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The Lookout

United States

2007

99 Min
Color
2.35:1
English
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
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DIR Scott Frank

PROD Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum

SCR Scott Frank

DP Alar Kivilo

CAST Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher

ED Jill Savitt

MUSIC James Newton Howard

Synopsis

An admired high school hockey player (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) with a bright future foolishly takes a drive in the night with his girl friend and two other friends with his headlights off with devastating results. The former athlete is left with a brain injury that prevents him from remembering many things for extended periods of time. To compensate, he keeps notes in a small notebook to aid him in remembering what he is to do. He also lives with a blind friend (Jeff Daniels) who aids him. Obviously, with the mental incapacitation, he is unable to have meaningful work. Thus he works as a night cleaning man in a bank. It is there he comes under the scrutiny of a gang planning to rob the bank. The leader (Matthew Goode) befriends him and gets him involved with a young woman (Isla Fisher) who further reels him in. After they get close and after reeling him in with his own failures, the bank plan unfolds. Confused but wanting to escape his current existence, he initially goes along with the scheme. After realizing he is being used, he attempts to stop the robbery, which of course immediately goes awry. Bruce McGill and Alberta Watson also co-star as the young man’s parents, who still search for the person that was there before the tragic crash. —IMDb

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Yoshiki

21Apr11

That the blind fellow was the only non-one-dimensional character is the ironic highlight of an otherwise bore of a plot, I wish he had a more active role in the story.

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    Yoshiki

    21Apr11

    And seriously, voice over montage for an ending? Narrative torture.

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J.B.

6Mar11

Unfortunately for 'The Lookout', the story sounded a lot more interesting when described in 'Neo-Noir' (2009, Wallflower Press). Nevertheless, this is still an above-average film, with an interesting (if occasionally predictable) story and sublime acting from the two stars.

Emmma likes this

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Rina

23Aug10

Solid film featuring good performances. I would have loved to see the film explore Chris Pratt's character even more, his feelings of guilt, his desire for independence and the need to be taken seriously after his accident. Anyway, it is quite watchable.

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Look Out! It's A Surprise

By Roaster​Coaster on October 9, 2011

Ok. Here is a movie I thought I’d like less than I did. I was pleasantly surprised.

Writer and director Scott Frank takes us on an adventure about a hockey team star for his high school in Kansas…  read review

Gimps night out … The Lookout

By jaredmo​barak on February 13, 2010

Writer Scott Frank can now add director to his list of accomplishments. The man behind the script for two favorites of mine, Get Shorty and Out of Sight, has gone behind the camera to direct a new…  read review

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