In Las Vegas, Huck Cheever is a poker player, brilliant but also prone to let emotion take over. It's the week of the poker world series, and Huck must come up with the $10,000 entry fee, which he wins, loses, borrows, and loses – and even steals part of from Billie Offer, an earnest young woman who's new in town and who catches Huck's eye. By the time the tournament starts, Huck owes everyone. Complicating things is the arrival of Huck's father, whom Huck detests for having left his mother, a champion player in town to win. Can Huck learn to play poker the way he lives and to live the way he plays poker? Or is his only flush the sound of his life going down the toilet?
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sport
Runtime: 124 minutes
Rating: 5.9/10 (8,588 votes)
Release Date: 1 May 2007
Country: USA, Australia
Languages: English, Spanish
Company: Lucky You Pictures Inc.
Sound: Dolby Digital
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some language and sexual humor.
Director(s): Curtis Hanson
Producer(s):
Bruce Berman – executive producer
Denise Di Novi – producer
Carol Fenelon – producer
Curtis Hanson – producer
Mari-Jo Winkler – co-producer (as Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda)
Writer(s):
Eric Roth – (screenplay) &
Curtis Hanson – (screenplay)
Eric Roth – (story)
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
Music: Christopher Young
Tagline: Change your game. Change your life.
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To sum this mess up "Luck You" is 1 part chick flick, 1 part pokerstory and it is a miserable failure at both.
Who is the intended audience? My wife and I watched it together, I fastforwarded at 1.5 speed (where one can still here the vocal track)through the chick flick bits (they even managed to make sex boring) andshe wanted to fast forward through the poker bits. But neither of usthought much of the film.
The poker in the film is lame. This is not a film for poker fans!!!Seeing real bets by real players, for stakes in the millions can beexciting. Watching well staged hands in seedy card club where lifehangs in the balance (e.g., Rounders, Cincinatti Kid) can also beexciting in a film. But watching actors mess it up with fake posturingin a fake tournament, and folding out of sympathy (to his hated dad!),just isn't exciting to watch. To make matter worse nothing is reallyriding upon the game. Big deal if he make up with his dad, nothing inthe film makes us care one way or the other.
I give it a two because the stupid lengths that Huck the gambler goesthrough to get his cash may educate someone. I told my daughter, youmeet a guy like this dump him. But the movie unfortunately has a happyending for the lovers (til they get the next rent if due notice). I'dhave given it a 4 if she had dumped the loser and found someone morereliable to get it on with (his dad for example).
Overall, the film is one unrelentingly boring film.
I could tell right off this was a terrible movie (even the credits areboring), but the real shocker is that it was directed by the guy thatmade "LA Confidential" — one of the very best films of the last decadeor so — and features Robert Duvall, one of the best actors of ourgeneration. Yet, as in so many limp forgettable films, the problemis…THE SCRIPT. The story is utterly without merit, and there was noreason to tell it, except that it tries to exploit the recentfascination with big-time poker tournaments.
Unfortunately, poker (which is probably quite interesting andchallenging to play) is wretchedly boring to WATCH since winningdepends in part on having a BLANK ("poker")face. The only catharticpart is thousands and even millions at are stake, but otherwise, its nomore interesting to watch than gin rummy or even your granny's bingonight at church.
Huck (yes short for "Huckleberry") Cheever, a young poker player in LasVegas with no other job or means of employment. Not a very good player,as he is always broke or losing at the last minute. It becomespainfully obvious that that Huck really is a GAMBLING ADDICT, soaddicted that he repeatedly blows money he needs to pay to get into theBig Game, money he owes other people…even money he STEALS from theinnocent girl he is dating.
That's not a clever, talented poker player on the rise — that's apathetic addict who is about two steps from life in the gutter. We aresupposed to think Hank (who is losing stupidly, left & right) is abrilliant world-class player. Hank's dad, L.C. Cheever (Duvall,excellent as always, even in a thankless role) is quite obviously amuch better, craftier player.
There is a very slight romance with Billie, a wannabe lounge singer,played by Drew Barrymore. She can be very charming, but here she seemsmiscast and shrewish as she lays into the messed up Huck about hislife. The romantic parts are leaden and devoid of romantic charm oreven erotic appeal (there's no nudity or sex) since Bana and Barrymorehave zero chemistry together.
Looking back to what I thought the first time I saw Bana in "The Hulk",he is handsome, but really does not have acting talent. He probablyrates off the charts with female audience testers, but simply cannotcarry a film. I wish there was some way to tell filmmakers that youneed MORE than a pretty face or a ripped body to connect with theaudience.
The film wraps up with Huck and Pops at The Big Poker tournament, theonly exciting aspect of which is that the prize is several milliondollars. (I understand there are also cameos by a number of genuinepoker champions; I wouldn't know.)Huck throws the game — and severalmillion bucks — to his dad. WHY???? There is nothing up to this pointto demonstrate that L.C., a two time champ, couldn't deal with losing,or that he needed the money (for an operation or something). In fact,it's Hank who is poor and screwed up, and losing his (furniture-lessbut posh) home. It's Hank who really needed the win, so he couldcontinue his career as a first rank player.
The whole film would have made more sense if the father threw thegame…helping his son for the first time, and moving aside for thenext generation (and perhaps if Hank thought he won for real, but thenrealized his father's "gift"). But that ain't this film. Hank'sdecision makes no sense, and there is no reason to believe that thefather-son relationship is really healed.
Heck, even though the movie ends with Hank and Billie smooching, anyonewith half a brain quickly realizes Hank will probably be riflingthrough Billie's purse by midnight, and screwing around behind herback, and that this is no romance: this is a tragedy for poor naiveBillie. And how come nobody remotely suggests that Hank (and some ofthe other idiot gambling addicts in the film, including a humorouslunkhead who has had BREAST IMPLANTS to try and win a bet) have eventhought about getting help for their tragic, destructive behavior.
So aside from being about as exciting as a hygiene class filmstrip, themovie doesn't make much sense and offers appallingly bad advice (keepgambling, keep taking money from innocent people, do anything to win,etc.).
It's a loser, that much is for sure. In conclusion: presumably nobodysaw it at the box office, so no $$ loss there, but this is not evenworth a rental and for god's sake, do not purchase it, even onclearance (where it is destined to end up)…not even your mostpoker-lovin' pals will tolerate it.
There are two outstanding things in Eric Bana's performance. His ears,which Eric's carefully neglected haircut only just disguises. All thelaydeez in this film seem to find him irresistible, but hey girls,before you think about mixing genes with Eric, check those lugholesout. Eric does meet his match in Drew Barrymore, as she puts in a turnthat makes Madonna look like the new Meryl Streep. And then we'resupposed to care about assorted lowlife playing poker. What's at stake?as they say at scriptwriters' school. Well, $350 and Eric's mother'sring which is worth 'a buck and a half'. I kid you not. Thescriptwriter (of 'The Postman' no less) wants us to sit through endlessgames of poker, the variation indicated by helpful signs at convenientintervals, on the strength of Eric the Wooden standing to lose $351.50.At least, that's as far as I got before I turned it off. Well, allright, it's the WSOP, but aren't all poker movies about that? The restof the film that isn't poker operates on the level of a beach partymovie – complete with indoor volleyball. The supporting cast ofassorted Hollywood bad boys and lifelong achievers find keeping thisparticular beach ball in the air beyond their collective strength. Notworth rating.
If gambling and poker interests you, then you will love this film.Otherwise, it's too long and in some parts boring because there are somany long card playing scenes. Did the movie have to show so many handsof poker being played for us to follow the story? Eric Bana plays agambler who wins some but loses a lot. His father, Robert Duval, is aworld famous gambler. Duval is fabulous as usual in his role. DrewBarrymore plays the girl Bana pursues. He "borrows" money from her andgets in the dog house but alls well in the end. There are a few funnyparts where his friend sets up silly wagers. Like staying in a bathroomand the whole run/golf bet. The climax is the world poker tournamentand whether or not Bana can win it.
FINAL VERDICT: I like the actors in this, but I don't know anythingabout poker, so didn't follow that part with the checking and tabletapping. A little too much of the technical stuff. The card playingshould have been shorter. But I still recommend it if you like any ofthe actors.
You'd think a movie based upon poker featuring Eric Bana and DrewBarrymore couldn't miss. You'd be wrong.
"Lucky You" stars Eric Bana as Huck Cheever (another dumb charactername), a down and out poker player who always just goes too far withhis bets. Huck lives in the shadow of his father, LC Cheever (RobertDuvall-showing up the rest of the cast), a champion poker player. Onenight while out at the casinos, Huck comes across Billie Offer (an evenworse name, played by Drew Barrymore),who intrigues him. They soon goout on a date and Huck treats her to watching him play poker with hermoney. She has a great night and they spend the night together. Itlooks like these two will start a nice little journey together, untilHuck steals some money from her. She finds out and is livid and decidesto end their brief courtship. Huck keeps bouncing around the casinos,trying to get an entry into the World Championship. After severalfailures and discouragements, Huck ends up getting a backer and getshis dream.
Will Huck win the Championship? Will he sort out the issues for hisfather? Will Billie decide she was a bit harsh on Huck and give himanother chance?
I won't answer these questions, for you, but I'll share thefollowing….
-Eric Bana was not convincing at all as a poker player. Not sure if itwas a bad script or he was just mailing it in, but he was prettyaverage. -The poker stuff was pretty lousy, especially Huck's speechabout how poker is so pure because when you get to a table you're alleven. Um, no you're not. Some are better at it, some have massivegambling problems and some are major hustlers. -Drew was pretty poortoo. She wasn't given much to work with…actually her character had nodepth and shouldn't have even ended up in the movie. The relationshiphad about 20min screen time I think and wasn't key to the movie.
Summary: you won't feel "lucky" that you spent $3.95 on this at the endof the movie
When you hear critics trash a film, you wonder "How bad could it reallybe?" In the case of Lucky You, the critics got it right. Hard tobelieve that the guy who brought us L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys, 8Mile, and In Her Shoes (it's actually pretty good) could disappoint us.How bad is this film?:
1) Eric Bana. Yes, he's good-looking, but geez-louise, he's so bland inthis, it's hard to feel any sympathy for his character. I've seen threeof his films (TROY, MUNICH, and now this), and he's equally bland inall. Hollywood needs to stop casting ridiculously good-looking peoplewith limited or no acting talent in films.
2) Drew Barrymore. Yes, she's long redeemed herself. Now can she pleasestop playing the cutesy-kwirky character in EVERY film she's in? She'stoo old for this. Two words: Meg Ryan.
3) The real poker pros seem more like props in the film instead offlesh-and-blood characters. Who thought we'd see Phil Hellmuth and Mike"The Mouth" Matasow quiet as church mice? It doesn't feel right.
4) Debra Messing, Jean Smart, and especially Robert Downey Jr. arebarely in this. Robert Duvall is the only actor that redeems himself.
5) The film seems to have an identity crisis. One minute, it wants tobe a romantic comedy. The next minute, it wants to be a family drama.The next minute, it wants to be another ROUNDERS-type poker film.Instead, it goes down like rancid Jamba Juice.
Better than ACES (the movie), but still not a good hand.