Birthday Blitz: The Lookout (dir. Scott Frank, 2007)

Day 21, Movie 21 – The Lookout – Déjà vu All Over Again

I realized when I started watching The Lookout that I already seen it. That’s kind of ironic. Actually, that’s very ironic.

Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)is a high school hockey star who crashes his car into a stalled combine, killing his two friends and leaving him with severe brain damage. Some time later, Chris is seen struggling with short term memory loss and slower motor skills. He lives with a blind roommate Lewis (Jeff Daniels) and works as a night janitor at a bank. Chris encounters Gary (Matthew Goode), the leader of a gang who wants to rob said bank. So Gary and his cohorts manipulate Chris into helping rob the bank, which also conveniently gives Isla Fisher an opportunity to prance around in her underwear. But nothing goes according to plan.

Chris is a fascinating character in a heist movie because he cannot remember most details about anything. He loses his train of thought often and depends on his roommate Lewis for help. (Chris’ family is seen to be evasive and absent.) It is Chris’ relationship with Lewis that is the strongest part of The Lookout.

As Chris becomes more involved with the gang, he loses sight of his friendship with Lewis. It is eventually that friendship, and not Chris’ relationship with Gary and the gang, that wins out.

This post of is part of my Birthday Blitz Marathon.