The Lookout

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: March 30, 2007

DVD Release Date: August 14, 2007

Plot 411: A man just trying to get his life together after suffering a head injury is recruited for a bank heist.

Review: This was a complex story about the choices (many of which are bad) we make in life and how the affect our future. On his prom night, Chris Pratt (Joeseph Gordon-Levitt) makes the seriously bad decision to drive without his headlights on and gets into an accident that kills two of his friends and injures another. Chris also suffers serious head injuries that still affect him four years later. Just trying to live like everyone else, he has a job as a janior at a bank. Internally, Chris struggles to get a grip on things. This is difficult when he has moderate memory loss, a hindrance in some of his motor skills and just finds it hard to make it from one moment to the next. When Gary (Matthew Goode) approaches him with a quick fix to get his life together and be normal once again, he makes another bad decision. One thing leads to another and Chris is in one of the worst situations of his life. Gordon-Levitt's performance is powerful because of its subtlety. He doesn't overact Chris' struggles, but the audience is clearly aware that there are many challenges in his life. He doesn't make the character pitiful and in fact shows us just how determined Chris can be. Jeff Daniels plays Lewis, Chris' roommate and friend who is blind. Both characters rely on each other but also understand each other's strengths and failures. Isla Fisher also has a small part as Chris' love interest. This was a really good character-driven script that allowed the actors to really emote.

Watch It: For a close look at one person's struggle in life and how he decides to deal with it.

Skip It: If you're looking for an Ocean's Eleven-like heist film.