Nicholas Sparks has basically created his own brand of romantic movies. Each one seems to do extremely well and as many reviewers have pointed out they are all very similar recipe and have the same basic aura about them. So you can't go into The Lucky One without knowing exactly what you're in for. If you understand these expectations The Lucky One will please you because it follows that recipe perfectly and it succeeds to be sweet and romantic with an okay story and decent characters. The issue with The Lucky One is that it doesn't break the mold, it won't ever be accused of being ambitious. Its perfectly complacent in its genre and appeal to young girls mostly proved by its choice of leading man. There is no great story, great characters, great direction, great ending...there is just an okay story, characters, direction and ending. I was pleased that the ending was at least reasonably "happy ever after" because one thing with Sparks' stories is that you never know what the "big disaster" will be at the end or to one of the main characters.
Zac Efron is a teen heart-throb and because the film wishes to appeal to the young teen girl demographic he is the perfect choice. He gives a decent performance but I felt like he simply looked too young. He was just too baby faced, and the facial hair didn't help. He could still play a teenager. But despite that his character is decent, has a bit of a dark side, and has a brooding quality. Taylor Schilling (who I loved in the short lived TV Series Mercy) plays his love interest. She's good and they have okay chemistry but in a true romance film you need to have GREAT chemistry. (Rachael McAdams and Ryan Gosling in the Notebook for instance.) Schilling is three years older than Efron but because of his aforementioned baby face she looks so much older than him. Blythe Danner is great as Schilling's Grandmother and I would have liked her to have a bigger role. Riley Thomas Stewart does a great job as Schilling's young son, and Jay R. Ferguson is the ex-husband and father who has no redeemable qualities yet somehow we are supposed to feel for him when his story arc climaxes.
Director Scott Hicks has had some experience in romance films but let's be honest...this film was churned out for their demographic to make money and it did that. They weren't trying to make a classic, or a timeless romance. This was the kind of mainstream movie that is pushed out to make a buck and nothing more. That doesn't make the film unwatchable...it just means its lacking any sort of artistic merit and it misses the potential of making a great movie. Basically the target demographic will probably love and swoon over the movie but anyone over the age of 18ish will likely just say...that was okay and forget about it minutes later. It's just all around okay. 7/10
Zac Efron is a teen heart-throb and because the film wishes to appeal to the young teen girl demographic he is the perfect choice. He gives a decent performance but I felt like he simply looked too young. He was just too baby faced, and the facial hair didn't help. He could still play a teenager. But despite that his character is decent, has a bit of a dark side, and has a brooding quality. Taylor Schilling (who I loved in the short lived TV Series Mercy) plays his love interest. She's good and they have okay chemistry but in a true romance film you need to have GREAT chemistry. (Rachael McAdams and Ryan Gosling in the Notebook for instance.) Schilling is three years older than Efron but because of his aforementioned baby face she looks so much older than him. Blythe Danner is great as Schilling's Grandmother and I would have liked her to have a bigger role. Riley Thomas Stewart does a great job as Schilling's young son, and Jay R. Ferguson is the ex-husband and father who has no redeemable qualities yet somehow we are supposed to feel for him when his story arc climaxes.
Director Scott Hicks has had some experience in romance films but let's be honest...this film was churned out for their demographic to make money and it did that. They weren't trying to make a classic, or a timeless romance. This was the kind of mainstream movie that is pushed out to make a buck and nothing more. That doesn't make the film unwatchable...it just means its lacking any sort of artistic merit and it misses the potential of making a great movie. Basically the target demographic will probably love and swoon over the movie but anyone over the age of 18ish will likely just say...that was okay and forget about it minutes later. It's just all around okay. 7/10