The Lucky One (C- or 2/4 stars)
U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) is on his 3rd tour of duty in the Middle East when he's nearly killed in an ambush in 'The Lucky One' (a Nicholas Sparks adaptation that is directed by Scott Hicks). After barely surviving, he finds a photo of a beautiful blonde woman whom he doesn't know; & the picture becomes his good luck charm. When he comes home, he decides to find her. And he finds success at a family-run local kennel in the bayous of Louisiana. Her name is Beth (Taylor Schilling). Her grandmother is Ellie (Blythe Danner). And Beth owns said kennel.
But after meeting her, Logan is unable to tell her about the photo. Instead, he applies for a job at her kennel {Beth finds this understandably suspicious}. Over a period of weeks, Beth's initial mistrust & wariness of him dissipates, especially when she sees how good he is with her 7 yr. old son, Ben. A romance develops btwn. them {shocker, I know}. Logan hopes that with Beth's love, he can forget the atrocities of war that he experienced. But Logan is still harboring that secret & Beth's ex-husband, a hostile cop named Keith (Jay R. Ferguson), is furious to see a new man in his young son's life.
'The Lucky One' offers what's expected of it: predictable romantic melodrama, attractive actors, boy-meets-girl basics, gooey sentiment, warm-lit cinematography, a sugary musical score, & PG-13 intimacy {shucks}. The drama is devoid of tension or palpable conflict. And there are no surprises in the script. In other words, 'TLO' is comfort food for a primarily female audience. With exception to 2004's The Notebook, these Nicholas Sparks movies are pretty much the same. It follows a formula. And this one only does a so-so job with the elements that make most romantic melodramas watchable {when you're not rolling your eyes}.
One of the issues with 'The Lucky One' is that the chemistry btwn. Efron & Schilling isn't so strong. Telling & showing us (with looks & kisses) they're in love is simply not enough; you can't fake it. Sure, Efron & Schilling are good looking & their scenes contain a nice mix of scripted tenderness. You WANT sexual tension. You WANT them to make explosive love. But it felt a tad too manufactured, here. Acting-wise, Zac Efron is fine. But he's more convincing as a sad sack loverboy than he is as a damaged soldier. He doesn't exude the necessary torment needed, but we CAN sense the sweetness of being around a loveable woman. Taylor Schilling's performance lacks spontaneity, but is otherwise acceptable. And Blythe Danner has the stereotyped role of the grandma who offers obligatory advice.
Another problem I have with 'TLO' is the character of Keith. He halts happiness for the lovers and, as is often the case, only around to act as a villain to add artificial conflict. Way too many scenes felt contrived because of his subplot (in which tragedy strikes - as it always does in Sparks novels). Keith serves as a distraction & an easy way out for the writer; it's more dramatically dynamic to have a superficial villain than to have Logan & Beth wrestle with ghosts & horrific memories. Still, because the violent ex-hubby subplot is kept in the background, the main love story provides enough easy escapism for a quick fix date night flick.
But after meeting her, Logan is unable to tell her about the photo. Instead, he applies for a job at her kennel {Beth finds this understandably suspicious}. Over a period of weeks, Beth's initial mistrust & wariness of him dissipates, especially when she sees how good he is with her 7 yr. old son, Ben. A romance develops btwn. them {shocker, I know}. Logan hopes that with Beth's love, he can forget the atrocities of war that he experienced. But Logan is still harboring that secret & Beth's ex-husband, a hostile cop named Keith (Jay R. Ferguson), is furious to see a new man in his young son's life.
'The Lucky One' offers what's expected of it: predictable romantic melodrama, attractive actors, boy-meets-girl basics, gooey sentiment, warm-lit cinematography, a sugary musical score, & PG-13 intimacy {shucks}. The drama is devoid of tension or palpable conflict. And there are no surprises in the script. In other words, 'TLO' is comfort food for a primarily female audience. With exception to 2004's The Notebook, these Nicholas Sparks movies are pretty much the same. It follows a formula. And this one only does a so-so job with the elements that make most romantic melodramas watchable {when you're not rolling your eyes}.
One of the issues with 'The Lucky One' is that the chemistry btwn. Efron & Schilling isn't so strong. Telling & showing us (with looks & kisses) they're in love is simply not enough; you can't fake it. Sure, Efron & Schilling are good looking & their scenes contain a nice mix of scripted tenderness. You WANT sexual tension. You WANT them to make explosive love. But it felt a tad too manufactured, here. Acting-wise, Zac Efron is fine. But he's more convincing as a sad sack loverboy than he is as a damaged soldier. He doesn't exude the necessary torment needed, but we CAN sense the sweetness of being around a loveable woman. Taylor Schilling's performance lacks spontaneity, but is otherwise acceptable. And Blythe Danner has the stereotyped role of the grandma who offers obligatory advice.
Another problem I have with 'TLO' is the character of Keith. He halts happiness for the lovers and, as is often the case, only around to act as a villain to add artificial conflict. Way too many scenes felt contrived because of his subplot (in which tragedy strikes - as it always does in Sparks novels). Keith serves as a distraction & an easy way out for the writer; it's more dramatically dynamic to have a superficial villain than to have Logan & Beth wrestle with ghosts & horrific memories. Still, because the violent ex-hubby subplot is kept in the background, the main love story provides enough easy escapism for a quick fix date night flick.