The Lookout

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Morgan Kelly, Carla Gugino

Directed by: Scott Frank

RS: 3.5of 4 Stars Average User Rating: 3.5of 4 Stars

2007 Miramax All Movies

A guy with brain damage, his blind roommate and a bank ripe for robbery. Doesn't sound like much. But wait till you see the spellbinding work that Scott Frank makes of it. If you don't know Frank, he's the screenwriter who crafted two of the best-ever adaptations of Elmore Leonard novels, Out of Sight and Get Shorty. Now, in a knockout directing debut, Frank cooks up his own mischief. The web he spins will pull you in. Guaranteed.

The film begins with a car accident that leaves the driver, school hockey star Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), with a brain as tangled as Guy Pearce's in Memento. The simplest tasks throw him. Once the town golden boy, Chris is now working as a night janitor in a bank and living with Lewis (Jeff Daniels), a blind man with a sharp wit that doesn't allow for coddling. Daniels, near matching his triumph in The Squid and the Whale, is exceptional. And Gordon-Levitt, so good in Mysterious Skin and Brick, digs deep into a character who can't even know himself. This is acting of the highest order, putting Gordon-Levitt, 26, up there with the best of his generation.

The plot thickens with the entrance of Gary (the excellent Matthew Goode), a former pal who puts Chris up close and personal with the wild life and an ex-stripper, Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fisher, of Wedding Crashers, is hot hot hot). No fair spoiling the plot, except to say that Gary's interest in Chris' bank isn't the half of it. Frank keeps the humor black, like diner coffee, and springs surprises that reveal character while they spin your head around. The psychological underpinnings of the suspense benefit from cinematographer Alar Kivilo's artful blend of light and shadow and from composer James Newton Howard's moody, alluring score. But The Lookout is Frank's show. He's crafted a haunting and hypnotic film that transcends pulp by creating characters that get under your skin. Frank is a director to watch. More, please, and soon.

PETER TRAVERS

(Posted: Mar 21, 2007)

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Give us your review of
The Lookout

Review 1 of 5

1of 4 Stars

This was the worst movie I have seen in years. It was the most predictable movie I have seen. I did not give one rats crap about any of the characters in the movie. There was only one scene that was worth my time and that was the bar scene when the two main characters meet.
To Rolling Stone: Please fire the idiot that gave this movie a good reveiw in your magazine. He does not know what he is doing and needs to be forced to watch this movie again. And please tell me why I should care about these people and this movie.

Jan 10, 2008 06:57:14

Review 2 of 5

4of 4 Stars

A borderline great movie. Whatever that means. Anywho, easily one of the best of the year, and unfortunutly, one of the most underated.
Mr. Gordon-Levitt continues to shine as he has done in 'little' movies like BRICK and MYSTERIOUS SKIN.
A very watchable and unpredictable film.

Jul 8, 2007 18:18:13

Review 3 of 5

Not Rated

3.5 of 4 stars. Excellence is the word. Joseph Gordon Levitt gives a tour de force performance, great follow up to Brick. And you can only expect greatness from Scott Frank, the writer of Get Shorty.

May 13, 2007 15:02:05

Review 4 of 5

4of 4 Stars

I never write these things, but a movie as superb as The Lookout deserves attention. We drove 90 miles to see it and it was worth every mile. This film evokes so many emotions, it's exhausting. I was tense, I was angry and sad, I laughed, I couldn't watch, I couldn't wait for what was next. When it was over, I wanted more and wish I knew what happened to the characters when the story ended. This is so much better than the so-called blockbusters out there. It's smart and begs to be seen. It's too bad crap like Wild Hogs takes up all the screen space when talent like Gordon-Levitt and Daniels are waiting for an intelligent audience. Get out and see The Lookout!

Apr 9, 2007 21:56:00

Review 5 of 5

4of 4 Stars

Jeff Daniels is brilliant. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives a tour de force performance. This movie will make you laugh, cry, throw-up, smile, shriek, moan, groan, shit, laugh again, and then melt in your seat. It's that good.

Apr 8, 2007 00:24:28

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