Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance is one the bright spots in "The Lookout."
U.S. Release Date: March 30, 2007
Running Time: 99 minutes
MPAA Classification: R (Language, violence, sexual content)
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Bruce McGill, Isla Fisher, Alex Borstein, Carla Gugino, Alberta Watson
Director: Scott Frank
Producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Becki Cross Trujillo, Jonathan Glickman, Laurie MacDonald, Laurence Mark, Ivan Oyco, Walter F. Parkes
Screenplay: Scott Frank
By STEPHEN EARNEST / August 7, 2011
From famed writer Scott Frank comes The Lookout and given his reputation (he was the screenwriter for two great crime films, Out of Sight and Get Shorty), one would expect it to be another great addition to the crime genre. But despite being well-made and well-acted, it’s surprisingly mediocre. That’s not saying that I wasn’t entertained though.
The lead character is Chris Pratt, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Chris was involved in a car accident earlier and now has a form of short-term memory loss. Because of this, he’s forced to take notes in order to remember. His roommate, is a blind man named Lewis (Jeff Daniels). The age difference between the two is pretty large, but they remain friends nonetheless.
Chris is employed at a bank, where he works as a janitor, though he aspires to eventually become a teller. He is constantly training to get better at counting but his inability to remember gets in the way. One night, Chris is visiting a bar when he runs into Gary. The two went to high school together and Gary remembers Chris, as he was a huge hockey star back before his accident.
Eventually, the two form a small friendship and Gary invites Chris over to his house, where he meets the rest of the gang. Before long though, Gary divulges unto Chris a scheme that involves robbing the bank that Chris works at.
Then what The Lookout leads to is a predictably executed heist and a predictable outcome, not to mention that it began pretty predictably to begin with. The characters are the same characters we’ve seen a million times and despite all of the depth that they’re given, they still feel surprisingly two-dimensional. This is all on Frank, who is usually such a charismatic and fluent screenwriter. He brings every cliche to the table, following a formula so overused that it’s nearly impossible to try to spice it up a little. Predictably is what kills this movie.
Now, as stated before, the acting is spot-on. Daniels gives a great supporting performance as Lewis, the honest and loyal friend, and Gordon-Levitt is pretty sturdy as the lead. While the characters that they play are predictably-shaped, they bring as much talent to them as possible. One could say that they acting almost makes up for Frank’s pitiful excuse for a script, but that wouldn’t be the case.
This is one of those movies that you can watch with eyes half-opened: it doesn’t require a huge attention span, but you won’t get bored. There’s enough action here to keep you mildly entertained.
RATING: 2/4
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