He's Got the Power

I'm giving The Lookout a B. Why tell you that upfront? Because sometimes, to know where you're going, it helps to know the ending. That's just one of the lessons learned from writer/director Scott Frank's film about a promising young athlete whose life takes a tragic turn when he's involved in a car crash, and then takes another turn when he's involved in a bank robbery. Bank robbery is territory Frank has visited before; he's the screenwriter of the awesome Out of Sight (and Minority Report and Get Shorty). I just wish The Lookout was as good. Despite impressive performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who you might remember from the TV show Third Rock from the Sun) and Jeff Daniels (following his better one in The Squid and the Whale), and a flawless American accent by Matthew Goode (from Match Point and Imagine Me & You), the film really isn't all that compelling. I just didn't feel myself invested in what was happening to Gordon-Levitt's character. Additionally, there are a few lines of hokey dialogue, and Isla Fisher's character (who has the unfortunate name of Luvlee Lemons) doesn't feel complete. But if made to choose, for some reason I'd still say I liked The Lookout, so that's why I'm going to stick with my B grade.