Lucky

"I think you won the lottery." Shy and Goofy Ben (Hanks) has had a crush on the receptionist Lucy (Graynor) at his office for a long time. She doesn't know he exists. When Ben comes home and finds that he has won the 36 million dollar lottery Lucy finally talks to him. When secrets come out their relationship, and morals are challenged. This is a hard movie to review. While it wasn't a bad movie and did have some funny parts, the trailer is misleading and this wasn't what I was expecting. The trailer made it look like more of a comedy then it was. Hanks does a good job playing this type of character, but the movie overall felt a little flat and boring. Like so many other movies recently it feels like there is something missing to make this better. It also felt like with this idea they could have done so much more. All that being said this movie is not terrible and if you go in expecting less of a comedy then the trailer shows you will probably enjoy this. Overall, not a bad movie, but nothing like I was expecting. Because of my expectations I didn't like it as much as I thought. I give it a B-.

Would I watch again? - Most likely no.

The plot: A gold-digging woman ends up attaching herself to the wrong person when she marries a rich serial killer.

Despite how oppressively dark the summary sounds, this is actually fairly light-hearted and harmless. The plot is essentially a parody of classic noir movies, with a femme fatale and guilty protagonist being pursued by a dogged cop. Everything is played for laughs, and there are few serious scenes. The movie starts off a bit boring and unfunny, but it gets better toward the middle once it can abandon the clichéd romantic comedy elements and switch to being more of a black comedy. The tone is still more lighthearted and wacky than I'd like for a black comedy, but it did at least keep me vaguely amused for the remaining runtime.

There's no real blood, gore, nudity, or violence. If you're looking for something like Very Bad Things, I think you'll be very disappointed. However, if you're looking for a quirky romantic comedy with a dark edge to it, you'll probably enjoy Lucky. My own tastes are more in line with Very Bad Things.

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.

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.

Lucky is a serial killer's tale through the eye of a cynic. It's a dark comedy that anyone can easily enjoy.

The good. Surprising scenario, nicely put together. When you think it's going to go left, it goes right. Imaginative ideas in the story. Excellent ending. This is not your Hollywood mush, it has realism mixed in the movie flair.

The bad. A few logical hitch, but easily ignored.

The ugly. Nothing.

The result. If you like films that are different, offbeat, this is for you. Everyone else should at least give it a try.