Imagine you’re a Marine, walking through a war-torn foreign country and discovering a photograph on the ground of a beautiful woman. Written on the back are the words “keep safe.” You keep the photo, and after a few near-death experiences, you decide that this woman is your good-luck charm. When you finish your last tour, you return to the U.S. and set out to find this woman. You believe that thanking her for keeping you safe will help you move on from your own post-traumatic stress, mingled with the guilt you feel for staying alive when so many of your comrades did not. Once you find the woman, who owns a dog kennel in Louisiana, you can’t seem to explain your story. Eventually, romance ensues while she remains in the dark about the photograph, and your real reason for finding her.
And there you have the plot of The Lucky One.
If it sounds like another cheesy Nicholas Sparks story, well, it is. I developed a begrudging kind of respect for films based on Sparks’ novels after I sat through (read: sobbed through) The Notebook for the first time. I fell in love with the love story, because in so many ways, it felt tangible, real, and relatively un-cheesy. I watched two characters fall in love, argue, learn from each other, challenge each other, and bring a gentle, natural performance to the screen in a way that was both beautiful and believable. (Of course, having Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, two of today’s finest actors, certainly helped.)
Unfortunately, I’m fairly certain The Notebook ruined any future films’ chances, because since then, I have hated every other Sparks-sparked film I’ve seen. The Lucky One held promise, but in the end, it felt like too many other recent dumbed-down romantic films.
The formula had potential: Beautiful woman (Taylor Schilling), gorgeous ex-Marine (Zac Efron), cute little kid (Riley Thomas Stewart), quirky grandma (Blythe Danner), stunning cinematography, a breath-taking setting (Louisiana), an angry ex-husband (Jay R. Ferguson), and dogs (dogs).
Unfortunately, it takes a lot more than a tidy formula to make lightning strike twice. The story’s key element, the chance meeting and eventual relationship between Beth (Schilling) and Logan (Efron), falls flat—not because of bad acting, but because the story doesn’t give their relationship room to breathe. Their chemistry together consists mostly of physical attraction, longing stares, a penchant for emotional breakdowns, and, well, lots of sex. The movie gives short shrift to their emotional development as a couple, save for an extensive musical montage of them spending time with Beth’s son, Ben. As a single Christian female trying to develop a healthy view of relationships, I thought this movie added more unrealistic fantasies and unhealthy expectations to the “Emotional Girl Porn” industry of romantic films.
Honestly, if they had split up at the end of the film, I wouldn’t have cared, because we don’t get to know them. We live in a society that emphasizes the chase and the buildup of “getting together,” but the development of a lasting relationship is undervalued—and The Lucky One doesn’t help much on this front. Logan tells Beth she deserves to be kissed and that he came to “find her”; otherwise, there’s no sharing of feelings, little talk of previous history, and no challenging conversations. Any conflict between them results in Logan walking away like a sad puppy. At times, he exemplifies a strong work ethic, patience, and chivalry, but he lacks backbone when it comes to this relationship. They spend so much time with their guards up, and Beth worries about the longevity of their relationship. It’s hard to fall in love with a couple that can’t discuss their feelings with each other.
The film’s sweet spot is in its supporting characters, starting with the cherub-faced Stewart as Ben. Logan’s developing relationship with Ben is heartfelt—and it’s the first time we see Efron’s expression as anything but distant and misty. And the phenomenal Danner, as Taylor’s grandmother Ellie, inhabits the role with a wisdom that’s neither preachy nor judgmental, and her eccentricity remains in check.
As for the leads, I don’t think Efron is ready to play a leading man in a romantic film. He maintains the boyish charm that made him famous (and yes, High School Musical fans, his dancing skills do make a cameo). But he feels younger than Schilling, and he struggles in delivering some romantic lines. Still, Efron is likeable, and his portrayal of an ex-Marine recovering from PTSD is believable. But once he arrives in Louisiana, Logan’s anxieties are barely addressed; too bad, because that could have given his character more dimension.
Beth’s character seems more like a sex-starved single mom than a woman in love. Her character required fire, fight, and charisma, but instead we get snobby, angry, and worn-down—and never very interesting. Schilling has great potential, but this role was ill-fitted for her.
The setting and cinematography are tantalizing. Scott Hicks shot on location in Louisiana, and the swampy bayou serves as a gorgeous backdrop, transporting viewers to a place often ignored for its natural beauty.
Perhaps this story would have worked better as a TV series, which would allow the relationships to build, the tension to mount, and the characters to grow. In a 101-minute film, the twists and turns happen too quickly and resolve too easily. There was a lot of possibility here, with themes of fatherhood, fate, chance, and survivor guilt. But none are explored deeply enough; they are lost in a sea of emotional breakdowns and bed sheets. By the time the credits rolled, my mind had moved on to my grocery list and plans for the rest of my evening.
Talk About It
Discussion starters- Do you think God has someone we’re “meant to be” with?
- The film doesn’t mention God or faith, yet they attend church. What’s the role of church in their lives? Is church becoming too much of a social gathering, and less of a place to be convicted?
- Logan deals with “survivor guilt.” Have you ever dealt with anything like that? How do you deal with this? How would you try to help a veteran struggling with such guilt or with PTSD?
- How should single mothers handle parenting as both a mother and as a father figure? Should the “father role” fall to the mom? Do you know any single mothers who need a male role model in their sons’ lives?
The Family Corner
For parents to considerThe Lucky One is rated PG-13 or some sexuality and violence. The violence at the beginning is relatively minor, but beware of the sexuality—there’s lots of it, and it’s pretty steamy. A single mother sleeps with her boyfriend with no regard of how it appears to her child.
Photos © Warner Brothers Studio
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