The Lookout Reviews and Ratings



  • November 24, 2009
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a guy named Chris Pratt, an allstar athlete at his high school who's life goes spiraling down after a horrific car accident that put him in a coma. When he awakens he is a changed person. He has memory problems so he has to use a notepad to right down e...( read more)verything he does or needs to do so he can remember them. He also takes medication to help him with his illness. To help him cope with life is his blind roommate Lewis (played by Jeff Daniels). Chris Pratt now works in a bank as the night janitor. After work he goes to a local bar where he meets Gary Spargo. Gary soon enough cons his way into Chris's life and there on talks Chris into helping him and his gang rob the bank Chris works at. Chris feeling like he has no power in his life thinks this will give him some of his life back. Although on the night of the robbery Chris has doubts and decides he wants no part in it, but Gary and his gang don't agree. That's when things start unraveling quickly.
    It was a great movie with great performances. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in my opinion is one of the best young male actor's today. He can play any part. Definitely not the normal bank robbing movie. Jeff Daniels was BRILLIANT as always. I thought Matthew Goode (who played Gary) was a great villain. It was half drama and half thriller. Just really good.
  • November 17, 2009
    This is so much more than just another heist film and so very, very much more than a typical disability du jour heart-tugger. Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves once again that he is among the finest actors of our time. The rest of the cast give excellent supporting performances, especi...( read more)ally Jeff Daniels who manages to steal every scene he appears in, even though most are with the film's terrifiuc young star. The direction by Scott Frank is superb, the finest in an already stellar career. I loved it.
  • November 9, 2009
    I think this is a collaboration of really good acting and writing, Matthew good is an amzing actor he brought on screen a wild young blooded semi vilan, a real human
  • October 22, 2009
    Excelent movie DRAMA
  • October 9, 2009
    That was a dam good film! One of the few films that kept me interested all the way through, even in the slow parts! Worth a watch and probably another!
  • August 25, 2009
    This movie has a great story, excellent acting, good ending. Keeps you interested all the way through, you really care for these characters.
  • August 20, 2009
    Cant wait to see it...
  • August 11, 2009
    A very sad story, but beautiful, mind-blowing performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
  • July 25, 2009
    an ok movie worth watching at least once and it has the kid from the show 3rd rock from the sun in it.
  • July 22, 2009
    It's very good! Love Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he's going places!! And Jeff Daniels was amazing as well.
  • July 22, 2009
    A pretty typical "bank robbery goes wrong" tale with a sprinkle of Fargo atmosphere. The film is redeemed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance of a young man whose life had become hopeless from brain damage caused by a tragic high school car accident and must use Memento-style ...( read more)memory tricks to foil the bad guys. Favorite scenes: Chris and Lewis interacting.
  • July 17, 2009
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt, between this and the strangeness that was Brick, is proving himself to be one of the best young actors working today. Him and Ryan Gosling are really just turning out one great performance after another in these tiny little indie movies. Jeff Daniels is ripp...( read more)ingly entertaining as the wise-cracking blind man. He sells it all the way through Great movie.
  • July 16, 2009
    Excellent thriller that was unfortunately overlooked.
  • July 6, 2009
    another joseph gordon-levitt overlooked film,.great performance by jeff daniels and intense script by scott frank
  • July 2, 2009
    Completely satisfying, well casted and performed, tightly directed and intelligently written is a pure joy to watch.
  • June 27, 2009
    amazing casts...a well educated with good family background ex clebe player in his high school hocky team with bright future before simple car crash....
    a crash whr he not only lose his frn but his memory too .....n' now as neglected by his frnz n' family a short term memory pati...( read more)ent...a character played by joseph is living in small apartment with another blind roommate played by jeff daniels...waz' living simple life as he works at the bank as janitor........n' his life takes interesting turns when he meets a character played by matthew goode he who introduce himself as his frn more like senior who used to go to same school......
    it's hard to forget abt d character played by joseph.....
    ummm.......joseph brought character into life......thumbs-up for u joseph.....
    even it's a crime drama.......it's a good movie to watch......
    n' not to forget.....note it down if ur a also short term memory patient......
    "power belongs to them who has money"........
    nice sayin'.......[ :-p ]...watch it or b juz' another lo_Okout.....guy....
  • June 27, 2009
    Brillaint thriller with Joseph Gordon Levitt as a young man with a rich family and promising future until his dreams are ruined in a car crash. Now a night janitor at a bank, his depressing life suddenly becomes more interesting when he meets someone who used to go to same school...( read more), with promises of money and a better way of life. This is a well written and well acted thriller with great performances from Levitt, Jeff Daniels as his best friend and Isla Fisher as the love interest.
  • June 26, 2009
    Nothing much to say. I liked the movie.

    And have a thing for Joseph Gordon-Leviitt.
  • June 23, 2009
    while some people brag this one i just think it sucked
  • June 21, 2009
    When you have great character suspense pieces like this one, you sometimes question the need for big dumb action flicks.
    Joseph Fordon Levitt is quickly on his way to becoming the next Johnny Depp. He gives a subtle and brilliant performance as an ex-hockey player who has no s...( read more)hort term memory. The film follows a Memento-like plot, but The Lookout is a character study first, a heist thriller second. Scott Frank blends these two aspects perfectly to create one hell of a film.
    From the opening sequence to the last, The Lookout offers tense, well paced action. The film takes its time getting to know every character, which also allows for great supporting performances by Matthew Goode, the great Jeff Daniels, and Isla Fisher. When Act Three begins, you will be stuck to your seat until the credits role. The Lookout is smart, suspenseful, and downright awesome!
  • May 22, 2009
    Gordon-Levitt's second foray into neo-noir in as many years doesn't score as huge as Brick, but it's still a very well-acted and efficient crime drama. Scott Frank, the man responsible for scripting just about every good Elmore Leonard adaptation out there, knows his way around t...( read more)he genre, and his directorial debut pulses with real danger and suspense. The story could be a bit more well-developed, but Frank keeps things simple and the result is satisfying, if predictable. Worth a look.
  • April 29, 2009
    In Short: After an automobile accident leaves him mentally handicapped, Chris Pratt?s only job option is as a janitor at a bank, but, seduced by the promise of romance and riches, he is soon lured into a plot to rob the bank at which he works.


    Isn?t it nice when things DON?T en...( read more)d up happily ever after? Isn?t it nice when a character?s major flaw ISN?T the lack of ability to find love? Well, here it is, folks.

    The Lookout begins with a young high-school hockey star, Chris Pratt, on the night of the prom. He, his girlfriend, Kelly, and two friends are driving along an old abandoned road at night. Chris wants to show Kelly something special, so he turns off the car?s headlights and drives in the dark. They look, and all around them are little white lights floating in the air ? fireflies. It?s beautiful, it?s romantic, it?s serene ? and then Chris turns the lights back on and sees a roadblock parked right in front of their speeding car.

    CRASH.

    Four years later?

    ?I wake up. I take a shower with soap. I shave. Sometimes I cry for no reason. I look out the window to see what to wear. I eat breakfast. I don?t read the paper, because it confuses me, and being confused makes me angry.?

    Chris Pratt has acquired severe short-term memory loss and an induced form of Tourette?s from the car wreck, and now must write down in a little notebook everything he does and must remember to do and say that day. He works the night shift as a janitor at a small bank in town, where he is visited nightly by a young, cheerful policeman who brings by a doughnut for him every night and converses with him on the state of things, including the fact that his wife is about to have their first child. She?s even given him a pager so she can beep him immediately if she goes into labour while he?s on his shift.

    Chris has been paired up, by the ?special assistance facility? at which he receives treatment for his mental handicap, with a smart-mouthed blind guitarist, Lewis, who dreams of opening a restaurant. Chris and Lewis make something of a very poorly matched Odd Couple, and, though they do seem to be friends, Lewis? acceptance of his handicap and smooth-operator way of speaking drives Chris, who is socially awkward and in denial about his own shortcoming, up the wall.

    One night, while moping in a bar, Chris is approached by a smooth-talking shifty-type who claims to know him from school and to have once dated his sister. Chris believes him, and is intrigued by the easy way this asthmatic Romeo seems to have a special talent for picking up beautiful girls. The man introduces Chris to one of his ?associates? flirty, flighty Luvlee Lemons. After laying Luvlee and being invited to one of the sleazy group?s parties, Chris suddenly finds that these people are not who they seemed at first ? they are high-stakes criminals, and their intent is to rob the bank he works at ? and get him to be their lookout.

    The Lookout is not for everyone. It does have moments where the characters meet unfair and un-called-for ends, where Chris breaks down and cries tragically, and a few rather graphic moments, both sexual and violent. The entire format of the film is similar to that of the indie film, Brick, though it does have its Shooter moments. And if you?re hoping for something smart, with car-chases, cyber thieves, and a happy ending, I would not recommend this. If you want that, go for National Treasure or Firewall. Both good ? both under the ?R? rating.

    Oh, and in case I didn?t mention it before, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is ?like, teh secks.?

    I would recommend renting this film from the library. Or, if you have one, one of those dollar-a-night machines. It?s worth a dollar to see. I?m just not sure if it was worth my ten dollars to purchase.

    Oh, yeah. What happened to the other people in the car? Well, two of them died, and one lost a leg. Isn?t that romantic?
  • April 23, 2009
    Good story and great acting
  • April 19, 2009
    Don't let anyone tell you this film is a rip-off of Chris Nolan's MEMENTO. Yes, they both deal with the concept of permanent short-term memory loss, but they couldn't be more different tonally, structurally, thematically, etc..

    On paper, THE LOOKOUT is a perfect top-notch hybri...( read more)d of genres. As a movie it sporadically works as both heist film and a medical drama. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jeff Daniels are brilliantly cast in their roles, and they bring their characters to life in ways few other actors could.

    Ultimately what holds this picture back from true greatness for me is some of the debut directing of screenwriting guru Scott Frank (OUT OF SIGHT, MINORITY REPORT). Lately it seems like a lot of good screenwriters are trying to make the transition from writer to director with lots of good-intentions and they sometimes can't quite pull-off the ambitious scope of their ideas: Paul Haggis' CRASH (2005). Can't blame them for trying. Maybe some just need more time behind the camera. Can't all have amazing directorial debuts like Steven Soderbergh, Kimberly Pierce, or Tarantino.
  • April 11, 2009
    Pretty decent crime flick.......worth a look for sure.
  • April 7, 2009
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  • April 4, 2009
    i really had high hopes for this movie but it end up being crappy but it was okay

    and there was barley any action in this movie it doesint get good till the middle to end but it really desevers 3 stars but the only reason im giving 5 stars is because it had a good story and ...( read more)a good plot

    and it was great acting and really great actors in this movie like Matthew Goode and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and other people but thats the only people i
    thought they did good in and i really like them as actors but if you havent seen this

    movie then you should go see it even though its not really a great movie but its worth watching i would watch it again
    because i liked it and 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.


    Marty: [as he lights up a cigarette] You cannot be serious. That is pathetic.

    Gary Spargo: [using his asthma inhaler] That's Chris Pratt.

    hits Marty's seat]

    Gary Spargo: Put that fucking thing out.

    Lewis: You know, here I am, sitting at home alone every night while you're out getting blown and God knows what else by Luvlee something, who probably has a friend, and what, you don't introduce me?

    Chris Pratt: Lemons. That's what it is.

    Lewis: That's what what is?

    Chris Pratt: That's her last name.

    Lewis: Luvlee Lemons? That's her name?

    Chris Pratt: Well, it's her stage name. She's a performer. Or she was.

    Lewis: Ah, and by stage I'm assuming you mean the kind with a pole?

    Chris Pratt: What do you mean?

    Lewis: Let's move on.



    Chris Pratt: This your farm?

    Gary Spargo: Uh, you know what, my uncle Bone found it and kind of negotiated with the owner.



    Gary Spargo: My old man used to say to me, probably the only thing we ever really agreed on, was that whoever has the money has the power. You might wanna jot that down in your book. It's something you're gonna need to remember.



    Lewis: Hello?

    Chris Pratt: Are you OK?

    Lewis: I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?

    Chris Pratt: Because the lights are on. They're up there, aren't they?

    Lewis: Just get out of here.

    [Gary hits Lewis and grabs the phone]

    Gary Spargo: Come on up here Chris, and let's talk about how we can figure this out.



    Gary Spargo: Where is it?

    Bone: He says he doesn't remember.

    Chris Pratt: Lewis, you ok?

    Lewis: [sarcastically] oh, I'm terrific.

    Gary Spargo: Don't do this Chris. Just tell me where it is.

    Chris Pratt: I don't know where it is.

    Bone: Bullshit.



    Gary Spargo: I know you want to kill me.

    Chris Pratt: [blurts out] I've gotta kill Bone first.



    Lewis: Am I dead? I must be dead because no one's talking to me!



    Lewis: [explaining how he went blind] When I was about your age, me and some friends decided to make some money by opening up a meth lab.

    Luvlee: Oh! Did you blow yourself up?

    Lewis: Does it look like I blew myself up?



    Lewis: What do you call a mushroom that walks into a bar and buys everyone a drink?

    Chris Pratt: I don't know.

    Lewis: A fungi.
  • April 3, 2009
    Recommended by xXxXHorrorFanxXxX.
  • April 1, 2009
    An Amazing film, full of drama, depth and great acting. A very full and textured story. Captivating and enrapturing. All that and a great ending. I a love story with some closure. The complete journey. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt is gorgeous in this movie.
  • March 30, 2009
    "Whoever has the money has the power"





    Directed by: Scott Frank





    Starring: Aaron Berg, Bruce McGill, Carla Gugino, Isla Fisher, Jeff Daniels, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Laura Vandervoort, Matthew Goode, Morgan Kelly





    Plot:
    <...( read more)br/>"The Lookout" marks Academy AwardŽ-nominated screenwriter Scott Frank's ("Out of Sight"), directorial debut. The intelligent crime drama is centered around Chris, a once promising high school athlete whose life is turned upside down following a tragic accident. As he tries to maintain a normal life, he takes a job as a janitor at a bank where he ultimately finds himself caught up in a planned heist.







    I have the money. I have the power

    - Chris Pratt



    I get turned down more times than the beds at the Holiday Inn.

    - Lewis



    Damn! And I thought I was good looking.

    - Gary Spargo









    My Review:

    really great film but it was kinda sad but really great 5/5
  • March 30, 2009
    When you least expects it, Joseph Levitt delivers a surprise. His strong portrayal as Chris Pratt who was once a hockey star,became partially handicapped after an auto accident . Havent seen much of his work since 3rd rock and 10 things I hate about you. An intriguing thriller.
  • March 24, 2009
    I don?t know why I really like this movie. Because it handles something like a brain injury really well? I?m not even sure what that means. It handled a brain injury WELL? How do you handle one poorly? Make fun of the victim? Anyway, I don?t want to say too much because I ...( read more)apparently cannot articulate but I will say this: If you?re looking for a fairy tale where the handsome jock with the brain injury gets all better and lives happily ever after, rent something else.
  • March 15, 2009
    This low-key crime thriller features the most intriguing characters you could expect to see in film, outside of a noir. The lookout of the title is our protagonist a tragic figure played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, fast becoming the best actor of his generation. However Matthew Good...( read more)e gives him a run for his money with his charismatic criminal manipulator. Would've liked to have seen more of the wonderful Isla Fisher, but otherwise this film is perfect.
  • March 5, 2009
    A good movie that has a great performance by Gordon-Levitt. Who would have thought that the kid from 3rd Rock would be such a good actor. While the movie does lift somethings from Memento, it also goes in different directions and the mood of the movie is totally different.
  • March 2, 2009
    "Whoever has the money has the power"

    Chris is a once promising high school athlete whose life is turned upside down following a tragic accident. As he tries to maintain a normal life, he takes a job as a janitor at a bank, where he ultimately finds himself caught up in...( read more) a planned heist.

    REVIEW
    The Lookout is an expertly crafted thriller. Never in a hurry. Never over-written or too flashy. It flows with the ease and subtlety of a mountain stream. Joseph Gordon-Levitt rehashes a quiet, quirky and likeable character, very similar to his role in 'Brick'. The film's strongest characteristic is its realistic feel and pace. It almost feels like this really happened, like someone was just there filming actual events. The supporting roles are perfectly cast. It's nice to see that there are some filmmakers out there not afraid to do things the old way. A successfully minimized, and realistic thriller. A cross between Hitchcock and the Coen bros. Highly recommended.
  • February 25, 2009
    This movie would be fascinating enough even without the heist and just as a character drama. A thriller that remains wound tight up until its slightly vague ending.
  • February 22, 2009
    "I have the money! I have the power!"
    A good drama thriller with good performances by Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, Jeff Daniels, Carla Gugino, Isla Fisher and Matthew Goode.
  • February 20, 2009
    this was an alright movie....i liked him in brick too......i'm slowly becoming a fan of his(joseph gordon-levitt)
  • February 15, 2009
    really good movie with excellent actors.
  • February 10, 2009
    Slow paced thriller that leaves a couple story lines hanging but otherwise has a solid payoff for your patience through the early part of the film.
  • February 9, 2009
    Bom filme, pouco conhecido.
  • February 7, 2009
    This Movie Was Awesome. Kept Me On The Edge Of My Seat.
  • February 5, 2009
    I really enjoyed this. Good story, GREAT cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is such a great actor. This is definitely worth seeing.
  • January 30, 2009
    The posters and cover art for this film really sell it short: It's not a crime caper, it's a character study about a very interesting character with a very prominant problem. Joseph Gordon-Levitt masterfully creates Chris Pratt, the protagonist who serves as the X factor in his o...( read more)wn life. The brain injury he sustained impairs his cognitive function and makes everything in life difficult for him, which kind of makes his behaviour unpredictable. Little does Gary realize that it's a bit of a mistake to try to take advantage of someone like that. Really though, I found that the bank robbery plot was just window-dressing for the much more interesting element of Chris himself, dealing with his handicap and the guilt that came with it. Jeff Daniel's character also helped round him out. This movie is something special.
  • January 23, 2009
    a great little movie that really slipped under the radar on release
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great as the brain damaged hero of the piece but the standout is Matthew Goode who gives a fantastic performance
    Don't miss it
  • January 20, 2009
    Directed by: Scott Frank.
    Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode.

    << "My old man used to say to me, probably the only thing we ever really agreed on, was that whoever has the money has the power. You ...( read more)might wanna jot that down in your book. It's something you're gonna need to remember." >>

    The story follows Chris, he pretty much has everything, a wealthy family, great friends, a beautiful girlfriend and he is a top athlete...but when a fatal car accident changes the lives of those in it, everything changes. Not only does Chris have to live with the damage he has caused, but he also has a brain injury which effects him from remembering things for long periods of time. Now, with a completely different lifestyle, he takes a simple job as a janitor at a bank, which causes a chain of events to lead him to ultimately get caught up in a planned heist.

    'They don't make films like they used to'. You will probably hear that from many people and I have to agree with them wholeheartedly (for the most part). Hollywood has turned into a problem child, the one you can't fix and a majority of movies made in modern society are an insult to what films should be...The Lookout is the opposite and reminds us that brilliance is out there.

    Scott Frank has always been a brilliant writer, from Minority Report, the best film of 2002 to some classic heist/mob related films (Get Shorty, Out of Sight), this is Scott as his personal best. At first glance, it may appear like a heist film, it isn't. For a good 80% of the film, it is a character drama, a very rich and realistic study on how changes in life can really effect you. Everything is so well written...thoughtful, brilliantly executed and quite emotional...and the extremely likable characters help that. But what drama we are shown is also balanced with thrills and the surefire intensity works brilliantly as well.

    Scott Frank makes his directional debut here and although its not necessarily a doorway from a unique visionary, Scott knows what he is doing, he knows the story and his characters well and how to bring out the best in them, with great range and executing every element perfectly...and with a great little noir touch.

    The performances are what you would hope for. Although some actors are a little underused in the background, it doesn't ruin anything. Jeff Daniels is strangely cast as a blind man but with his deft control and as always, brilliant acting, he delivers. Joseph Gordon-Levitt still isn't known to the public just yet, mainly because he has done many independent films...but they are missing out. Not only does he inhabit the role to a tee, but he shows a rare range for his characters differences throughout the film and he is mesmerizing because of it...he will go a long way.

    This is what film making is all about, when the mainstream audience require big action flicks to satisfy there little minds, films like this slip through unseen. A brilliantly smart and rich character study full of intensity, care and emotion and with some of the most likable characters you can have, a surprisingly rich score from the always pleasing James Newton Howard, a brilliant directional debut by Scott Frank and another strong performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Lookout is like a little masterpiece, to remind us that great films can still be made, you just have to look.

    90/100

    << "I started skating again. I'm not as good as I used to be, but I'm okay. What happened that night along Route 24 is a part of me now. I just hope that one day Kelly will be ready to see me again and I can finally tell her what I've only been able to say in my dreams. Until then, all I can do is wake up, take a shower, with soap, and try to forgive myself. If I can do that, then maybe others will forgive me too. I don't know if that will happen, but I guess I'll just have to work backwards from there." >>

  • January 15, 2009
    I love this movie, I think I'd like to own it.

Summary


The Lookout Summary