed and written by Scott Frank focuses as much on character as it does on the tense, moody atmosphere. Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)had it all; he was a bright kid who also displayed talent in the hockey rink. Chris, his girlfriend and another couple are involved in a terrible car accident that leaves Chris brain damaged. He's unable to do anything more than simple tasks and can't even remember what change he should get back after buying a beer. SPOILERS AHEAD** When Chris gets sucked into a plan to rip off the bank where he is a janitor by smooth talking slime ball Gary Spargo (Mathew Goode), he finds himself over his head and with nowhere to turn. Initially Chris believes this will provide him with the start up money for a business he wants to start with his blind roommate Lewis (Jeff Daniels)but things spiral out of control and suddenly he has nowhere to turn. END OF SPOILERS** The film looks terrific with a crisp and detailed transfer to DVD. Audio sounds solid as well. The main extras we get here are a terrific commentary trackby writer/director Scott Frank discussing the making of the film and a 20 minute featurette that covers much of the same ground with cast and crew interviews. Scott discusses how the script had been shuffled from one studio to another as he watched in frustration eventually deciding he had better do it himself. Frank is rather blunt about his shortcomings as a director in the commentary track but honestly he did a terrific job on his first time in dual roles as writer & director. We also get a 9 minute featurette with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and director Frank discussing the development of the character of Chris. Gordon-Levitt reveals that he did quite a bit of research prior to shooting the film on the mentality disabled. You should be on "the lookout" for this fine film which got lost earlier amid some of the other films released at the same time. Although not perfect, "The Lookout" has strong performances and is well made by first time director Frank. I'm not surprised that the film got lost though as it isn't the type to lend itself to the hype machine of Hollywood as easily as, say, "Transformers" or other blockbuster films. "The Lookout" is well worth picking up not only for its well written script and deft direction from Frank but also from the terrific performances of everyone in the cast.Read full review
I saw the review for this movie on Ebert & Roeper's At The Movies and they gave it 2 thumbs up so I was optimistic that it was going to be a worthy purchase. The story is about a young man named Chris Pratt who suffers from some brain damage after a near fatal car crash that kills 2 of his friends and permanently injures his girlfriend. Chris is a complex character. He struggles to be the young man he was once and to deal with the hand that life has dealt him. Chris must remind himself with a notebook to remember things because he easily forgets and gets things confused. He is focused on routine and repetition to get his life back together. Chris lives with a blind roommate (played convincingly by Jeff Daniels) and becomes the janitor of a bank. This movie is really interesting because of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance as Chris. His performance is sympathetic and very believable. He makes Chris Pratt a real person. This movie also involves a suspenseful bank heist which forces Chris to do extraordinary things. I won't bore you with other details but it is definately a movie worth watching. It's really entertaining, engrossing, and clever at times too. It's kind of an edgy, smart movie and very reminiscent of the film MEMENTO.Read full review
It's a good movie...just watch it, you'll be glued to your seat. That's all I can say...you wont be disappointed.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
It kept my interest and I truly did not see that ending coming.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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