Luck

This movie is about swearing, smoking, drinking and gambling -- and, only incidentally, the 1972 Canada-Russia hockey series. Even if you enjoy those pursuits, I can't imagine you liking it.

Maybe it's just me, but sitting around watching a bunch of losers keep losing seemed like a waste of time. The only character of interest was played by Sarah Polley. In fact, the only reason I gave this movie any stars was because of the presence of Sarah Polley. Unfortunately, she only appeared in a few too-short scenes. Any film with Sarah Polley automatically gets three extra stars from me. Three plus zero equals . . .

The script is ludicrous and might be better titled "Deus ex Machina Madness" for the number of irritating, out-of-the-blue, bizarre plot twists.

The longer I watched "Luck" the more I wondered, "What were these people thinking?" The director/writer, the producers, the funding agencies? Even Sarah -- what convinced her to waste her talent in what I found to be a very unsatisfying, almost shallow movie?

And I'm even Canadian, for chrissake! I love the legend of the 1972 series. What a waste.

This movie is a perfect example of great comedy. The editing, acting, script all pull together to make a great film. It is one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in a long time. The actors are all incredible--what a great cast. This film also shares a part of Canadian history with the audience--that famous Canada/Russia hockey game. The director captures the Canadian culture and as he put it when he spoke of the film, it didn't seem like acting. The characters were perfect--a credit to both the writers, the director and the actors. Sarah Polley is great in a humourous role--she is able to use facial expressions and one-liners to make the audience laugh. It's great to see her in a less serious role for once--a far cry from "My Life Without Me" and other films. I will definitely be looking for future films starring these talented actors and/or directed by the fabulous Peter Wellington.

I really liked this movie and will buy it for sure when it comes out on DVD. It was funny, touching, and then funny again all throughout the film. The performances were great, there were so many great lines and I LOVED the ending!!

It is just too bad that this fully Canadian made film had such poor publicity (a few commercials during the hockey games) and poor distribution in Canada. What is wrong with this country? We seem to only want to celebrate our talent that has made it in the USA - and totally ignore the great talent we have working up here. It is a total shame, and doesn't make things look hopeful for the mounds of aspiring actors, directors and writers that want to live and work in the industry up here.

This movie was great - and more enjoyable than a lot of the big budget Hollywood hype I've seen lately. I really really hope it finds a following on Video and DVD when it eventually gets released to this market.

I did enjoy it overall. One inherent problem with the film, however, is that it's pacing is pretty bad. It lasted only about 1h45 but felt like it was an hour longer. This is mainly because about 2/3rds of the way into the film, rather than resolve the film or at least end it on a strong note, Wellingston insists on pushing it further and further into the realm of ridiculousness.

Sarah Polley is the stand-out here. The cast, overall, works quite well, and Shane's roommates are especially amusing, but Polley is the one to watch. There is a scene in her flat with Polley and Kirby on the couch, he's staring at her, and she goes through a barrage of facial expressions, body language, and nearly no dialogue. She is able to say so much while barely saying anything. This is the kind of brilliant acting I expect from Polley - someone who is a strong character actress, who can assume roles right down to the little quirks and twitches. The way her eyes look, her expressions - you can see the difference in her character type when watching Go vs Guinevere vs Sweet Hereafter vs Luck. Each character has their own distinct personality. This is VERY difficult to portray in film, to be able to be a completely different person each time you step in front of the camera.

Overall, Luck is a decent film. I'm happy I saw it but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it again. I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10, with a 9/10 for Sarah Polley.

A love story, a cautionary tale of gambling, a comedy about growing up and taking responsibility. Luck is all of these and the mix is entertaining but, ultimately, not fulfilling. Guy gets a kiss from a female 'friend' that jumpstarts him into a gambling streak where he wins and loses a small fortune in a manner of days. His friends and roommates are even more immature than he and they all get in deep. Although its well written overall, there was much unrealized potential for more comedy. Acting was believable and up to par. This Canadian produced effort is certainly well above typical Hollywood comedy standards and worth searching out. The harness racing and goofball gambling buddies situations were pretty much how I remember them from the time period I was going through a similar (equally unsuccessful) maturing process.