The Lucky One (2012)

Absolutely brilliant

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Not only did I make an effort to watch the movie but I also attempted to read the book. I couldn't accomplish either. It wasn't the story. I didn't even get that far. It was the authors lack of simple research that killed it for me. It isn't hard to figure out that a Marine is a Marine, or a jarhead or some other nickname, but NEVER a "Soldier!" I got halfway through chapter two, and about 15 minutes into the movie, but there were too many screw ups pertaining to this characters Military Service. I should also point out, that I am a female civilian. I have NO military affiliation at all. I don't have any military family or anything of the sort, yet I manage to keep Marines, Seaman, Soldiers, and Airmen in their own proper buckets. Using those terms incorrectly is just very unprofessional to me

As I said, I have not read this Nicholas Sparks story, but seen movies of his other romantic dramas. Actually I think this is one of his very best, and I continue to replay it. It has a good mood about it, and the chemistry between Taylor Schilling and Zac Efron you notice almost immediately… the director Scott Hicks remarked on their chemistry and I fully agree. There are some favourite scenes which bring tears to the eyes, and unlike some reviewers I cannot complain about the movie. I found it heartwarming and really liked it. Without giving the storyline away, I do not want to to introduce spoilers obviously. Blythe Danner I have long admired and she heads the supporting cast. Zac gives Taylor's young son moral fibre and confidence at school and I was touched by that. Zac has a special reason for wanting to meet Taylor, he is so handsome and she is so lovely, and seeing them together in this story I was spellbound by their romance… the locations for the film in the southern states are quiet and green… It's in my collection, no intention of selling this DVD but as I watch again I decided to write this understated review Malcolm in Toronto May 2015

The movie is based on a novel written by Nicholas Sparks (The notebook, Dear John, A walk to Remember, etc.) and follows marine soldier Logan, who, during a battle in the Iraq war, discovers a photo of a woman on the ground beside some debris. The action to pick up the photo manages to save Logan's life from a rocket blast which hits the ground around 10 meters from where he is standing. After this he manages to survive even another bombing (he really is lucky), and this puts him on the quest to travel to find the woman in the photograph, because he believes she is the reason for him being alive.The opening scenes which is almost too short, sets of the movie. And when i say too short, i mean they are too rushed. The sequences goes so fast that we don't manage to connect with the emotions of the scenes. ( How does it feel to be in a war?). If they had used more time, it would give the protagonist (and us) a deeper compassion for the character being involved. But since this movie is only a romance, they fast forward until we come to the cozy part. The rest of The movie follows the same basic formula which we have seen in a dozen of romance-movies before this. If you have seen any of the movie adaptations of Nicholas Sparks' novels, you know what you're getting in too. For myself, i liked it. I have always been a sucker for romance, and when a movie delivers the goods, i'm satisfied. It doesn't really matter if a movie is original or not, as long as it manages to convey something people can connect with.When it comes to The acting, they all gave solid performances. Zac Efron manages to give his character Logan, a charming touch without overdoing it; Taylor Schilling as his love- interest, gives the movie sweetness, and at the same time an emotional depth to the overall plot. I especially liked the scenes between she and Efron. The other actors did also do a great job (within their frames). All in all it was an enjoyable movie. It delivers what it promises and will most likely satisfy its target audience; which are teenage girls (and the "sucker for romance" dudes like me).

To begin with the positives, "The Lucky One" has beautiful photography. I enjoyed almost all scenes, feeling pleasure looking at the scenery. Also there were a couple of strong moments in there. Sadly though, those are the only positives.I expected much much more by Zac Efron, although not a fan of his I kind of considered him a good actor that his acting was being overseen because of his good looks. But I seriously felt that this movie proved me wrong (although I do hope he will again prove THAT wrong in the future!). You know the character is in pain and fighting his own emotions, but that it, you have to imagine the agony yourself since Efron just doesn't take that out on screen. He is just... emotionless. Yeah, sure, some people when suffering tend to look like statues, but even then you can see a spark of their suffering in their eyes. Here, there was nothing. On the other part, I felt as if Taylor Schilling was OVERacting/reacting at times. That -and the fact that she looked as if she could be his mother- didn't help in their more romantic encounters.The plot was simple and you kinda knew what to expect next. They could probably keep it at least 10-20 minutes shorter without us missing anything.It still though was a nice movie to watch to pass your time, so if you've got nothing else left to see and you want a simple romantic story then I would suggest this. If you do have something better to see though, then better skip it.