Lucky (2011)

Masterful Movie

Fresh and Exciting

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

If it weren't for the very bad reviews on here, I would probably make this a 6/10, but I think this movie is worth a watch...casually on Netflix or some other free form. Did I love this movie? No. Not the best movie around, but I love Colin Hanks and the premise looked really interesting. It was rather slow moving at points, and as others mentioned, the characters can be annoying. However, Lucy being a very annoying character was actually planned perfectly. At first I hated it, but once it played into her manipulating Ben, and how that dynamic just seemed incredibly realistic, I really felt what they were going for. It REALLY hit me when she witnessed the first murder though. You could see her character as this zany annoying girl who just manipulated into a marriage she didn't want just for some money, and then she walks into this nightmare and she realizes.The battle between wanting to stay with a rich husband, and processing the murder is just a brilliant couple of scenes. She is zoned out, but slowly chooses to help her husband and try to live with it, but you can tell she isn't coping that well (who would!?). But every additional display of money is just edging her towards just dealing with it and enjoying a lavish lifestyle.Also Colin Hanks was great as the serial killer, and the craziness with imagining Lucy all over was really well done. He also was believable in the way that he just snaps and kills and then kind of comes back to reality.

For the ones that don't know what Lucky is about, here is a brief description: Ben (Collin Hanks) is a nobody who has been in love with Lucy (Ari Graynor) since they were kids, though these feelings haven't been reciprocated in the slightest by the latter, when Ben suddenly wins the lottery, Lucy, previously annoyed by Ben now decides she wants Ben in her life but Ben is also (plottwist) a serial killer and in turn hilarity ensues. The plot lends itself terrifically for all the bizarre things that happen in the film, however, I felt that the way that Gil Cates Jr. and Kent Sublette went with it was a bit lacking. For a movie about love, serial killing and all the money in the world, the movie stays a bit too grounded. Colin Hanks is definitely the strong point in the film as everything more or less depends on the way he reacts to everything. How he doesn't change over the course of the film though the things that happen around him continue to escalate is something worth noting. I wasn't familiar with Ari Graynor before this film but while she doesn't hold the (overrated) Hollywood look she maintains this magnetic aura that makes her likable. Along with that she has stellar comedic timing even with the lackluster script. The pacing does seem to be a bit off at some points in the film but the ending, which I won't ruin because I do recommend this film, makes up for it. Overall, there isn't anything to hate in the film, but for me, there wasn't anything to love either. I do want people to see it though, because it's different and a wobbly step into the right direction. We've all been raised with the idea that different isn't necessarily good, so I encourage you to watch it and make up your own mind.

Lucky is the kind of film that proves indie movies can hold their own against the studios. This dark comedy is a movie-lovers movie. Well written, superb acting, great directing and a memorable soundtrack make this a fun, if quirky film.The pace of the movie is good in that it takes it's time to tell the story without unnecessary scenes or long silences. It baffles me that some people find this movie dull of boring. It doesn't have car chases or CGI characters throwing crap at the audience. "Lucky" is not for kids, anyone who think it's dull should find the next 3D IMAX extravaganza to keep their attention.Hanks is ideal in this role playing a mild mannered serial killer who still lives with his mom (Ann Margret – looking great) with a lifelong crush on Ari Graynor who doesn't give him a second glance until he wins the lottery. If you like movies like "Heathers", "Fargo" or "Lars and the Real Girl", you'll enjoy "Lucky."

Very rarely do I have any desire to post a review. I've seen it, I know what I think, and usually someone else has said everything that needs to be said. Not so with "Lucky."This film shocked me with its amorality. And I liked it.Before I watched this, I thought, perhaps, that it would be akin to "Dexter" - a serial killer that the viewer is asked to empathize with, maybe forgive, and perhaps even root for. I mean, what else could I expect from what the synopsis seems to suggest is a serial killer rom-com. I was wrong. No one in this film is asking for forgiveness. No one in this film seems to even imagine that a universal or objective morality exists which would pass judgement.This is one of the only, if not the only, film I have seen that exemplifies rationally self- interested actors carrying on their affairs as though no religious or societal morality existed or, at the least, was valid. Even in the films based on Ayn Rand's fiction (a person who championed "the virtue of selfishness" and fought against religion and collectivism/humanism), there was always a wink or a nod when some character violated the Judeo-Christian-humanist morality. The same can be said of most of the horror and "shock" films - the shock and horror are usually caused by reactions to the violation of societal norms. Here, there is nothing. One previous reviewer implied the film was boring. I wouldn't go so far, though I would accept "anti-climatic." Indeed, amorality is certainly that. If one starts from a place where killing and kissing are of equal objective moral value - none whatsoever - then it stands to reason that neither occurrence has any higher meaning.In "Lucky", the lack of regard for morality, as understood by the majority of the populace, is not obvious. It isn't a clear part of the plot. It isn't relied upon to engender fear or revulsion. I almost didn't notice it until near the end of the film. It is as if the film was made entirely by people unaware that such a concept as "objective morality" even existed. Of course it wasn't. If for no other reason than that, "Lucky" deserves praise.