Lucky (2011)

This film is on the cutting edge of a new genre...or maybe not so new...self-indulgent Brat Cinema....the character of the main characters and the writing could be straight from the mouths of grade 8 boys...with more than a little 'nasty girl' thrown in. It is adolescent in the extreme....in a more deft writer's hands the premise could have created some interesting and original film-making. I feel sorry for the actors who were convincing, considering what lines they had to deliver. It made annoying watching and mostly not all that funny. I agree with a previous reviewer that the trailer was far better than the actually cinematic reality.

I'll assume that you know this is a dark comedy about a serial killer. If you can swallow that premise, you're halfway there. If not, walk away while you still can.Good, you're still here. Maybe you have a slightly sick sense of humor, or maybe you're simply able to differentiate fiction from reality. One way or another, I think you'll be entertained by this film.Like any good dark comedy, it makes no attempt to moralize, rationalize or justify the characters' criminal actions. Think of the scene in "Pulp Fiction" when they accidentally blow a guy's head off and sit there bickering with bits of brains in their hair. Think of the scene in "The Prophecy" where Christopher Walken, playing the angel of death, snatches a poor dying cancer patient from her blissful demise and forces her to become his servant simply because he can't drive a car. If you cracked a smile at these or any other shockingly morbid bits of dark comedy, then read on.Though not as hyper violent as "Pulp Fiction" or as action packed as "The Prophecy", this film "Lucky" keeps the same sort of biting, surreal, amoral humor. There haven't been too many romcoms that center around murder and psychosis, and for that I give this bonus points for originality.It earns extra points for Ari Graynor's EXCELLENT performance as the detestable gold-digger whose wacky descent into madness makes us suddenly start to root for her. Again, this is in keeping with the theme that even detestable characters can become our heroes. Ari's performance is one of the best examples of how to sway the audiences sympathy even though, in real life, such a character wouldn't be worth the trouble of spitting on her.Similarly, Colin Hanks, with his boyishly innocent face and perpetual deer-in-the-headlights expression, makes you cheer for him even though he butchers people with no remorse. Throw in the lovely Ann-Margaret as the creepy mother, and you have a film with flawless casting. Oh, and how could I forget Jeffrey Tambor? Note to self: never, ever forget Jeffrey Tambor.My only criticism of this film is that the ending comes upon you quite fast and may seem slightly implausible the way it's hastily explained in the final scene. But maybe that's the point. Like an unexpected punchline to a joke, it's probably designed to whack you senseless. But I would've loved to have seen more of Ari losing her mind, having ghostly hallucinations and transforming from clever manipulator to total flake. That's really what made me love this movie.I also seem to recall that the music was pretty cool. I had never heard of the band Transcargo before, but I really liked their song "Kissing the Day" (listen to it on Myspace). I also liked "Whatever Gets You By" by The Features. These and other songs are quirky, happy-ish tunes that are brilliantly juxtaposed against the macabre story.If you like dark comedies that make light of murder, don't hesitate to check this out. So many dark comedies rely on unspoken satire for laughs, but this one dives boldly into comedy territory. I haven't seen too many of those madcap, slapstick style dark comedies. Similar films include the Roberto Benigni film "Il Mostro" about a nerdy schlep (Benigni) who is being investigated for multiple gruesome murders, the Chinese film "A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop" which is a comedy remake of the Coen Brothers' thriller "Blood Simple", and an obscure gem called "Mambo Cafe" about a family that tries to stage a murder at their restaurant to improve business.

I kind of wished Lucy died she was that annoying...and greedy.Colin Hanks was fine but he played a wet doorknob.Ending was a little off and slightly unbelievable. It missed the mark of being a twist because it was underwhelming.There should have been more development between mom and son because I still have some unanswered questions and their relationship was more interesting.I don't recommend this movie, but if you need to kill some time go for it. I'd rather watch reruns of Murder She Wrote.

Just wasted 103 minutes of my life and I'm afraid there's no way of getting back those precious minutes. Two hours ago I was in a good mood- now I feel like everything is pointless...This attempt at comedy, or black comedy, fails miserably and completely.Seriously, it's awful. In pretty much every way. If you are reading this because you are thinking of watching it, do something else. Honestly, I'm helping you.To say it's like made-for-TV-movies is an insult to made-for-TV-movies.I'm going to cheer myself up by spending another 103 minutes watching some shopping channel in a foreign language that I don't understand.