Lucky Them

source: Lucky Them

A certain person even harder (to find). I had no idea who the actor would be portraying him (though apparently he is on the cover of the disc), therefor was positively surprised to see him at one moment during the movie. You also get a very mature love story, even if you have a very clichéd character following a woman and trying to help her (for very obvious reasons). I reckon some people might have issues with the female lead character and her freedom to choose how to love (when, where and how often too). But this is not about bashing her or belittling her, it's about a journey and you shouldn't even think about that. It's a very personal story and very well made on too, that happens to star a woman. Very well played, with quite a few "real" moments thrown in there. Romantic? Depending on your view. Sometimes comedic too, but more a drama

Bottom Line: I think I would have enjoyed this film more if I attempted to deconstruct it (listen to the score, sound cues, attempt to convert a scene into a pages of a screenplay..). Having left my 'angst-y days' behind me --- I might have tuned out during the sections of the film when Ellie was stuck with what was happening in her life. Then when I was paying very close attention, I was looking at scene photography. I know it's not as heavy (or tragic!) as 'In The Bedroom', it's just my way of picking something to watch (or continuing on) is for motivation or inspiration. So mostly what I go for now (aside from the film having to be rated 'M' or below) are films that have an element of hope in it…that can grab me by the hand and be able to hang on to me until the end. This did…and somehow…even gave me the idea to watch it again…closely while deconstructing it. Well…that's something! That's why I gave it 5 stars out of 10. Note: feel free to reach out to me (https://laysnotes.wordpress.com/about/fcv/) for a copy of my time-stamp review of this film (or score cue notes!). I do recommend you see the it first, but if you already sure that it isn't for you based on what I've wrote (whoa! The trust! Hehehe) --- I'm okay with that.

Even Toni Collette could not save this terrible film. Hell, the guy from wings even let me down (he killed it in sideways). This film plays like a really bad pilot for a show that ends up lasting over an hour. Of course as boring as it is, it felt like much longer. The characters are dull and the plot is nonexistent. This film serves as nothing more than a glorification of the hipster lifestyle that is all too prevalent in the Pacific Northwest. Characters like the protagonist really do exist up here, so I'll give the one compliment this hack deserves and admit this movie does portray certain aspects of what it's like to live in this region. The protagonist is the all to common Portland/Seattle hipster hag. She cannot accept she is an old woman, so she tries to turn back the clock (in vain) by acting like she's 21 all over again, only she's in her forties. If you think I'm kidding, come live in Portland for a while and see for yourself the deluded parade of old hags who wear pigtails, wear hello kitty backpacks and strut around with their twenty something year old boyfriends, who (obviously) are so desperate they are just happy to be in the presence of a chick who's not twice their body weight and has a pulse, but I digress. The point is, this movie sucks, has no plot and no characters you care about. This is just one of those stupid "look at how hip I am" movies.

Lucky Them was filmed in and around Seattle, and is lacking the obligatory shots of the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and ferries crossing the sound. Usually those scenes are meant to make a film look like it's in Seattle, but really being filmed in Vancouver and I find that annoying. Toni Collette plays Ellie, a music critic for the print magazine Stax. Her job keeps her out late at night visiting Seattle's music clubs, drinking too much and often leaving with a cute young musician. At one time she was in a long term relationship with alt-rock star Matthew Smith, who went missing 10 years ago and is presumed to have ended his life by jumping at Snoqualmie Falls. Many of his fans believe he is still alive and keep a website listing sightings. Oliver Platt plays Giles, the editor in chief at Stax. He has the brilliant idea of a 10 year anniversary of the disappearance of Matthew Smith as a big feature story in Stax and gives the assignment to Ellie, who is not so keen on digging up old personal history. Giles makes it clear that her job is on the line if she doesn't produce. Ellie is out covering the music scene one night when she runs into an old acquaintance Charlie, played by Thomas Haden Church. Charlie is a dot.com millionaire, with plenty of money and time. Recently he has been taking documentary film making classes at a local community college. He agrees to help her in the search for Matthew Smith if he can make a documentary film of her in the process. And so the fun begins! Everyone should have their own Thomas Haden Church sidekick! The story is intriguing enough without being overly complicated to keep me interested in the outcome.Is Matthew Smith still alive? Will they find him? All I will say is the ending is brilliant and perfect!

Toni Collette plays the lead role of Ellie, a music critic still living in the shadow of her ex-boyfriend, emblematic musician Matthew Smith, who disappeared ten years previous. Ellie still really is living as though she's ten years in the past, and that includes not adapting to the changing expectations of the magazine she works for, until she's given an ultimatum to do a story on Smith, and the music impact he had. She begins a search to see if he's out there, somewhere. Also featured are up-and-coming musician Lucas, played by Ryan Eggold (who wrote and sang his own songs), and one-time date Charlie (Thomas Haden Church). I wasn't particularly impressed with Ellie as a character, her challenges she's facing certainly are the point of the film, but it was hard for me to really get by the number of chances it seems she gets, and some of what seems to be her more manipulative tendencies. That said, for that character, I do think Collette plays it well, just that there's parts of the character that were not so motivating. Lucas also feels like a bit too cliché of a character to feel particularly real. Oddly, and certainly not something I'd expected when he first showed up, but for me Charlie quickly became the most interesting character. At first introduction, there's certainly a repellent vibe to him, but it gets developed more into an extreme social awkwardness and unawareness than maliciousness. He still doesn't quite strike me as pleasant, per se, but there's a personality to him from both the writing and Church's performance quickly makes him the most memorable character for me. His actions, his words, his personality all are very idiosyncratic but with an element of being genuine hinted at, but never fully convincingly there. It certainly does make him the character that held my interest best though. The film feels like it makes some sudden stops and gos, with overly convenient plot turns, and a lot of side events that clutter the film, but don't quite seem to really add enough to the story to justify their inclusion, and there could've been a lot more included in there to flesh out Ellie's search for Matthew. I do like, though, that ultimately the film becomes more about if the search is worth it or not, or if ten years is long enough to let the past remain in the past or not. It's an interesting theme, and while I think the search isn't conducted consistently, thematically the film is always exploring if that search is worth it.

This movie is an easy movie to watch with a good heart. The writing is rather basic but the core plot is intriguing enough to keep watching. This film offers nice emotion without demanding deep concentration from its audience. It utilizes nice cinematography, but it's darkly lit reflecting the pacific north west and the main characters emotions so if you're sensitive to low light films, this will bug the crap out of you; there is zero sun and a lot of dark bar scenes. As for acting Tony Collette is a joy to watch as she makes the story seem real, and Thomas Haden Church takes some getting used to at first but then you'll see he's exactly what the film needs with his quirky yet sincere humor. A good balance of characters and a cool plot makes this movie a decent experience, one where if you invest yourself enough you may find a tear or two at its resolution.7/10

This isn't a BAD film, but it's not very good. Toni Collette (always watchable) gives it the old college try, but it's hard to muster up much love for her messed-up character. Ryan Eggold shines as one of the objects of her affection, and the delightful Nina Arianda adds another quirky, delicious character to her list of such. Sadly, the script is a hodge-podge of Rom-Com tropes with a tepid mystery at its core, and Thomas Haden Church seems to be in a completely different film - his portrayal is so broad and painful, it feels like he walked out of an old "Pink Panther" movie. He's torture to watch and pretty much sinks every scene he's in. But if you're a Collette, Arianda or Eggold fan...you could do worse, I suppose. Just be prepared for one of the most unsatisfying endings of the century.

I watched this on the basis of the good reviews here and elsewhere. Unfortunately I never got into it. None of the characters were particularly likable, apart from perhaps Thomas Haden Church's character. Toni Collette's character seems to have no hesitation in sleeping with most men she either interviews or meets. It just didn't seem real - or does this sort of thing really go on? When things get tough for her she ends up smiling inanely, as if she now doesn't care. I'm a big fan of slow-moving films, as long as the story is good and the acting is strong. I struggled with this one, as both of these factors were missing for me. I didn't care about any particular character and I just didn't care if she found the missing musician or not. Don't get me wrong: the acting wasn't bad, especially when she finally meets the missing musician, but despite the surprise factor (I won't spoil it) it all falls a bit flat for me.

I caught this movie by recording it off of one of the pay channels. Like many movies I had little expectation for the quality of this movie; however, the cast had me hoping and I was not disappointed. I found this movie to be very moving and bitter sweet. It is a movie that requires a viewer to have lived life to some degree, and have experienced some moments lost to the years that creep into memories now and again. This movie evoked similar feelings within me. A challenge that is not easily accomplished anymore. Though a buddy movie in the typical sense, this movie is about Toni Collette looking back on her life to discover she is living the same relationship again and again. I do recommend this movie for others, especially those that might have some "I wonder moments" in their lives.