Lucky

2017
7.3| 1h28m| NR| en
Details

Follows the journey of a 90-year-old atheist and the quirky characters that inhabit his off-the-map desert town. He finds himself at the precipice of life, thrust into a journey of self-exploration.

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Reviews

Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism
ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Lucky" is a new American movie mostly in the English language and it premiered back in 2017. Director is John Carroll Lynch and this is actually his first directorial effort. Also the first writing credits for Sparks and Sumonja. You can say about all three, especially Lynch, that they are more known for their acting efforts so far, but taking that into account, this one here is definitely an impressive rookie effort. A lot of that has to do with the fact that lead actor Harry Dean Stanton is the exact opposite of a rookie. He was almost 90 when he appeared in here and may he rest in peace now. A dignified way to end one's career and life we got in these slightly under 1.5 hours. There are definite western elements in this one, but overall yes it is a mix of comedy and drama for sure. A really melancholic movie. The fact that very little happens or I should say very little spectacular happens here makes this a movie that is certainly not for everybody. The dramatic moments include a tortoise leaving its owner, memories from war time half a century ago and an old man falling down without breaking anything. But even if these moments may not appear as significant to those watching, they could hardly be any more significant to the characters in the film. We have many familiar faces in the supporting cast here like Tom Skerritt's impressive one-scene performance or renowned filmmaker David Lynch mourning the loss (not the death) of his beloved animal. It's a very calm, very restrained and yet there is a great deal of heart in it. I thought it was a melancholic watch from start to finish, at times even depressing, but also occasionally a bit uplifting and not on one occasion a bad movie. It is one that will probably not half as seen as it should be and sadly I suspect also one that will be forgotten far more quickly than it should be, but there are moments in it that make the film a bit of a gem, even if these are probably not frequent enough for me to be really enthusiastic about it. Would have been nice to see Stanton finally score an Oscar nomination with his portrayal here, even if he did not live to have witnessed it, but somehow it just shouldn't be. One area where the film delivers really convincingly is the subject of fugaciousness, how nothing is forever, and everything will be gone at one point or another. But luckily, the creators' wits make sure it is not a movie where you will feel really bad leaving the theater, but you will actually feel very impressed, maybe entertained depending on your character. I think this is a really good achievement and a pretty touching film and boy was Stanton even in his old days a good singer. His performance at the boy's birthday party was spot on really. But everybody else in the cast is doing a fine job too. It just fits. You never feel like watching actors, the characters all feel so authentic. Maybe the director missed the right moment to end the film when we see Stanton's character smile in the company of his friends at the bar, but the ending still wasn't bad by any means. Good to see him go out on such a high note and there are more than just a few moments that seem a bit tragic in the face of the actor's actual fate, which makes this film maybe a sadder watch than it was intended to be. But a good one without a doubt. I think you should watch this one. It's really hard not to like.
Ivan Lalic Last movie one actor films is always a sad occasion even if that actor lives to be over 90 as Harry Dean Stanton did. This fact represent the main quality of ''Lucky'', a painfully slow story about the 91-year old atheist starting nowhere and leading us there. Long cuts, wide frames will mimic the spirit of ''Paris, Texas'' but in an empty way, as so will the vague and disdainful dialogues of the other characters irritate the mind of even a beyond average viewer. ''Lucky'' is the last movie of a really great actor and nothing more than that.
vvr Harry Dean Stanton portrayal of old age and the fear of dying that might come with it was natural and honest, I could see my late grandfather through his performance so it was an emotional experience for me.Lucky found joy again by accepting reality as it is instead of worrying about it till the inevitable end. In his own way, he started living again by making his peace with it. This is a wonderful gem about wisdom, a remarkable debut for John Carroll Lynch as a director and Stanton's most heartfelt legacy.
EdD5 This is not a good movie. Wanting it to be a worthy valedictory for HDS isn't enough to make it so. When Harry is alone, just being or exercising or walking, there is some grace and some weight, but once he's required to interact with the rest of the overly emoting characters or the stilted, trite dialogue, he sadly feels reduced to their level. The direction, dialogue and other actors - with perhaps the exception of Ed Begley's brief scene - all seem amateurish and tone deaf. More than once, the attention turns towards Lucky and everyone in the place stops, turns to him and practically put their arms around each other, hum and sway, while he declaims about this or that. It's embarrassing and not worthy of a high school play, let alone a film that's based in tone and character rather than plot or action. It's like this film took its cues from Paris, Texas, but then dumbed it all down to the point of witless parody. Watch Harry do some yoga, have a couple smokes and give one knowing look near the film's end, but don't expect any poetry or even competence beyond that.