I suspect that Shia LaBeouf is, thanks to Transformers, on the verge of breaking out as a major star, as well he deserves to. He proved his worth a few years back when he starred in the second Project Greenlight film. From my review of The Battle of Shaker Heights:

Beeney's script is hardly the best basis to have begun with. Full of hollow, plasticine characters who toss off glib, detached observations about life, the universe, and everything, it's the kind of script that wins screenwriting contests for its off-the-cuff cleverness. But it's a cleverness that's never smart, never has any genuine heart. That her protagonist, high school senior Kelly Ernswiler, garners any of our sympathy at all is down to Shia LaBeouf, who is a treasure. Like a younger John Cusack -- and not just physically, though there is a bit of a resemblance -- LeBeouf generates the seemingly contradictory illusion of being both down-to-earth and a little more knowing than everyone else around him. He commands the screen with his real-guy charm. But he can't do much about the way his character is written.

• review of The Battle of Shaker Heights, posted 09.07.03

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