3/30/07

The Lookout

This one is a dandy!!!!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (teenybopper movies) plays Chris Pratt, a young man who carelessly caused a horrific car wreck while still a teenager. Two of his passengers were killed while he and another one were very badly hurt. He suffered brain damage and now, four years later, has progressed to a sort of half-way house where he tries to master some basic living skills. Jeff Daniels ("The Squid and The Whale") plays his blind roommate who is assigned to live with him. Between them, they work on his tentative steps toward independence. He attends class, sees a counselor, and does custodial work at a local bank, which we, the clever audience, can see is obviously ripe for a robbery.

Bruce McGill ("Animal House" long, long ago) is his successful father who owns several upscale car dealerships, Carla Gugino ("Spy Kids") is his very attractive counselor and Matthew Goode ("Match Point") is brilliant as a man who was a couple of years ahead of Chris in high school and is renewing their acquaintance, made extra appealing by a beautiful young woman, Isla Fisher ("Wedding Crashers") who seems to genuinely admire Chris.... She can remember his exploits when he was on the high school hockey team and he finds that flattering.

His only means of keeping track of basics, like showering (WITH soap), eating breakfast, remembering his car keys, etc., is to write them down in his little notebook. You watch his struggle, relate to his frustration and completely understand his point of view when he listens to the siren song of the crooks.

This is an edge-of-the-seat nail biter, made so much more involving because basically Chris is a decent young man who is completely out- thought, out-manned and out-gunned by a clever, ruthless gang.

Do NOT miss this movie!
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Here is a preview:
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