Lucky Girl

I happened to watch this TV movie when I surfed my cable TV and I saw Elisha Cuthbert starred the screen.As I recognized her from Popular Mechanics series,I decided to watch the movie.It was one of the righteous moves I had ever made in term of watching movies.The quality surpasses some of the dramas produced in Tinseltown.The plot is though simple,but the mood and feel will haunt you right into your mind.Being a girl who was addicted to gambling and gone spiraling downwards,Elisha has proved to me that she is a great actress and worth to be given credits.The supporting casts are just amazing and credible,it seems that they lived just next door of your home for some reason.The ending is just captivating in my opinion,it is just.Sadly,I have only seen it once and would like to have a copy of the movie.A haunting movie that was beautifully made.Being in my list of THE movie to watch before you die.Two words,brilliant,wonderful 10.5/10

I just saw this movie yesterday and I've been wanting to see it for a long time now. I didn't have any high expectations since lots of made-for-tv movies are lame, but this movie was really good. The story line was great and extremely dark. The most brilliant part is the acting. Elisha Cuthbert is simply amazing in this movie. I haven't seen her on anything else than '24' where she also does a great job, but she is so fantastic in this movie. Also the other actors and actresses are doing a really excellent job. I've never heard anything about teenagers gambling and this movie left me thinking if this really exist and how horrible it is. The scene in the end with Blair, his wife and Katlin is so dark and deep and it's so well performed by Elisha. If one of your tv-channels are showing this movie then it's a must see. I'll give it a 9,5 out of 10...

Some aspects of this reminded me of the film "21", but this is very much its own story. Of course, I have to admit watching Elisha in this production was its own entertainment, but beyond that this was a reasonably realistic look at the dark side of gambling among highschool kids in the proverbial affluent neighborhood . . . an all too real dilemma that many have faced in real life.

For some, at least, gambling really is an addiction, just as powerful as any drug. I've never been afflicted with it myself, so for quite some time I had difficulty understanding or believing this. But then I saw this happening, witnessed first hand how compelling the grip of this addiction really can be.

Given that background, I could actually watch this production and had no trouble at all believing the story and characters portrayed. For an obscure made for TV Canadian film, this was surprisingly well done.

Other gambling themed films have mostly been over the top, absurdly over done portrayals of this life, but Lucky Girl was pretty much spot on, perhaps the best yet bringing this concept to life. Of course, I'm not going to hint at how this ends, but it's not what most viewers would probably expect, it's a bit closer to actual reality.

Sometimes the best dramas with a message get hidden away in obscurity, this may be just such an example. I can be good with 8 stars.

Suspense drama about a young innocent high school girl (though she still tends to be a rather smart-a$$ throughout the whole film) from a middle-class family, who causes friction for the rest of her family and classmates by developing an increasingly obsessive gambling habit, and eventually winds up in the clutches of a rather sadistic loan shark....not bad for a made-for-T. V., which was produced in Canada.

Katlin Palmerston (Elisha Cuthbert) is a math-whiz high school student from a middle class home. She starts gambling to save up for an European trip with best friend Cheryl. She takes money from the girls at poker and the boys with football. She even sets up her own betting pool. With a run of bad luck and bad bets, she is in deep trouble. Popular girl Janice's sketchy brother Ron Lunderman sets up a poker game. Katlin wins big and starts dating Ron. The computer gambling continues and everything spirals out of control. She borrows from the wrong couple and they have a creepy way to settle the debt. Her mother (Sherry Miller) rides to the rescue.

This is very much a lesson-filled movie of the week. It's basic and overtly dramatic. There is an inevitability to the plot. Elisha Cuthbert is what shines in this movie. She shows her beauty and her charisma. She's also young enough and pretty close to the 17 year old character. It helps to make it more real and visceral. The last act is quite creepy and unforgettable. It would help to have more original twists but this is strictly a "very special episode" of whatever teen soap.