Review #16 - The Lucky One

   The Lucky One is a sweet, feel good film. Logan (Zac Efron), a marine who after finding a picture of a beautiful woman while in Iraq, avoids several disasters while others weren't so lucky. Believing the photo to be a good luck charm on his return from the war he sets out to find the woman and thank her for the photo that provided his safety and return a treasured token that she had sent for a loved one. However when he meets Beth (Taylor Schilling) he is unable to find the words to explain and instead starts working for her and her Grandmother at their dog kennel. Inevitably the two begin to fall in love, healing each others scars and finally finding happiness with each other.
    The romantic dawn and dusk lighting used almost constantly throughout the film, envelopes it in a rosy haze. At times it seems a little over done but also quite accurately sets the tone for the film. All the characters, particularly Beth and Logan are extremely likeable and right from the beginning you find yourself rooting for them all to find happiness. I liked that the obstacle keeping them apart was not a deceased war hero husband or even a current love interest but a controlling ex. Keith Clayton (Jay R. Ferguson-the ex) is a well rounded character with enough flaws that the audience dislikes him but also occasionally showing a more compassionate side making him more interesting and three dimensional. There was also some good acting from Riley Thomas Stewart as Beth's son Ben, who at ten years old has already appeared in 11 titles!

    Joey, thought the romantic scenes dragged out a bit but was interested in the story; He described it as a film he might have on in the background while doing something else or one to watch with friends. I would describe it as a nice chill out film to watch on a weekend. It's a DVD I might pick up cheap in a sale. It's an enjoyable film to watch but I wouldn't insist you run out to the cinema straight away. The plot was engaging and it was a sweet storyline about fate, love and finding peace within yourself. Simple but lovely - a 3* Film.