07-04-08 The Lookout (2007)

Seen: April 4th, 2007
Format: Theater
Rating: 7

Tension is an interesting thing. Creating anticipation of an unpleasnt thing is a very effective way to create it. Let's say you have a bandaid to remove that you know is going to be painful. You, or a close friend and sadistic friend, rips it off quickly to get it over. But let's say instead, the "friend" blindfolds you and tells you they'll rip it off sometime in the next minute. Decidely less fun. How 'bout the next 5 minutes? 10?

The Lookout is full of this kind of tension. We can see the train wrecks coming a mile away, but the busted track is always just around the next corner. We cringe in our seats, knowing what's going to happen, but not quite sure exactly when or how. So we guess, and we're wrong, and the tension ratchets up another notch.

None of this is meant to imply that The Lookout is cliche or predictable. It's actually fairly original. The thing that's familiar, the things that let us see that tragedy ahead, are the situations and people that we recognize from our own lives. Most of us know at least a few of the characters in the film. We recognize their patterns of behavior. And when they're placed in certain situations in the film, the outcomes are inevitable.

The film feels longer than it is because it moves slowly, but it never drags. There's a lot packed into it. Scenes feel longer because of the way they're written. Small details fill them out. This is not a story with grand impacts. It does not make larger statements. It about the problems of a small group of people in a fairly small area. Perhaps this is what it feels less compelling than I expected.

All the technical bits are great. The cast is super, some of my favorite character actors are here. Isla Fisher was very good. I loved her in Wedding Crashers and it was interesting to see her in a dramatic role. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was solid. His performance was understated and subtle, though there were a few rough moments.

All-in-all, this is a good movie. It's engaging, but perhaps not compelling. It has sterling moments, but as a whole it's perhaps less than the sum of its parts.

It does keep you cringing, though.

The Good: High tension

The Bad: Poor choices

The Ugly: Forgetting to put your combine away