DreamWorks and the Montecito Picture Company present a PG-13 rated 104 minute film directed by Christopher B. Landon and starring Shia LaBeouf (Kale), Sarah Roemer (Ashley), Carrie-Anne Moss (Julie), David Morse (Mr. Robert Turner), Aaron Yoo (Ronnie), Jose Pablo Cantillo (Officer Gutierrez), Matt Craven (Daniel Brecht) and Viola Davis (Detective Parker).
The film takes a sudden twist from the beauty of a son and father fly fishing in a river surrounded by some beautiful mountains to a violent and heart wrenching car crash on the way home. Anyone like myself who has been involved in such a crash in their life brace yourselves because this one will shock you.
One year later, Kale trying to deal with the loss of his father decks his Spanish teacher for rubbing him the wrong way causing him to be put under summer house arrest, Martha Stewart style, if you know what I mean! No not the best of everything at his finger tips but rather an ankle bracelet that doesn't quite go with his fashion style. You know how a dog can't cross an invisible fence, well Kale can't leave the vicinity of his yard without violating his arrest.
So what does a seventeen year old do for three months under house arrest? Well, for the first hour or so into the film you find out. He plays video games, argues with his mother, chats on his phone to his best friend Ronnie, eats, sleeps, and spies on his neighbors. One thing to remember though that not only do beautiful hot girls move in to suburbia but serial killers are neighbors also.
Kale and Ronnie eventually befriend Ashley, the hottie that moved in next door and the film then takes on a bit of the boy meets girl premise almost to a point where it starts to lose a bit of your attention. But right around the time when you question if you're actually in the right cinema for a scare flick the three friends start a stake out on Mr. Turner and the intrigue of a possible murderer kicks in creating some great well balanced and written thrills that will keep you guessing up to the violent and traumatic climax.
Other than Carrie-Anne Moss and David Morse the film stars virtual unknowns which in my opinion helps to make the movie even more credible. Mixed in with some great music the film invites in the young audience but doesn't offend the older viewers. The story plays out much differently than your usual slasher type genre, rather it adds a bit more believable plots and characters which make this film close to realism laced with many moments of paranoia. As kids we have all at one point cried wolf which had led to our elders not taking us seriously. You may want to think twice or for that fact three times to make sure that if you're going to be watching someone most of the times they are also watching you.
A well executed story from beginning to end with a bit of a lag that only lasts a short time. This film is definitely worth the theatre ticket for those of you looking to be a bit inquisitive on what potentially takes place in your own private disturbia.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.