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Critics Consensus: Lucky You tries to combine a romantic story with the high-stakes world of poker, but comes up with an empty hand.
Critic Consensus: Lucky You tries to combine a romantic story with the high-stakes world of poker, but comes up with an empty hand.
All Critics (142) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (101) | DVD (7)
Hanson and Roth shuffle the two sides of the movie, the poker tournament and the love affair, with a Howard Hawksian feel for casual professionalism.
In the past, poker-playing in the movies was likely to be something exciting but dangerous, not something to be dwelt on technically, and analogous to other criminal and self-destructive activities in the storyline.
While fans of Eric Bana may get a kick out of his meaty, manly performance, Drew Barrymore is a huge mistake.
Lucky You is hardly Mr. Hanson's strongest effort, but it does contain many of his saving graces: a warm regard for his characters, an unhurried pace for his narrative and a grown-up sense of morality.
Feels like Showgirls without the tits or dancing.
It's a ponderous, anemic bore about how to play poker that exploits the trendy gambling fever that is all the rage on the Internet and cable TV, but doesn't have enough energy to keep the most catatonic tournament-poker addict awake.
Don't bet on Barrymore's lackluster poker rom-com.
Curtis Hanson's film concerns itself with wage-makers' addictive pathological itch, desperate hustles and poker's cult of very strange personalities. Its most striking "Tin Cup" kinship: Vindication and victory don't always arrive together.
I don't think I believed the movie Lucky You, but I sort of enjoyed it. A caveat: I enjoy watching poker on ESPN. If you don't, this movie will bore you.
Since Lucky You overdid the poker cliches to death, let me end with one of my favorites: 'You got to know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em.' It seems this film never learned that lesson.
Better to fold 'em than to spend time watching Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore go literally nowhere.
Personally, I think this is one of those misunderstood films that never got a fair shake. DVD often corrects such oversights, and my hope is that Lucky You will finally find the appreciative audience it deserves.
This was movie was so boring. Long scenes just watching people play poker... not the most enthralling set up for a movie. I mainly stuck through this one because I do like Drew Barrymore and have enjoyed most of her movies. She's sweet in this as always, but it's not enough to make for interesting viewing. To me, anyhow. Perhaps if you are a poker enthusiast you might feel differently!
Super Reviewer
[font=Century Gothic]In "Lucky You," Huck Cheever(Eric Bana) is a professional gambler living in Las Vegas who spends all of his time trying to gain entry to the World Series of Poker which requires a $10,000 entrance fee. During his rounds, he rescues Billie(Drew Barrymore), sister of an old acquaintance who is in town from her native Bakersfield to pursue a singing career. He gives her a tour of the Las Vegas that he is familiar with, one where the gamblers do nothing else, pretty much living and sleeping in the casinos. In one case, that's literally true. [/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Directed by Curtis Hanson, "Lucky You" may not have a particularly strong story, but it is a well-told character study(of a character who is not really that likable but that works too), starting with the bravura opening scene set in a pawn shop. On the other hand, the daddy issues are way too familiar. And while the climax is in the expected place, events do not unfold exactly as predicted. But isn't that the way it is with true life where no matter how talented a person is, luck is always a large factor in a deciding their destiny?[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]The casting is superb, and not only with the principal actors. Most of the faces seen in the movie do not look like they came from Hollywood. Instead, they look like real people who came to Las Vegas and are still trying to find a way out. And not even Drew Barrymore is exempt from this particular spell of deglamorization. [/font]
Enjoyable enough for poker fans, but overall, too many other stupid things going on. It solidified my conviction that Drew Barrymore should stick to strictly comedic roles.
Director Curtis Hanson made this comedy-drama film of professional poker players' lives quite fantastic and interesting for the fans wanted to give experiences on the poker game. He also set up an interesting interplay of characters, with the scenes between Robert Duvall and Eric Bana especially memorable.
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