the movieGOOMBA

3.5 GOOMBAS
Shia LaBeouf can be my next door neighbor any day, even if he is a peeping tom. Spielberg's man of the moment has been cast in at least three of Spielberg's executive produced films, Disturbia included (uncredited). So why does Spielberg love this kid? Because he's adorable, that's why! Okay, sorry, I was trying really hard not to gush. In all seriousness, LaBeouf is a budding talent who has the potential to be huge, if he isn't already.

A tragic accident has left teenage boy, Kale, with anger and guilt. One day his emotions are pushed too far, and he winds up on house arrest for assault. Unable to leave his home in perfect suburbia, Kale begins to snoop on the neighbors, but what started as just an interesting way to pass the time turns into a dangerous fight for his life when he thinks he witnessed a murder through his binoculars.

Disturbia calls on the popular notion that not everything is perfect in the safe and "normal" suburbs, but rather sinister. Movies like this always gives me more heebie jeebies than a typical slasher film, which I tend to laugh through. Disturbia was a great mix of psychology and thrill, not a slasher film at all, and Kale with his token Asian guy friend, Ronnie, provided the right amount of comic relief to the suspense. "Operation Stupid is officially over." Plus great lighting provided the right look, making some scenes feel scary and others, friendly.

I don't like how they kept comparing Rear Window to this flick because it makes Disturbia seem like a much worse movie than it really is. Obviously, the two are not comparable, and Rear Window had this inner voyeuristic, psychological aspect that Disburbia had no chance of re-creating. Disturbia was always about the killer, it was never about what was in Kale's head. Granted, they did try to make it seem that way, but the action took over the movie in a way that Rear Window did not. Plus, just adding that whole teenage love angst thing puts it in a whole lower tier. Did I mention that Trinity is in this movie? She plays his mom, but bad ass she was not, which was kind of disappointing.

Shia LaBeouf just proved to me that he is a fantastic actor. Just watch the accident scene and you'll know what I mean. I loved him in Transformers, and even more in Holes, but you never know until actors like him do something so different that really pulls them outside the box. Shia is definitely up there with my love for John Cusack and Edward Norton, even if he is too young for me. It's okay, Joe. I still love you most!

Sidenote: I watched the commentary on the DVD, and I guess the director in D.J. Caruso, wanted this movie to be like a John Cusack thriller. It sort of was, but then he kept bringing up how much he loved Say Anything, which happens to be my favorite movie of all time, and saying how the love scene was paying homage to that film. All I have to say is, what the heck is he talking about?! That scene is like nothing out of Say Anything. Maybe Jerry Maguire, but not Say Anything. Either way, I was glad that a real life movie director loved that 80's movie as much as me.