The Lookout

I was really surprised by this movie. I knew nothing more when walking into the theater than what the trailers had shown, and that made it look like some sort of cross between Memento and a million other bank heist movies. It's not that at all though, The Lookout is more of a character study locked inside the plot of a genre movie.

I'm not sure if the film would have worked as well had it not been for Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Chris Pratt. He is practically in every frame and his performance doesn't reach sentimentality, yet you feel sorry for the guy. A young man who once had it all now just aspires to be a bank teller.

Just as good as Gordon-Levitt is Jeff Daniels as his blind roommate and only friend. The relationship between the characters adds a needed emotional element. It's the convincing onscreen relationship between Gordon-Levitt and Daniels that makes the film work. Daniels is just as good here as he was in Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale (maybe it's the beard).

It is also nice to see Isla Fisher to show up in a dramatic role. She has an unexpected character arc that is not in touch with the normal role of the femme fatale.

The Lookout was written and directed by Scott Frank. Already an accomplished screenwriter (Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Minority Report) he steps comfortably into the directors chair. The film is more about finding ways to move beyond the ones shortcomings than robbing a bank. Screenwriting may be Frank's strong point, but his director's skills here suggest a new career path.