The Lucky One
The Lucky One
Rating: 7/10
This movie provides an interesting twist on romance and fate. A
sweet point for me in this picture was watching all the dogs featured, both
with the main character, as well as at the boarding facility. As an animal
lover this was a great added bonus. The
plot unfolded in a bit of a predictable, yet enjoyable way. Overall, this was a
welcome way to spend a lazy evening at home.
Not having read the novel, I am not sure if the stiffness I felt
with "Logan" (Zac Efron) throughout the film was due to an acting
choice or the background of the character he was depicting. Some of the lines
that Efron delivered seemed very forced and unnatural to the point that it drew
my attention away from the story and into the dialog in an awkward way. "Beth"
(Taylor Schilling) was fine with her character and believable within the role.
The grandmother, "Ellie" (Blythe Danner) was fabulous! She had a
straight-shooting, cut-the-crap attitude about life, but there was also a deep
love and devotion toward the people in her life as well. This combination
brought a few great laugh out loud moments from "Ellie", and in a way
brought you to root for the two main characters more by feeling the emotional investment
the grandmother had in the match. I loved each time she called "Beth"
out on her interest in "Logan".
The chemistry between the two main characters seemed decent for
the most part, although the above mentioned stiffness of the dialog from Efron
impacted this for me. The intimate moments depicted in the movie combined sheer
lust with some gestures of tenderness which played well together. Efron and
Schilling seemed to have a good connection for the intimate scenes.
A factor I found pleasing in the story was the way in which
"Logan" rolled with the punches that his new home in Louisiana threw
at him. From the local ex still in "Beth's" life, to the emotional
turmoil that was present from his military past, as well as "Beth"
and Ellie's" past, "Logan" maintained a calm neutrality that was
inspiring to see in a male character.
The landscapes captured were wonderful, the lighting in the cinematography
was perfect. Lots of use of that golden, fading into the birth of the night
type of sunlight, which is a favorite for me on screen. All in all, the effect
created was of looking back over a memory, and sharing in the unfolding of a
story between two people.
One annoying factor to this film for me was the musical soundtrack.
At times it seemed either too loud for the dialog, or the wrong choice
altogether for the scene being set. It was distracting, rather than beneficial.
In the End: This is a great one for a date night. It was cute
movie which left me with a happy, hopeful feeling (always a good thing). It is
one I think I would watch again.
