The Lookout (2007)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. He's just so good no matter who he's portraying: damaged teen hustler, violently angry delinquent, fast-talking crime solver, or here a head-injury victim dealing with his new mental limitations. He was probably a decent alien too -- but I didn't watch the show, so I can't say so with any real confidence.

Chris's struggles are real and sad. He used to be a golden boy -- handsome, popular, star hockey player -- and now he has trouble distinguishing the garlic press from the can opener. His roommate is a spouter of pithiness who's blind, a role that could have seemed contrived but is neatly explained by the fact that they were matched as roommates through their life skills center. His relationship to his rich parents is, perhaps, the most heartbreaking of the entire film. They obviously love him -- but they don't know how to behave around him and seem to think that he might just turn back into who he used to be if they remain optimistic.

The main story here happens with Chris meets up with a guy who claims to have dated his sister in high school. This rough group seems happy to pal around with Chris and he gets special attention from "Luvlee Lemons," who makes him believe she's lucky to be with him. Of course, what his new friends really want is access to the bank he cleans at night...and that's when the story becomes rather less than it was. It's not bad, but it feels like thousands of other movies in the last third or so.

B+