Numbers

source: Numbers

I'm sure this is not a comedy that will attract a widespread audience, not just by observing its lackluster performance at the box office. This is one of those blacker-than-black comedies with a fairly downbeat tone. It's not a laugh-out-loud comedy, there's no slapstick gags, but it doesn't try too hard and I think that's what makes it work most of the time. This is a funny movie, don't get me wrong, you just won't be rolling in the aisles. I enjoyed the cast. Lisa Kudrow is, naturally, a scene-stealer as the mean-spirited Lotto girl. This is a change of pace for the actress who's usually typecasted as the blonde airhead. And I liked the supporting performers like Michael Moore, Bill Pullman and Michael Rapaport. The plot is contrived, I'll admit that. But as long as you can get past that, I think you will enjoy the film's offbeat acting and dark humor. This is definitely not your usual Nora Ephron piece. So, for those of you who are expecting "Sleepless in Seattle" or "You've Got Mail"--better pass on this one. This movie has none of the sweetness of Ephron's standard work, and is quite the opposite. But sometimes I prefer a more cynical comedy. I don't recommend this comedy to everyone. However, this is my review and I enjoyed it and I'm here to give you what I think. My score: 7 (out of 10)

Never understood the lack of popularity of this. It has a "Get Shorty" feel to it. Lots of fun crazy characters. So under appreciated. You like baseball? LOL

Well, someone needs to inform the writers, actors and director in Lucky Numbers about this fact because there was nothing funny in this movie. I spent most of my time (fortunately on a free ticket to a sneak preview) actively disliking the characters in the movie; not one was sympathetic or likeable. I can certainly see why this one sat on the shelves for so long, but no amount of aging or editing could save this turkey. (2/10)

I think highly of John Travolta as an actor. After being one of the hottest properties in the eighties, he virtually disappeared for five years and then spent another four years with nothing more substantial than three `Look Who's Talking' movies. Then at 40 years of age, he took an enormous gamble with `Pulp Fiction', making a triumphant comeback and never looking back. Unfortunately, 2000 was not a good year for Travolta. After the lackluster `Battlefield Earth', he needed a project that would help him regain his momentum. This film wasn't it. `Lucky Numbers' is a dark comedy about two hapless employees of a local Harrisburg TV station who try to fix the state lottery. The screenplay is goofy and has a TV sitcom feel to it. The majority of the jokes don't work. Director Nora Ephron (`Sleepless in Seattle', `Michael', `You've Got Mail') is a talented director, but quirky slapstick is not her strong suit. She does much better with schmaltzy romantic projects. Travolta hasn't played a character this vacuous since Vinnie Barbarino in `Welcome Back, Kotter'. It is a definite step backward for him, since he has proven himself an excellent dramatic actor. His performance isn't terrible, the character is. For Lisa Kudrow, this is the same ditzy character she has been playing for years, only with a liberal dose of profanity. She does a good job, but the character is extremely predictable with little range. Ed O'Neill is droll as the station manager who tries to cut himself in on the caper. This film has plenty of talent, but a weak script. I rated it 5/10. It is not awful, but it is extremely mediocre and it didn't provide Travolta with an opportunity to redeem his year.

Nothing says scheming television weather man like John Travolta. Trust me, my sarcasm is well warranted. This movie misses the mark terribly. Even a cast featuring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow could not make this picture worth seeing. The plot was overly simplistic at best, accompanied by an ending that can best be explained as lazy and incomplete. I left the theatre with only one question, What has happened to John Travolta's choice of movie roles ? Does anyone remember "Battlefield Earth" ? Need I say more...

I was surprised to notice how many famous personalities are in this film! To start Lisa Kudrow and Jonh Travolta, but also Bill Pullman,Ed O'Neill,Daryl Mitchell and even Michael Moore! (this last one was really a surprise to me, I could not imagine Michael Moore as an actor!) The soundtrack is also great. (Queen rules!) The year is 1988.The weatherman, Russ Richards (Jonh Travolta)is broke,since he's borrowed heavily to open a snowmobile dealership. But he has a big problem: The temperature is not helping, and he didn't sell any snowmobile. One day his pal Gig,owner of a strip tease club, advises him to run an insurance scam. But it failed, and Russ only get more problems, specially with Dale, the guy contracted to destroy Russ's store. The funniest thing is that Russ is getting more and more problems,specially after he makes a deal with Crystal, the woman that works in the lottery and TV.

Lucky Numbers is not a great film but a good one. I thought John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow and Tim Roth and Ed O'Neill gave fine performances. Lisa Kudrow is the only one of the "Friends" cast who doesn't make totally sucky movies. With the exception of Jennifer Aniston in Office Space and maybe David Schwimmer in Apt Pupil. I really dug the Midwest American setting, the two bumbling cops, how Travolta's character Russ Richards wallows and loves his local celebrity status and his reserved parking spot at the local Denny's, and the great 80's soundtrack. And this has to be the first flick directed by Nora Ephron that I enjoyed. Adam Resnick wrote the screenplay for Lucky Numbers and the more recent Death To Smoochy. Both these films are good but flawed dark comedies and deserve to be seen and enjoyed. So don't listen to what others may say and go see these two (flawed) Resnick gems. Ciao!

Why wasn't this movie well-received? Simple. It's a "dark" comedy. And let's face it, the general public doesn't like dark comedy. They want to see goofy, Jim-Carrey-type comedies that make you laugh out loud, while making you feel all warm and tingly inside. "Lucky Numbers" doesn't, for a second, make you feel warm and tingly. But I have a dark, cynical sense of humor and this movie was a delight for me to watch. It's a good idea, and it was well-executed. The talented cast helps make the film work. Lisa Kudrow is never fully convincing as her ruthless character, but she's still fun to watch. I do think John Travolta gives one of his best performances, since he doesn't play the usual tough guy you see him play in movies like "Saturday Night Fever" and "Get Shorty." Instead, he plays a total wimp of a celebrity, and he pulls it off with flying colors. The underrated Bill Pullman has some funny moments in his supporting role. I was definitely impressed with Michael Moore, who's never had any acting experience before, yet it's not in any way visible in his very funny performance. Also in the supporting cast, we have Tim Roth, Ed O'Neill and Michael Rapaport--all giving first-rate performances. The movie is set in the 1980's, so I liked some of the cool 80's music in the soundtrack. Yet at the same time, Nora Ephron didn't try to capture the 80's atmosphere by having everyone where dorky 80's fashions and big hair and all that other stuff. "Lucky Numbers" is just a well-written film with a lot of great gags, and I would recommend this to anyone who's a fan of dark comedies.

It was refreshing to see Travolta play a reluctant, unsophisticated crook for a change. Here he is a small TV station weatherman, adored by all the locals, and who also has a snowmobile dealership. The year is 1988 and the winter is unseasonably warm. No snowmobiles are being sold, and his home is about to be repossessed. He needs money but his boss is refusing this time. some SPOILERS FOLLOW - Small time numbers man (Tim Roth) suggests he stage a theft, and get the insurance money, "That money is yours, they are using your insurance premiums and earning interest on it." That fails miserably, he gets deeper in debt, this time to a burglar, and has to do something really desperate - rig the Pennsylvania lottery so he and his girlfriend (Kudrow) can split the $6.4Million, with the help of a masturbating and asthmatic cousin. Enough of the details, the scam works, sort of, but the cousin dies, others want their cut, all this time Travolta's character is scared and upset that he would actually do these things. In the end everyone else gets killed or otherwise in trouble, he gets the extremely dumb waitress at Denny's, his favorite breakfast spot, to cash in the ticket and they move to warmer climate of Florida. Sometimes you just have to have a bit of "Luck." This is the antithesis of all those Travolta movies (Face/Off, Broken Arrow, etc) where he plays the smart criminal who knows all the right moves, well almost all. Here he is not particularly bright, and is a very reluctant participant. I cannot say the movie is good, much of the dialog is haphazard, but it does entertain. With a smarter script, and in the hands of a different director, this premise could have been turned into a much better dark comedy on par with "Analyze That" or "The Whole Nine Yards." As it is, "Lucky Numbers" can entertain but its appropriate rating is around "5" or "6", about where the IMDb numbers are clustering now. The DVD is just OK, and the extras are not worth mentioning. Good light entertainment, if you are in the mood to be very forgiving of a bad script.