Unfairly ignored in the belief that it was another anti-Iraq War screed (all of which have failed dismally at the nation's box offices), this fairly innocuous road movie isn't half bad. The Lucky Ones follows three soldiers (each wounded in Iraq)—Colee (Rachel McAdams), Cheever (Tim Robbins), and T.K. (Michael Peña)—making their way cross country from New York to Las Vegas in a rented car after being stranded at JFK airport during a blackout. Each is dealing with a specific problem: Colee is returning her dead comrade's valuable antique guitar to his grieving family, Cheever is faced with the breakup of his marriage, and T.K. wonders how to tell his fiancée that he's been wounded in the genitals. Over the course of their journey, each briefly surrenders to despair but receives unexpected and welcome support from the other two. While the plot's episodic nature, coupled with writer-director Neil Burger's meandering pace, make this near-two-hour film seem longer, the characters are both well-drawn and movingly portrayed (especially by McAdams). At times Burger seems a bit tone deaf (the vets' respective situations are occasionally played for laughs—T.K.'s encounter with hookers being particularly tasteless), but the filmmaker effectively illustrates how three strangers sharing a unique bond can have profound effects on each other's lives. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include “A Look Inside” behind-the-scenes featurette (16 min.) and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a small but winning film.] (E. Hulse)
The Lucky Ones
Lionsgate, 115 min., R, DVD: $27.99, Jan. 27 Volume 24, Issue 1
The Lucky Ones
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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