I saw this movie because it came on TV and was described as having a "film noir" vibe. It definitely had that and was a really great movie.
Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was a high school super star (like the captain of the football team type we all know so well) until the day when he crashes his car with his girlfriend and a couple friends inside. His life is forever changed as his brain just does not function properly. He has anterograde amnesia; he can't make new memories since the accident.
So the film starts off with him trying to cope with the simplicities of his daily life. Getting up out of bed, having breakfast, going to his special school classes and life with his best friend, an older blind "mentor" roommate, Lewis (played extremely well by Jeff Daniels). These tasks seem so simple for a person, but these are the daily challenges that Chris faces. He also works in a bank, late at night, as a janitor. A funny position for the #1 "going places" kid of the class.
He decides to go for Thanksgiving dinner to his family's house along with his roommate, Lewis. They're super wealthy and even more judgmental, although they are a loving family somewhere at the core. Things don't go so well for the two misfits, as Lewis recommends he stop going home anymore and move on with his life.
After going to a local bar a few times, Chris meets a friend who introduces him to a girl he eventually starts a relationship with (played by Isla Fisher). As things progress, Chris finds out that they're involved in robbing banks and want to incorporate him into their plans to rob the bank he works at, so he can be the "lookout".
This movie was just really great. Really well thought out. Really well acted. Great script, great pace, great timing. It really does capture the film noir feel, although subverting the typical "main character amnesia" aspect of the plots that are so familiar in film noir.
You're definitely riveted throughout the whole movie. It really reminded me of one of my favorite films, "La Moustache", in that regard. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. Definitely a "must-see", in my book.
I didn't know what to make of this film. At first, when I read the synopsis, I thought it was going to be pretty bad. I've never really had any experience with any movies starring Scarlett Johansson other than Iron Man 2, which she just does a small cameo "hot chick" role. This movie you actually get to see her act.
First of all, I really liked this movie. It had a good message with decent acting and fairly well-written dialogue. I think the idea of telling the story of the film through different exhibits of a museum was fairly clever. All around, the movie was pretty clever.
It's kind of a cute story that makes a good point about the involvement (and lack there-of) of parents in their children's lives. It also is designed to be a bit of a showcase as to how ridiculous a lot of the super wealthy super-elites are.
While this is not the greatest movie of all time, I think it deserves quite a bit more credit than it probably received. I think Scarlett Johansson does a great job playing the confused college graduate who really doesn't quite understand life and is a bit lost as to how to make it in the job market. I mean how many people do I know that were exactly like that (myself included)?
Alicia Keys does a fantastic job as well, as she's so believable, you don't doubt her for a second.
Anyway, it was a surprisingly good and enjoyable movie!
