Disturbia

Thriller mixes an uneven brew of suspense, teen romance and comedy

By Brett Buckalew | Metromix

April 13, 2007

There's so much to like about "Disturbia" that, in the end, it feels a tad overstuffed. Though most easily classified as a creepy serial-killer flick, the film also packs '80s-style teen comedy, puppy-love romance and a moody study of post-traumatic adolescent stress into its tight 104-minute running time.

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.