THE LUCKY ONE doesn’t deliver many plot twists, and if you have seen the trailer, you basically saw the whole film. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You know what to expect, so you can’t claim to be disappointed by it. It’s a romantic drama, so don’t anticipate fireworks.
The main character, Logan, a marine, believes that he survived Iraq thanks to a photo of a woman he found in the rubble. He sets out to find her and thank her. Lacking the right words, he takes up a job as a helper in the kennel and waits for the opportune moment. Feelings develop, cue an envious ex, a little bit of drama, a lot of glorification of the war and a tragic dénouement. The person behin The Lucky One is Scott Hicks (Shine) – a renowned director and an Oscar nominee. His direction was seamless, but it remains to be seen if this film will reach the acclaim some of his other creations received.
What jumps from the screen here are the nature shots. It may sound cheesy and unfair to the actors, but the views simply steal the spotlight. The lush green of the forests, the tranquil lake, the stormy river – all rather transparently reflect and highlight the innermost feelings of the characters.
Perhaps the fault lies in the predictable script. The characters’ personalities were well-developed, but unfortunately not very original – bordering on stereotypes. Nothing in the dialogue popped up as dazzling, and Efron’s lines were just downright stiff and clichéd (whether it was the script or Efron himself will be left unsaid). Schilling’s Beth lacked spunk. Thankfully, Blythe Danning takes the cherry in this one. Cheerful and cheeky, for a grandma, she brings warmth and humour the others lack and glues the whole thing together.
Another small complaint is that the film could have been a tad shorter. A couple of minutes less would have meant a more dynamically paced story – and much less eye-rolling.
Apart from that, it was a pleasant enough film – not bad, but not anything special either.
The Lucky One (11)
Dir: Scott Hicks; US drama, 2012, 101 mins; Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner
Premiered June 7
Playing nationwide
