There is a misjudged orphan in the motion picture culture called the B-Movie. I was raised on them and I can tell you, they have gotten a bum rap. A "B-Movie" is a picture that is made on less than a normal budget and is meant to do one thing, entertain. There are rarely any Oscar® nominations and there are usually few accolades from critics or the press. Having said that, there have been some great B-pictures made and though they've had limited budgets, no huge named actors, and very little hype, they entertain us and are sometimes even given A-minus status. The Lookout is a B-picture that does a lot with a little and keeps us watching, guessing and leaning forward in our seats with suspense. Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) had a huge car accident four years ago. It left his brain damaged to the point of constant, short-term memory. He writes notes to himself as reminders to do the basic, daily chores of life. His system works for him and he leads a fairly normal existence. He works the graveyard shift as a janitor of a small farm town bank and lives with his blind friend, Lewis (Jeff Daniels). He is working as hard as he can towards normalcy when he is befriended in a bar by a guy, Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), who claims to have gone to school with him and remembers his greatness as a hockey player. Gary introduces him to a blond named Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fisher) who was once a "dancer" (hence the name) and she shows "special" interest in Chris. OK, let's add it up. Brain damaged kid who works in a BANK+slick guy who CLAIMS he once knew him+LUVLEE LEMONS, who is VERY friendly=a bank heist with the kid holding the bag. We pretty much know the score from early in the picture, it's the master story telling from writer and first time director Scott Frank that gets us there in a way that makes the trip unique. The acting was solid. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was great convincing us of the torment of knowing he would never be who he once was and Jeff Daniels stole every scene he was in with his wit and quickness. With the exception of Daniels and Bruce McGill (who played Chris' father) I knew none of these people. Just goes to show, you don't need big names to tell a good story. I liked this picture, not for what it wasn't, but for what it was, a good "B-Movie"! "Whoever has the money has the power." RECOMMENDATION: Well worth the money (matinee, of course!) and the time. You won't "B" disappointed! Rated R for language, sex and violence. Leave the kiddies and prudes at home. TWO COLD (winter), DISREMEMBERED
THUMBS UP!!! Some classic B-Movies worth seeing: The Narrow Margin-1952-RKO Movie Review © 2007 by Terry Anderson |
