Lucky Louie

When you write, act and direct in the same film, the end result is almost always a mess.

Which is why I am surprised that people gave this train wreck of a film 9 and 10 scores, must be case members or friends.

The script was weak and clumsy.

The acting was over the top, silly, unconvincing and just not believable. I did not care about a single character, not a one.

The directing was where this train wreck falls off its rails. It was amateurish and due to the fact that our know it all jack of all trades write, actor, director is a master of none of those trades.

Please do one thing and do it well. Act, Write or Direct, do not do all three. The result is poor and insults the intelligence of your audience.

Lucky Louie is the kind of good-natured, warm, witty film that we don't see often enough these days. This warm, comic mystery has much to say about themes that truly matter: redemption, kindness, forgiveness, and dedication. The cast are all excellent, particularly the late Basil Hoffman, who shines in a key role. Daniel Roebuck, Stephanie Zimbalist, and Duane Whitaker are also all standouts. Roebuck and his daughter, Grace, deliver strong, clever direction, and they accomplish on a modest budget what so many recent $200 million studio misfires don't: a well-shot, well-written, well-edited, very enjoyable and ultimately uplifting film. Highly recommended!

This film had all the good stuff - laughs, great characters, mystery, redemption, and faith! We thoroughly enjoyed the story and thought the acting was great. This was definitely a theater quality production! As a mom of 3, I know how hard it can be to find a movie that will satisfy everyone without exposing tender and developing hearts to whatever agenda Hollywood is pushing this week. This film gave us plenty of themes to discover; from saving grace, to forgiveness, to not judging a book by its cover. The thread of faith ran strongly throughout the movie, but was gentle, and showcased the blessing of second chances in a way that would be appreciated by even a secular viewer. Approved by me for all ages, but would recommend for ages 8 and up - with the caveat that even the adults in the room were thoroughly entertained!

Don't let the other reviews fool you. If this is a theater quality production, then I'm a world class pianist.

Actually, hold that thought. It is a theater quality produciton in a sense, but not a movie theater. Its acting reminded me of a youth theater play production: full of energy, but not very natural.

The writing is also quite unnatural at times, and some the characters seem unrealistic, partly I guess because the writers wanted to add some cheap jokes which I believe came at the expense of said characters believability. It feels like the movie doesn't know whether it wants to be funny or serious in many scenes, so it just ends up failing at both.

The overall plot is also underwhelming, and there were some strange choices including one point where the townspeople all get together to reenact the crime that is the focus of the movie, and there was really no sensible reason why they would decide to do that. The plot twists in the movie are either predictable or far-fetched, but mainly just uninteresting.

In short, I can't recommend this movie because of its poor acting, writing and overall plot.

Director Daniel Roebuck, and his merry gang of Bible-toting ex-convicts, band together to pull off the perfect heist. It is definitely the cleanest heist film I have seen. At least since the original Escape to Witch Mountain!

For me, the cohesive focus of the central group of men is disarmingly sincere and an absolute pleasure to watch!

Acting performances are top notch across the board, and all involved deserve to be applauded for their contribution to this delightful production . I was pleasantly surprised to see Williard Pugh (Harpo from the Color Purple) and enjoyed his portrayal of Pete.

Lucky Louie leaves you on the edge of your seat in anticipation, eager to discover what outcome or comedic antics lies around the corner.

Faith is the foundation of this film, but I found that forgiveness and hope were expressly evident as well.

Support A Channel of Peace and the work of the fine cast and crew of Lucky Louie by purchasing on Amazon Prime.

Watch it with a hearty slice of Shoo-fly Pie!