If it were possible to divide the movie-going public into "poker lovers" and those who - while not "anti-gambling," might pass up a two-hour flick that is being sold as a movie about poker, you'd think there'd have to be two separate reviews of the movie. But you'd be wrong. There's something here for both.
That said, Eric Bana (as "Huck") and Robert Duvall (as J.C. Cheever), with solid, believable performances are the glue that makes this whole movie work. To avoid any "spoilers"... Bana and Duvall - both full-time gamblers, albeit from two different generations - create a chemistry that we've come to expect from Duvall, and prevent this from being "just another lukewarm poker story."
Then we meet Drew Barrymore, as sweet and attractive as ever, as "Billie Offer." Billie's just arrived in Vegas where she plans to stay with her older sister Suzanne (Debra Messing), where she dreams of finally starting a career as a nightclub singer. (Yawwwwn ... I mean, Wow!) When we first meet Billie, it's clear that big-sister Suzanne is intent on protecting Billie from all the "really bad stuff" that Vegas can hand out to the unwary - including Huck. But Barrymore's performance is inconsistent at best, and her character appears to have been poorly written. For example, first consider Billie's dialog and mannerisms in her earliest scenes (for example, when she's first hit on by Huck at a club); then fast-forward to her performance during the last 45 minutes of the movie: How did Billie somehow mature by about 6 years in two days? And how is it that her character is suddenly competing with the Dalai Lama in the world championship "words of wisdom" game show? (My money's on the monk.) I mean, hello-oo? Okay, could another actress have made Billie's character, as written, work better? A qualified "maybe."
Final thoughts: Poker lovers will definitely find a lot to like in "Lucky You." A non-Poker person myself, I actually got into the game itself. The strategies, insights, and portrayal of the game and the lifestyle that surrounds it rang true. And while the tension builds as our story moves toward it's climax - The World Championship of Poker - several of the world's best-known Texas Hold'Em tournament players actually join the cast at the tables.
With those qualifications, a good flick. Go see it.
That said, Eric Bana (as "Huck") and Robert Duvall (as J.C. Cheever), with solid, believable performances are the glue that makes this whole movie work. To avoid any "spoilers"... Bana and Duvall - both full-time gamblers, albeit from two different generations - create a chemistry that we've come to expect from Duvall, and prevent this from being "just another lukewarm poker story."
Then we meet Drew Barrymore, as sweet and attractive as ever, as "Billie Offer." Billie's just arrived in Vegas where she plans to stay with her older sister Suzanne (Debra Messing), where she dreams of finally starting a career as a nightclub singer. (Yawwwwn ... I mean, Wow!) When we first meet Billie, it's clear that big-sister Suzanne is intent on protecting Billie from all the "really bad stuff" that Vegas can hand out to the unwary - including Huck. But Barrymore's performance is inconsistent at best, and her character appears to have been poorly written. For example, first consider Billie's dialog and mannerisms in her earliest scenes (for example, when she's first hit on by Huck at a club); then fast-forward to her performance during the last 45 minutes of the movie: How did Billie somehow mature by about 6 years in two days? And how is it that her character is suddenly competing with the Dalai Lama in the world championship "words of wisdom" game show? (My money's on the monk.) I mean, hello-oo? Okay, could another actress have made Billie's character, as written, work better? A qualified "maybe."
Final thoughts: Poker lovers will definitely find a lot to like in "Lucky You." A non-Poker person myself, I actually got into the game itself. The strategies, insights, and portrayal of the game and the lifestyle that surrounds it rang true. And while the tension builds as our story moves toward it's climax - The World Championship of Poker - several of the world's best-known Texas Hold'Em tournament players actually join the cast at the tables.
With those qualifications, a good flick. Go see it.