|
Showtimes
for all movies in the area. Click
here!
By Cole Smithey
‘The Lookout’
Movie Trailer
A fresh take on a well-worn genre
— the bank heist movie — infuses
unexpected humor from Jeff Daniels’
brilliantly modulated performance
as Lewis, a blind companion to
Chris Pratt’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
mentally challenged bank janitor.
Debut writer/director Scott Frank
(screenwriter on “Out of Sight”
and “Minority Report”) perfectly
balances unpredictable plot twists
with emotional pangs as car crash
victim Chris tries to negotiate
a normal small-town life in spite
of constant memory lapses that
impugn his sanity. A nasty gang
of thieves exploits Chris’s vulnerability
by making him act as a lookout
for a robbery at the bank where
he works as a night custodian.
High school hockey champ Chris
suffers a traumatic brain injury
when the car he’s driving crashes
on a highway lit only by starlight.
He’s traveling at high speed with
his girlfriend next to him and
a couple of friends riding in
the back seat when he cuts off
the headlights so they can savor
the brilliance of the stars on
a miraculously clear summer night.
The scene says a lot about Chris
as a character blinded by his
own romanticism. He loves the
contrast of speed with the limitless
dark beauty of the night sky,
but he also relishes scaring his
friends who yell at him to turn
the headlights back on. Here is
an innocently selfish boy doomed
to be physically punished and
emotionally haunted for a moment
of blithe thoughtlessness. The
scene is sublimely tranquil and
yet fraught with excruciating
suspense.
Several years later, Chris is
a walking ball of dislocated longing
and debilitating forgetfulness.
He keeps a spare key in his sock
as a safeguard against his recurring
habit of locking himself out of
his car. Meticulous lists guide
Chris through endless days where
a task as simple as opening a
can threatens to bring his survival
to a halt. He makes inappropriate
passes at his mental health counselor,
and lashes out at Lewis, his blind
roommate and mentor. Like a high-functioning
autistic person, Chris struggles
with social interaction. During
a visit to a neighborhood bar,
former high school peer-turned-smalltime-criminal
Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode — “Match
Point”) spots Chris and strikes
up a “friendly” conversation.
Sizing up Chris’ acute need for
female attention, Gary seizes
the opportunity to introduce him
to Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fisher)
whose phony name carries on her
status as former stripper. Chris
takes the bait and beds Luvlee
with the erroneous belief that
he is making a romantic connection.
Throughout Chris’ headlong plunge
toward victimization at the hands
of Gary, Lewis is a recurring
voice of reason, and his blindness
doesn’t prevent him from seeing
through Luvlee’s false intentions
for Chris. But it’s a Thanksgiving
dinner that Lewis attends, with
Chris and his wealthy yet apathetic
family, which brings Chris’ backstory
to a boil. Lewis bears witness
to Chris’ unbalanced familial
reality, and the uncomfortable
event marks a turning point for
the elder Lewis to view Chris
from a more fatherly position
— Lewis dreams of opening a diner
that he and Chris will run.
The fairly botched bank robbery
that transpires is the centerpiece
of the movie and its aftermath
tests Chris’ unique ingenuity
of planning his actions backwards
in order to save himself and Lewis.
There are surprises here, and
for all of the film’s apparent
similarities to Chris Nolan’s
“Memento,” “The Lookout” proves
a much more entertaining and satisfying
experience.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Mysterious
Skin”) is the new Ed Norton; he’s
an actor of nuanced subtlety whose
careful choices are as transparent
as they are visible. His contribution
fulfills “The Lookout” as that
rare character-driven movie that
screenwriter’s dream of creating,
and then rush to copy after seeing
it. It is a gem of a movie that
beckons repeated viewing. CV
Comment
on this story | Return
to top
| 
