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62 comments in total

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10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Fair black comedy, 1 July 2001

Author: kenandraf from Honolulu, Hawaii

This movie desperately needed better screenplay and better ending to it.Fair black comedy though becouse of the great cast and the powers of Travolta and Kudrow.Unfairly cut down by many critics.It is worth a watch as long as you do not expect a classic which I'm sure most knowledgable movie goers will not.The director shoud have made it more underground and less mainstream given the style chosen to do this film.......

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A guilty pleasure, 20 August 2002

Author: CommonSns1 from Michigan

Picture this.... a room that is full of people and only one of them has any redeeming values whatsoever but that person is patently unlikable. If this sounds like it might be a fun story, you're right. I enjoyed this movie on the simplest and most shallow level. It's no great spellbinder, there is no big surprise, but it moves along nicely and had be laughing out loud on a consistent basis. The performances were good with each character convincingly revolting. This movie is on my "Own It" list. Not because it is a masterpiece but because it managed to entertain me its entire length. I recommend this guilty pleasure to anyone who isn't too wrapped up in pretending they are a movie critic for PBS.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Something A Little Bit Different From Ephron, 31 October 2000

Author: jhclues from Salem, Oregon

Working from a screenplay by Adam Resnick, director Nora Ephron diverts from her usual domain of romantic comedy to skirt the perimeter of Scorsese territory with `Lucky Numbers,' a black comedy of errors starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow. Travolta is T.V. weatherman Russ Richards, something of a local celebrity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he also owns a snowmobile dealership. Kudrow is Crystal Latroy, who works for the same station as Richards, as the `Vanna White' of the state lottery show; she's the girl who pulls the ping-pong balls from the tube and calls out the winning numbers. In their world, everything is pretty much jake until the weather stays too good for too long; no snow means no snowmobile sales for Russ, and pretty quickly he's in it up to here, financially. With his back against the wall, the usually honest and upright Richards is coaxed into a plan that will put an end to his woes and worries. All he has to do is convince Crystal to help him rig the lottery, and they'll walk away with upward of six million dollars. And, as it usually goes with a plan for the perfect crime, it isn't long before Murphy's Law goes into effect, and things go south in a hurry. And life for Russ Richards, a guy with his own table at Denny's, just isn't what it used to be. But, like they say, when things look dark, it's probably only going to get darker... For Travolta, the character of Richards is somewhat different than any he's done before. To pull it off (which he does), he has to play down the charm and stifle his natural charisma, leaving Russ with just enough polish and ego to make him `local celebrity' believable. This is a good guy at heart, reasonably intelligent, but not exactly the brightest bulb in the overheads. And Travolta manages to put it all across admirably. He's not someone you'll easily relate to, but you've got to like this guy. He's kind of a, well, he's a goof-ball. Kudrow has a character in Crystal that is different for her as well; as the lotto girl, on the show she exhibits a somewhat dense persona; but Crystal is anything but. She's the sharp one of the bunch, externally charming when she needs to be, but tough as nails on the inside and ready to play hardball as soon as the opportunity presents itself. And Kudrow plays it all beautifully. Crystal is not someone you're readily going to embrace, but it's hard not to like her. Is it her fault there's more than a little larceny in her heart just waiting for the right circumstances to be unleashed? Ephron seems to enjoy taking these characters, who are just a shade darker than what she's used to, through their paces. It's a satirical walk on the wild side for her, and she manages to mine laughs in some of the darkest places along the way. But when you have characters with names like `Gig' (Tim Roth) and `Dale the Thug' (Michael Rapaport), you're going to get some chuckles no matter what, especially when one of them is wielding a baseball bat for all the wrong reasons. The supporting cast includes Ed O'Neill (Dick), Michael Moore (Walter), Michael Weston (Larry), and, in a small, but highly effective and hilarious role, Bill Pullman (Lakewood). This is a funny movie, though not uproariously so; things happen that you will laugh at in spite of yourself, while at other times there are moments that are genuinely side-splitting hilarious (one in particular, near the end, that involves an eighteen-wheeler). This may not be Ephron's crowning achievement cinematically, but nevertheless, `Lucky Numbers' is entertaining and good for some laughs. For Ephron, it's definitely the road less traveled; but in the end, it's a trip worth taking with her. I rate this one 7/10.

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5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
What would you do if you win in the lottery?, 31 October 2005

Author: Jessica Kolk from Brazil

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

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.

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6 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A definition of good comedy, 12 April 2004

Author: Angeneer from Athens, Greece

I've just seen it again and I only reconfirmed that this gem deserves a place at the top of your lists. This is class. A light, entertaining, very well shot film. And what a cast! This is the second best cast I've ever seen in any movie after Glengarry Glen Ross! I mean Ed O'Neill! Tim Roth! Michael Moore! How can you fail a comedy starring these guys? And on top of that John Travolta, Bill Pullman and Lisa Kudrow deliver hilarious performances and prove how great actors they are! Scenario is witty but it's mainly an actors' movie. Moreover, it's obvious they had great fun making this. If I had to choose the best part it would be the grimaces of Bill Pullman. Respect to the man for making me fall out of the couch laughing! Unbelievable that such a fine movie has an overall rating of 5, while complete flops get a 7 or an 8. Makes me wonder of the standards of voters here. What did you want guys? More gratuitous sex and gore? More tasteless jokes? Well you'd better reconsider your priorities because this IS a good movie.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Unbalanced comedy that manages to entertain, but just barely., 7 February 2003
Author: TxMike from Houston, Tx, USA, Earth

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

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.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Not great, but good for a few laughs, 28 February 2001
Author: Mojo-24 from Washington, DC

Do not go into this movie expecting sheer hilarity. Do not go into this movie expecting character development. Do not go into this movie expecting realism or a positive portrayal of Harrisburg, PA and its residents. If you can do that, you might be able to enjoy this for what it is- an unrealistic situation comedy with a couple of surprises and laughs. Think "Disorganized Crime" with more humor. Travolta is actually fairly low-key, Kudrow is not as annoying as I expected, and decent cameos/supporting performances by Ed O'Neill, Darryl Mitchell & Bill Pullman (as good cop/bad cop), Michael Moore (!?!), and Tim Roth. Set your expectations low and you should enjoy it.

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
One of my favorite underrated films, 25 October 2005

Author: guyfromjerzee from United States

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.

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4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
I Walked Out of the Theatre -- TWICE!, 27 October 2000

Author: 49235781 from Saskatchewan, Canada

Taking advantage of the Cineplex's "free pop refill", I exited the theatre once to get my self another large vat of cola to continue what up to that point had been an sometimes funny comedy of errors, but when I returned things simply stopped being funny.

Its like watching Adam Sandler's "The Waterboy" -- ooooh, I can talk in a funny accent... listen to me talk in a funny accent! I'm funnnnny in a funnnny accent. It gets tired after a while.

The same goes for John Travolta in this dozer of a flick --- oooh, I'll mug and say "gosh golly gee, how can this be happening to me."

But its not only on the comedy where Lucky Numbers fails to produce results... its also the day and age the film is set in. It seems the production assistant was totally oblivious to any sence of time or continuity in this film... we watch as weatherman Russ' blue screen goes from being blue to black to blue and black... all in one scene... its changing with every shot too -- not like theres time for some "off camera action" to make the change occur. Or how about the use of a modern (post-90's) Denny's sign off the top of the film???? Or how about the scene where John and another character are standing in the middle of the road talking... a semi is coming up behind them, they cross the street, but the semi never does cross the screen!!! These are simply a small handful of technical gaffes which in my mind take the film even lower, since there isn't much of a plot to look at so YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE!

Save your money, this movie's a sleeper, and go do something better with your time --- this film simply doesn't payoff.

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Could have been funnier, 27 October 2000

Author: Ames-3 from Missouri

The story was good, the directing was good, the writing was fair. In an effort to bring many characters together, well, it fell flat. Also, the comedic timing wasn't there. Some funny lines. Wait till it's on video

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