Lucky You

Small-time professional gambler Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) has left a trail of broken hearts and pawn-shop tickets across Las Vegas, where he plays poker and engages in a series of meaningless relationships. That all changes when he meets aspiring lounge singer Billie Offer (Drew Barrymore), the younger, impressionable sister of one of his earlier conquests. Billie encourages Huck to reconcile with his estranged father, the far-more-successful L.C. Cheever (Robert Duvall), who returns to Vegas after a long absence to compete in the World Championship of Poker tournament. But the father-son patch-up fails, and Huck enters the tournament with the aim of beating his dad, no matter what it takes. For a movie that devotes the biggest chunk of its running time to a poker game, director Curtis Hanson's Lucky You actually generates significant suspense, but ultimately doesn't have a winning hand. Something about the Bana-Barrymore romance rings false, and there's no logical basis for Huck's climactic turnaround. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include an 18-minute “The Players at the Table” behind-the-scenes segment featuring poker celebrities Doyle Brunson, Sam Farha, Jennifer Harman, and Daniel Negreanu, “The Reel Deal: The Time and Place of Lucky You” production featurette (15 min.), nine minutes of deleted scenes, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing drama.] (E. Hulse)