The Lookout Film Review

by Kam Williams

Brain-Damaged Bank Janitor Enlisted as Gang's Accomplice in "The Lookout"

Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was once on top of the world. The son of a tycoon in his hometown of Kansas City, this boy-most-likely was a star on his high school hockey team, drove a cool convertible, and was adored by his devoted girlfriend, Kelly (Laura Vandervoort).

Unfortunately, Chris also suffered from that uniquely teen delusion of invincibility, which led him to tempt fate one night by speeding down a country road with his headlights turned off. That impulsive decision to show off behind the wheel changed his life in an instant when his car plowed into a stalled farm combine.

Two of his close friends died in the crash. Kelly survived, but lost a leg and never spoke to him again. And Chris suffered a severe head trauma which left him with crippling brain damage.

It is now four years since the accident and he is still in rehabilitation trying to relearn the ability to master simple motor tasks everybody takes for granted. Because he suffers from short-term memory loss, he must write copious notes to himself as reminders of what needs to be done.

With his career prospects severely limited by this mental incapacity, Chris considers himself lucky to be employed as a night janitor at the Noel State Bank & Trust. He shares a modest apartment on the seedy side of the city with Lewis (Jeff Daniels) a blind optimist with a pipe dream of opening a diner named, "Lew's Your Lunch."

This tragic tableau sets the table for The Lookout, a crime caper ostensibly-inspired by Memento (2000), another whodunit revolving around a hero afflicted with amnesia. The movie was written and directed by Oscar-nominee Scott Frank (for the script of Out of Sight), who might have borrowed heavily from Memento but successfully overhauled it into a psychological thriller capable of standing on its own.

The plot thickens the day Chris is befriended by Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), a shady character claiming to be an acquaintance of his sister, Alison (Janaya Stephens). The truth is that the stranger is a member of a ruthless gang out to enlist his assistance to rob the bank where he works. Because of his brain disorder, Chris is gullible and easy pickings for a crafty crook like Gary.

Just as in Memento, the protagonist proves to be quite confused about his new pal's motivations, especially since the guy's got girls, including the irresistible and lovely Luvlee (Isla Fisher). Fortunately, despite his deficiencies, Chris never lost his moral core, a trait which usually enables any underdog to trump pure evil, at least at the movies.

Not nearly as much of a mind-bender as Memento, yet The Lookout is, nonetheless, a praiseworthy homage to that inscrutable brain teaser.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for sex, expletives and violence.
Running time: 99 minutes
Studio: Miramax Films

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