Lucky Lady

Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds, and Liza Minnelli team up for this 1975 nostalgia-tinged screwball adventure about three mismatched would-be criminals who become master rum runners on the California coast during the Great Depression. A slight but bubbly production, directed by old hand Stanley Donen, Lucky Lady is in the same vein as films like Paper Moon and What's Up, Doc?, although it never matches the invention, romanticism, and comic energy of either of those clever throwbacks. Instead, this lighthearted fluff leans on the chemistry of its leads—Minnelli's brash, eye-rolling sass as Claire, Reynolds' good-natured mugging and easy charm in the role of Walker Ellis, and Hackman's understated confidence and cool as Kibby Womack, the brains of the bunch. The silly script bottoms out in a busy finale involving a battle of ragtag boats, but the delicious period flavor of high-society decadence offers a charm all its own. John Hillerman costars as McTeague, the elegantly sinister gangster who goes to war over the liquor trade, while a very young Robby Benson appears as yacht pilot Billy. DVD extras include two archival promotional featurettes with behind-the-scenes footage (and shots of Hackman piloting his personal plane on his day off). A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)