"The Lookout" succeeds on the surface - it's a thriller actually delivering clever character-driven interaction. Unfortunately, the devil's in the details - and that's where this film leaves something to be desired.
"I wake up. I take a shower … with soap. I look outside to see what to wear." This is what Chris Pratt's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) life has been reduced to four years after a prom night car wreck ruined his hockey-playing ability and, more importantly, his promising future.
In his post-head-injury life, he shares an apartment with seasoned and savvy Lewis (the delightfully adept Jeff Daniels), a sarcastic blind man who tries to protect Chris from a world he has more than a little trouble grasping. Chris can't remember to turn off a light without reading a note that reminds him to, functions by following a strict regimen of repetition, and offends most strangers by blurting out every thought in his head.
However, Chris has found successful - if unrewarding - employment as a night janitor in a small bank. After long nights at his lonely, thankless job, Chris stops in for a (non-alcoholic) drink at a local bar - which is where, one unfortunate night, he's sought out by shady former classmate Gary (Matthew Goode, dripping with sleaziness), who sees a chance to cash in Chris' mental disability.
Gary lures Chris into his criminal crowd with the promise of friendships, fun, and the sexual attention of Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fisher) - a stripper-turned-secretary. But it doesn't take long for Gary to reveal his plan - he intends to rob the bank Chris works at, and he expects Chris to help.
Writer-director Scott Frank keeps us far enough from "Memento" to feel the newness of this film - and Gordon-Levitt, who has grown up a lot since his days on "3rd Rock From the Sun," manages to show us a boiling pot of teenage rebellion mixed with innocence and never err on the side of predictable.
But I have to ask - if Chris can't tell his garlic press from a can opener, how is he capable of driving a car? If Chris can barely remember to lock his apartment door, how can he be trusted to work nights alone at a bank? And if Chris knows alcohol is bad for his broken brain (and because of this, never imbibes), why does he allow Gary to ply him with liquor at a house party?
Rated R for language, some violence, and sexual content "The Lookout" achieves intensity that almost makes it a magnificent film. If you can keep from analyzing the film too much and just enjoy the ride, "The Lookout" provides suspense, drama, and several excellent performances.
Originally published in The Chronicle in April 2007 as Jade Lee Culberson
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