Lucky You (2007)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writers (WGA):

Eric Roth (screenplay) &
Curtis Hanson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 May 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Change your game. Change your life.

Plot:

A hotshot poker player tries to win a tournament in Vegas, but is fighting a losing battle with his personal problems.

Plot Keywords:

Poker | Gambler | Father Son Relationship | Surprise After End Credits | Las Vegas Nevada

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 22

5:50 PM

MAX

Cast

Phyllis Somerville	...	Pawnbroker
Eric Bana	...	Huck Cheever
Horatio Sanz	...	Ready Eddie
Drew Barrymore	...	Billie Offer
Joey Kern	...	Billie’s Admirer
Debra Messing	...	Suzanne Offer
Delaine Yates	...	Ginger
Mykel Shannon Jenkins	...	Gary
Robert Duvall	...	L. C. Cheever
Charles Martin Smith	...	Roy Durucher
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Telephone Jack
Saverio Guerra	...	Lester
Danny Hoch	...	Bobby Basketball
Kenny Cau	...	Chinese Restaurant Waiter
Kelvin Han Yee	...	Chico Banh

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some language and sexual humor.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:6 | Germany:6 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Lucky You Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

The portrait (actually an enlarged photograph) hung on the wall during the final WSOP match is that of Benny Binion, the original owner of the Horseshoe, taken at his ranch in Montana.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Huck ('Eric Bana') plays in the super satellite and its down to 3 players it is said that Shannon Kincaid (Jennifer Harmon) is the chip leader but the very next hand she ends up all in against Huck and is out of the tournament, if she was the chip leader then she would still have chips left and not out. And then in the same scene after she is knocked out the remaining 2 end up all in and Huck believes he has won, however the dealer did not burn a card so when he comes back and loses he is out this would mean that they had identical chip stacks, which is not possible since he had taken the chip lead with the knockout of Kincaid.

Quotes:

Huck Cheever: Sam, you're out?
Sam Farha: This guy over there, he never played a live tournament in his life... and he beat me. I don't know if this makes me feel better or worse.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I Am Legend (2007)

Soundtrack:

Choices

As vapid as a poker face

Lest be duped by the trailers that make it seem a romantic comedy set in the world of high-stakes gambling, one should approach "Lucky You" as more of a movie about poker with a generous amount of father-son conflict thrown in for good measure. The romantic angle is just an arbitrarily (in fact, awkwardly) placed distraction that sticks out like a sore thumb (hint: Drew Barrymore's character is good for only around 20-30 minutes of this 2-hour movie).

Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) is a regular high-stakes poker player in Las Vegas whose skills in reading body languages of his opponents is hampered by his rashness. Constantly in the shadow of his estranged father L.C. (Robert Duvall), a two-time World Series of Poker champion who never fails to rub in his son's weakness, Huck falls for Billie (Barrymore) - a Vegas newbie who's just got a job singing in a bar. Problem is, Billie's cynicism-free personality clashes with Huck's callous opportunistic character.

And it goes without saying that as cards are dealt and the stakes are raised, there will be some fixings to occur among Huck and the two people around him.

Strangely, after being in projects with involving narratives, director Curtis Hanson and co-writer Eric Roth fail to draw any meaningful yarn with the characters. In fact, "Lucky You" works better when it sets its focus on the poker table, and not trying to deal with any of tepid characterizations. But such ambivalence ultimately leads to a hollow feeling.

For those who enjoy watching poker, it might be a worthy deal (at least the final act). But for anyone else, considering the people involved in this project, it leaves the feeling of an empty hand.