The Lookout
Since Christmas, my mother and I have been watching season box sets of “3rd Rock From the Sun,” the late ’90s sitcom about four aliens living in Ohio, trying to study humans by assimilating themselves into the lives of a normal human family. It’s a sly high-concept show that featured a tremendous combination of comedy styles for its’ actors to partake in. But while John Lithgow, Kirsten Johnston, and French Stewart are given somewhat limited ranges of humor to play within, young Joseph Gordon-Levitt- as the eldest member of the crew, but stuck in the body of an adolescent boy- had the deepest range to work in, and he moved from sophisticated gentlemen to love-struck teenager to low-brow laugh getter and parody artist (an episode that puts a spin on the mafia is particularly of note for Gordon-Levitt) effortlessly. Taking that into consideration, is it that shocking that the still-young actor (a mere 26) was so good at dramatic work in indie standouts like “Mysterious Skin” (where he played a gay prostitute) and “Brick” (where he played a high school snitch/Sam Spade detective looking deep into teen dope deals and the murder of an ex-girlfriend)?
Be in shock no more; he gives his best and boldest performance yet as Chris Pratt, a former high school hockey star who- after a major car accident that took the life of two friends (and the leg of his girlfriend of the time)- is now coping with a fractured memory (he has to make notes for himself of what to do in a typical day), a nighttime job as a janitor at the local bank (it’s a small Kansas town, one gathers), and an apartment he shares with blind friend Lewis (Jeff Daniels, giving a supporting role major significance and soul). Like Guy Pearce’s amnesiac in “Memento,” it’s sometimes surprising how Chris lives from day to day, but he’s no single-minded vigilante; he’s a changed man- though his temper can still flare up- who genuinely laments what he did to his friends (he was driving the car, without headlights at night), and feels like he has to make amends, though not sure as to how to go about doing it. His easy rapport with the supporting characters- an intriguing gallery from top to bottom- his ease at fitting the roles of both the cocky jock and the damaged soul, and a natural charisma that no acting coach can teach- this is Gordon-Levitt’s most well-rounded and impressive work to date; for the third year in a row, don’t expect him to be nominated for a much-deserved Oscar. Do expect him to rank with the best of his generation when all is said and done, though.
Of course, you need a script to sink your teeth into to work such acting miracles, and Gordon-Levitt, Daniels, and the entire lot are given a juicy one by writer-director Scott Frank, an acclaimed screenwriter (best known for “Out of Sight,” “Get Shorty,” and “Minority Report,” all of which factor into “The Lookout’s” clever story) making a sharp directing debut with a film that’s of the Elmore Leonard realm of crime writing- especially when an old high school bud (Matthew Goode, terrific as a bad guy) and a sexy fatale named Luvlee (“Wedding Crashers'” Isla Fisher, as hot and spunky as she was in that film) approach Chris about helping them knock over the bank he works at. I won’t go into more, except that Frank has some skills behind the camera, both in working with actors and defining a pulp atmosphere (with fine support by cinematographer Alar Kivilo and composer James Newton Howard) that reminds you of previous films but doesn’t haunt you with such rememberances. I wouldn’t go as far as to elevate “The Lookout” to classic status, but it’s a smart, slick, and sly thriller that has some smooth surprises up its’ sleeves. Anyone looking to blurb that last sentence- my best wishes are with you. Don’t let it stop you checking out this film, though.
