Sarah Roemer and Shia LaBeouf discover a killer lives next door in "Disturbia."
(Credit: Paramount)
- Running time:
- 105 minutes
- Rated:
- PG-13
- Cast:
- Shia LaBeouf -
- David Morse -
- Turner
- Sarah Roemer -
- Ashley
- Carrie-Anne Moss -
- Julie
- Aaron Yoo -
- Ronnie
(0 ratings)
This combination of genres ensures that no one will be bored, and to its credit, the movie succeeds when judged by its individual parts. But it still comes off as overly calculated in forcing all these unlikely pieces together, making the experience akin to eating 31 tasty flavors of ice cream while a Baskin-Robbins bigwig looks over your shoulder to make sure you're enjoying the variety.
Fortunately, charismatic and versatile star Shia LaBeouf ("Holes") lends coherence to the scattered proceedings. He plays Kale, a high-school student sentenced to three months' house arrest after socking a teacher who made an inappropriate comment about the teen's recently deceased father.
While killing time in his suburban prison, Kale spies on his neighbors with binoculars, à la James Stewart in "Rear Window." He develops a crush on the frequently bikini-clad girl next door, Ashley (Sarah Roemer, "The Grudge 2"), and discovers evidence that another nearby resident (David Morse, "The Rock") may be a brutal killer. With the police hesitant to trust a delinquent, Kale turns to Ashley and best bud Ronnie (newcomer Aaron Yoo) to help bring the psycho to justice.
Director D.J. Caruso creates an edge-of-your-seat atmosphere for the intense third act, and Kale's courtship of Ashley yields several irresistibly sweet moments. Less effective are the attempts at humor, which lean toward juvenile.
"Disturbia" aims to provide solid entertainment, it's just too bad it tries so hard.
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Movie theaters and showtimes for Disturbia in Los Angeles.
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