"The Lucky One", Rated "PG-13" for Adult Situations, Adult Language, Adult Humor, Some Sexual Content, Adult Scenes & Mild Violence. Running Time: 1hr&41mns.
My Take *** (Out of ****) / 7/10 on the IMDb Scale
Do you believe fate brought you to your circle of friends and family? Was it merely coincidence, luck or circumstance that put you there? Here's another question: does it matter how the people in your life came to be in your life? Perhaps it is more important that they are simply there. No whys, buts or ifs. Just accept your blessing(s) as an absolute.
Well, for anyone who's ever read a Nicholas Sparks book, or seen a film based on one of his books, you would be well advised to suspend all your beliefs in reality. Instead, you would have to accept his whimsical notion that love is blind and it will find and envelope people when they least expect it. It is a constant in all his tales, which include "Dear John" (2010), "The Notebook" (2004), "A Walk to Remember" (2002). Let's not beat around the bush here: the success of Sparks' books rely heavily on schmaltz. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's a little like going into Chucky Cheese and knowing what you're getting yourself into. Did I say 'cheese'? That is no fooling. This latest Sparks' film adaptation, "The Lucky One," is another unapologetic staple in Sparks' highly improbable love stories.
"The Lucky One" focuses on young Marine sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron), a troubled man who has completed three tours of duty in the Marine Corps. He has a photo in his possession of a beautiful woman that he found in the middle-east during combat. For whatever reason, he believes that the photo is good luck and that it has saved his life on several occasions. He returns home to Colorado and realizes he won't find peace there. Looking for closure, he decides to walk to Louisiana in search of the mystery woman. That's right, he's going walk to Louisiana and bring his dog too.
Are you following this? This is where you check your brain at the door when watching anything based on a Nicholas Sparks book. How does Logan know the woman is in Louisiana? Let's just say, at the very least, he was able to deduce this astronomically. This fact could be construed as creepy, obsessive and stalkeresque, though these matters are relatively ignored. It is a Sparks absolute, and it must be accepted as such.
The woman in the photo is Beth (Taylor Schilling), a plucky single mom living at her grandmother Ellie's (Blythe Danner) large rural home with a dog kennel business. Logan wants to tell Ellie about the photo and why he's in Louisiana, but the words simply elude him. Through a misunderstanding, Logan agrees to take a job at the kennel. The job also conveniently comes with a place to live right on the property.
Beth finds Logan odd and is cautious of him. Naturally in a story like this, the wise old grandmother knows the potential for young love when she sees it. She believes Logan to be a fine, noble young man. Let us forget he is a military drifter like Rambo. He looks like Zac Efron which clearly means he's trustworthy and meant to be with Beth right? Uh, huh. Naturally, Beth's young son Ben (Thomas Riley Stewart, "How I Met Your Mother") is accepting of Logan. Yes, it's a given that Beth's ex-husband Keith (Jay R. Ferguson, "Mad Men") is disapproving of a mysterious drifter having a passionate romance with Beth. It doesn't help the two lovebirds that Keith is a shady sheriff's deputy determined to learn what brought Logan to town.
"The Lucky One" is directed by Scott Hicks who is probably best known for his Oscar nominated bio-pic "Shine" (1996). That film was a meticulous recreation of the life of driven pianist David Helfgott (played by Geoffrey Rush who won the Best Actor Oscar for the role). His next film was the heated racial period piece "Snow Falling on Cedars" (1999), which was also grand in scope. This time instead of using an epic canvas to tell the fictitious "The Lucky One," Scott lets the whimsy of the story carry it through. The story is treated as serious as it can be given the premise, and Scott doesn't shy away from being playful with the material either. Unlike his earlier works, this film is intentionally light-hearted and breezy.
Though "The Lucky One" is a romance at heart, it also boasts some impressive visuals. The rural Louisianan vistas are lush and elaborate. Whether it is something as simple as a tree house overlooking a river or sail-boating on the open blue water, this movie is great to look at. Simple shots like sunlight beaming through the treetops is masterfully done. Grandma Ellie's home looks idealic; like a place you would see in a Thomas Kincaid painting. I would be happy to live at Ellie's house. The cinematography in this movie is one of its charms.
Overall, "The Lucky One" is a charming, likable movie. We know it's far-fetched, especially when we learn how Beth's photo ended up with Logan and the connection he has to the incident that brought it to him. But we don't care. Sure the movie has some clichés, but the good news is the film is honest in its sappiness. That's what saves it.
"The Lucky One" is nothing grand, but in the right context it is a satisfactory watch. True, there are better Nicholas Sparks movies out there. Nevertheless, this picture has earned the right to be among their ranks. How many of us watch the movies for reality anyway? If you're not expecting too much, "The Lucky One" is a cute little movie.
My Take *** (Out of ****) / 7/10 on the IMDb Scale
Do you believe fate brought you to your circle of friends and family? Was it merely coincidence, luck or circumstance that put you there? Here's another question: does it matter how the people in your life came to be in your life? Perhaps it is more important that they are simply there. No whys, buts or ifs. Just accept your blessing(s) as an absolute.
Well, for anyone who's ever read a Nicholas Sparks book, or seen a film based on one of his books, you would be well advised to suspend all your beliefs in reality. Instead, you would have to accept his whimsical notion that love is blind and it will find and envelope people when they least expect it. It is a constant in all his tales, which include "Dear John" (2010), "The Notebook" (2004), "A Walk to Remember" (2002). Let's not beat around the bush here: the success of Sparks' books rely heavily on schmaltz. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's a little like going into Chucky Cheese and knowing what you're getting yourself into. Did I say 'cheese'? That is no fooling. This latest Sparks' film adaptation, "The Lucky One," is another unapologetic staple in Sparks' highly improbable love stories.
"The Lucky One" focuses on young Marine sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron), a troubled man who has completed three tours of duty in the Marine Corps. He has a photo in his possession of a beautiful woman that he found in the middle-east during combat. For whatever reason, he believes that the photo is good luck and that it has saved his life on several occasions. He returns home to Colorado and realizes he won't find peace there. Looking for closure, he decides to walk to Louisiana in search of the mystery woman. That's right, he's going walk to Louisiana and bring his dog too.
Are you following this? This is where you check your brain at the door when watching anything based on a Nicholas Sparks book. How does Logan know the woman is in Louisiana? Let's just say, at the very least, he was able to deduce this astronomically. This fact could be construed as creepy, obsessive and stalkeresque, though these matters are relatively ignored. It is a Sparks absolute, and it must be accepted as such.
The woman in the photo is Beth (Taylor Schilling), a plucky single mom living at her grandmother Ellie's (Blythe Danner) large rural home with a dog kennel business. Logan wants to tell Ellie about the photo and why he's in Louisiana, but the words simply elude him. Through a misunderstanding, Logan agrees to take a job at the kennel. The job also conveniently comes with a place to live right on the property.
Beth finds Logan odd and is cautious of him. Naturally in a story like this, the wise old grandmother knows the potential for young love when she sees it. She believes Logan to be a fine, noble young man. Let us forget he is a military drifter like Rambo. He looks like Zac Efron which clearly means he's trustworthy and meant to be with Beth right? Uh, huh. Naturally, Beth's young son Ben (Thomas Riley Stewart, "How I Met Your Mother") is accepting of Logan. Yes, it's a given that Beth's ex-husband Keith (Jay R. Ferguson, "Mad Men") is disapproving of a mysterious drifter having a passionate romance with Beth. It doesn't help the two lovebirds that Keith is a shady sheriff's deputy determined to learn what brought Logan to town.
"The Lucky One" is directed by Scott Hicks who is probably best known for his Oscar nominated bio-pic "Shine" (1996). That film was a meticulous recreation of the life of driven pianist David Helfgott (played by Geoffrey Rush who won the Best Actor Oscar for the role). His next film was the heated racial period piece "Snow Falling on Cedars" (1999), which was also grand in scope. This time instead of using an epic canvas to tell the fictitious "The Lucky One," Scott lets the whimsy of the story carry it through. The story is treated as serious as it can be given the premise, and Scott doesn't shy away from being playful with the material either. Unlike his earlier works, this film is intentionally light-hearted and breezy.
Though "The Lucky One" is a romance at heart, it also boasts some impressive visuals. The rural Louisianan vistas are lush and elaborate. Whether it is something as simple as a tree house overlooking a river or sail-boating on the open blue water, this movie is great to look at. Simple shots like sunlight beaming through the treetops is masterfully done. Grandma Ellie's home looks idealic; like a place you would see in a Thomas Kincaid painting. I would be happy to live at Ellie's house. The cinematography in this movie is one of its charms.
Overall, "The Lucky One" is a charming, likable movie. We know it's far-fetched, especially when we learn how Beth's photo ended up with Logan and the connection he has to the incident that brought it to him. But we don't care. Sure the movie has some clichés, but the good news is the film is honest in its sappiness. That's what saves it.
"The Lucky One" is nothing grand, but in the right context it is a satisfactory watch. True, there are better Nicholas Sparks movies out there. Nevertheless, this picture has earned the right to be among their ranks. How many of us watch the movies for reality anyway? If you're not expecting too much, "The Lucky One" is a cute little movie.