The Lucky One

This movie contains eye-candy (Zac Efron) and stunning scenery. It's almost like the director is counting on that to rescue a very weak script. This movie spent over and hour and a half trying to make us "feel" the angst of the main characters but instead I kept wanting to slap them into having some sense. I kept thinking that the actors needed more lines and less music to tell the story. It was melodramatic and entirely predictable. I do not recommend this movie in the theaters unless you have money and time to throw away.

I must add that I was impressed with Zac Efron's acting and also the boy in the movie. I was surprised that Blythe Danner lent her talent to such a weak vehicle but I'm sure there aren't many options for older actresses in this day.

Whenever there is a new adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel is released, there's always a mass amount of haters and so be it because some of them are extremely cheesy and bad, however I think that the hate towards The Lucky One is unwarranted, I personally thought it was a very enjoyable romantic drama. The Lucky One is quite different to other Sparks movies, I found the storyline to be a lot more serious and mature than normal, and the story being told from the male perspective is also a nice change.

The acting from Zac Efron is top form, as he gets older his roles get better and his acting improves with each movie, Taylor Schilling is also nice, if not being a little too old for Efron, but she brings some niceness to the character, and Blythe Danner is a bit of a scene stealer in her small role.

Yes parts of this film are a little cliché, particularly towards the end, but it's no biggie, the lack of chemistry between the two leads is a bit annoying at first but soon it changes and gets better, even though Taylor Schilling is nice in the role I do think that she is miscast, I think Abbie Cornish may have suited the role a little more. But even still the few flaws that this movie does have doesn't distract from the overall niceness of the film.

Zefron is all man now and he is definitely an actor to watch. Fans of the book will love it, Zac fans will love it too, generally a nice romance to enjoy with friends.

Zac and Blythe carried this movie, unfortunately I don't think that Taylor should have been cast as the main she looks a lot older than Zac and I think there are loads of better actresses that would have made this movie a lot better. Taylor looks like she's in her late 30's and she over acts which is annoying. It would have been a 10 otherwise.

This was the first Nicholas Sparks book I read and I loved it, so I had high hopes for the movie. Like usual the movies are never as good as the books are. For some reason they changed a lot of basic info. Like location. Why change the state? Any way the love making scenes were very good so if you are just going for the romance you won't be disappointed. I think that Zack played Logan well. He had a depth that I didn't expect as an actor even though he didn't have much to work with. It wasn't my favorite movie but it wasn't that bad either. Maybe if you didn't read the book first you might like it better. And for those who haven't read it but liked the movie, you should read it. You will love it.

When you walk into a Nicolas Sparks movie, you expect certain things. The Lucky One follows a storyline similar to most of Nicolas Sparks' other adapted novels. This is neither a good nor a bad thing. So long as the movie can stand on its own feet, it deserves recognition. On that ground, The Lucky One does hold its own. The acting is great and the story held my interest. In the end, specific problems make this movie much worse than it should have been.

The main fallback of the story is the characters. Stereotypes are abound. The mayor-to-be is the same as any story that tries to cover a trapped-in-a-small-town feel. The father is an incredibly flat character that is in no way believable. Even Zac Efron's character is too mysterious for his own good. Although Efron pulled off the role quite well, it was the way the character is presented that is the problem.

The other problem with the film is its climax. I won't give it away, but I have seen the same climax more than once. It was an unfortunate low point in a movie that was incredibly well acted. The rest of the storyline was quite unique and enjoyable. Even the modern setting of PTSD and soldiers who have served too many tours was a fascinating setting for the movie. Unfortunately, the amateur screenwriter dropped the ball.

I must point out an unfortunate fact of this movie. It's only 101 minutes. Since it is so short for a complex drama, it drops the ball on many occasions. In the beginning of the film, Zac Efron's character walks from Colorado to Missouri. This fact is almost addressed at one point, but then dropped and never brought back. Things like this happen throughout the film. These holes could have been filled with 15 to 20 minutes more screen time. Unfortunately, the push to keep films shorter made The Lucky One significantly worse.

If you are a Nicolas Sparks fan, this movie is worth seeing. If you enjoy romantic dramas, I would recommend renting The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, or Dear John. If you don't like romantic dramas, there is no reason for you to see this movie. Nicolas Sparks is one of the few authors who deliver consistently good plots. Unfortunately, his last two films have fallen flat. Maybe it's time for him to stop using the same formula again and again.

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