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Lucky

  • 2011
  • R
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
Colin Hanks and Ari Graynor in Lucky (2011)
Ben's obsession with Lucy leads him down a dark path, as he begins murdering women who remind him of her. But when he wins the lottery -- courtesy of a ticket that belonged to one of his victims -- the pair are united in marriage. Despite the odds (and due to Lucy's love of money), the couple begins working together to protect Ben's secret.
Play trailer1:36
1 Video
15 Photos
Dark ComedyComedy

A wannabe serial killer wins the lottery and pursues his lifelong crush.A wannabe serial killer wins the lottery and pursues his lifelong crush.A wannabe serial killer wins the lottery and pursues his lifelong crush.

  • Director
    • Gil Cates Jr.
  • Writers
    • Kent Sublette
    • Gil Cates Jr.
  • Stars
    • Colin Hanks
    • Ari Graynor
    • Jeffrey Tambor
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.3/10
    3.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gil Cates Jr.
    • Writers
      • Kent Sublette
      • Gil Cates Jr.
    • Stars
      • Colin Hanks
      • Ari Graynor
      • Jeffrey Tambor
    • 20User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
    • 41Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Lucky
    Trailer 1:36
    Lucky

    Photos14

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    Top cast51

    Edit
    Colin Hanks
    Colin Hanks
    • Ben Keller
    Ari Graynor
    Ari Graynor
    • Lucy St. Martin
    Jeffrey Tambor
    Jeffrey Tambor
    • Detective Harold Waylon
    Ann-Margret
    Ann-Margret
    • Pauline Keller
    Adam J. Harrington
    Adam J. Harrington
    • Steve Mason
    Mimi Rogers
    Mimi Rogers
    • Ms. Brand
    Allison Mackie
    Allison Mackie
    • Grace
    Tom Amandes
    Tom Amandes
    • Jonathan
    Michelle Davidson
    Michelle Davidson
    • Leslie Singer
    Olivia Sather
    • Shannon
    Eric Kirchberger
    Eric Kirchberger
    • Sunny Mart Clerk
    Heather Marie Marsden
    Heather Marie Marsden
    • Allison
    Bryan McClure
    Bryan McClure
    • Sandwich Guy
    Bennett Wright
    • 8 year old Ben
    Lena Noel Krussel
    • 8 year old Lucy
    • (as Lena Krussel)
    Thom Sibbitt
    • Mechanic
    Jill Peterson
    Jill Peterson
    • Woman
    • (as a different name)
    Cullen Chollett
    • Man
    • Director
      • Gil Cates Jr.
    • Writers
      • Kent Sublette
      • Gil Cates Jr.
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews20

    5.33.7K
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    Featured reviews

    vtdr

    Love it or hate it, this film is amoral

    Very rarely do I have any desire to post a review. I've seen it, I know what I think, and usually someone else has said everything that needs to be said. Not so with "Lucky."

    This film shocked me with its amorality. And I liked it.

    Before I watched this, I thought, perhaps, that it would be akin to "Dexter" - a serial killer that the viewer is asked to empathize with, maybe forgive, and perhaps even root for. I mean, what else could I expect from what the synopsis seems to suggest is a serial killer rom-com. I was wrong. No one in this film is asking for forgiveness. No one in this film seems to even imagine that a universal or objective morality exists which would pass judgement.

    This is one of the only, if not the only, film I have seen that exemplifies rationally self- interested actors carrying on their affairs as though no religious or societal morality existed or, at the least, was valid. Even in the films based on Ayn Rand's fiction (a person who championed "the virtue of selfishness" and fought against religion and collectivism/humanism), there was always a wink or a nod when some character violated the Judeo-Christian-humanist morality. The same can be said of most of the horror and "shock" films - the shock and horror are usually caused by reactions to the violation of societal norms. Here, there is nothing.

    One previous reviewer implied the film was boring. I wouldn't go so far, though I would accept "anti-climatic." Indeed, amorality is certainly that. If one starts from a place where killing and kissing are of equal objective moral value - none whatsoever - then it stands to reason that neither occurrence has any higher meaning.

    In "Lucky", the lack of regard for morality, as understood by the majority of the populace, is not obvious. It isn't a clear part of the plot. It isn't relied upon to engender fear or revulsion. I almost didn't notice it until near the end of the film. It is as if the film was made entirely by people unaware that such a concept as "objective morality" even existed. Of course it wasn't. If for no other reason than that, "Lucky" deserves praise.
    7AvidClimber

    A subject treated differently with a surprise at every turn

    Lucky is a serial killer's tale through the eye of a cynic. It's a dark comedy that anyone can easily enjoy.

    The good. Surprising scenario, nicely put together. When you think it's going to go left, it goes right. Imaginative ideas in the story. Excellent ending. This is not your Hollywood mush, it has realism mixed in the movie flair.

    The bad. A few logical hitch, but easily ignored.

    The ugly. Nothing.

    The result. If you like films that are different, offbeat, this is for you. Everyone else should at least give it a try.
    cosmo_tiger

    A movie that is hurt by the trailer. I expected this to be much funnier. Not a bad movie though, just not what I thought. I say B-

    "I think you won the lottery." Shy and Goofy Ben (Hanks) has had a crush on the receptionist Lucy (Graynor) at his office for a long time. She doesn't know he exists. When Ben comes home and finds that he has won the 36 million dollar lottery Lucy finally talks to him. When secrets come out their relationship, and morals are challenged. This is a hard movie to review. While it wasn't a bad movie and did have some funny parts, the trailer is misleading and this wasn't what I was expecting. The trailer made it look like more of a comedy then it was. Hanks does a good job playing this type of character, but the movie overall felt a little flat and boring. Like so many other movies recently it feels like there is something missing to make this better. It also felt like with this idea they could have done so much more. All that being said this movie is not terrible and if you go in expecting less of a comedy then the trailer shows you will probably enjoy this. Overall, not a bad movie, but nothing like I was expecting. Because of my expectations I didn't like it as much as I thought. I give it a B-.

    Would I watch again? - Most likely no.
    5krachtm

    Partly a noir parody, black comedy, and romantic comedy.

    The plot: A gold-digging woman ends up attaching herself to the wrong person when she marries a rich serial killer.

    Despite how oppressively dark the summary sounds, this is actually fairly light-hearted and harmless. The plot is essentially a parody of classic noir movies, with a femme fatale and guilty protagonist being pursued by a dogged cop. Everything is played for laughs, and there are few serious scenes. The movie starts off a bit boring and unfunny, but it gets better toward the middle once it can abandon the clichéd romantic comedy elements and switch to being more of a black comedy. The tone is still more lighthearted and wacky than I'd like for a black comedy, but it did at least keep me vaguely amused for the remaining runtime.

    There's no real blood, gore, nudity, or violence. If you're looking for something like Very Bad Things, I think you'll be very disappointed. However, if you're looking for a quirky romantic comedy with a dark edge to it, you'll probably enjoy Lucky. My own tastes are more in line with Very Bad Things.
    7rooprect

    It's a comedy about killing people, people! Lighten up!

    I'll assume that you know this is a dark comedy about a serial killer. If you can swallow that premise, you're halfway there. If not, walk away while you still can.

    Good, you're still here. Maybe you have a slightly sick sense of humor, or maybe you're simply able to differentiate fiction from reality. One way or another, I think you'll be entertained by this film.

    Like any good dark comedy, it makes no attempt to moralize, rationalize or justify the characters' criminal actions. Think of the scene in "Pulp Fiction" when they accidentally blow a guy's head off and sit there bickering with bits of brains in their hair. Think of the scene in "The Prophecy" where Christopher Walken, playing the angel of death, snatches a poor dying cancer patient from her blissful demise and forces her to become his servant simply because he can't drive a car. If you cracked a smile at these or any other shockingly morbid bits of dark comedy, then read on.

    Though not as hyper violent as "Pulp Fiction" or as action packed as "The Prophecy", this film "Lucky" keeps the same sort of biting, surreal, amoral humor. There haven't been too many romcoms that center around murder and psychosis, and for that I give this bonus points for originality.

    It earns extra points for Ari Graynor's EXCELLENT performance as the detestable gold-digger whose wacky descent into madness makes us suddenly start to root for her. Again, this is in keeping with the theme that even detestable characters can become our heroes. Ari's performance is one of the best examples of how to sway the audiences sympathy even though, in real life, such a character wouldn't be worth the trouble of spitting on her.

    Similarly, Colin Hanks, with his boyishly innocent face and perpetual deer-in-the-headlights expression, makes you cheer for him even though he butchers people with no remorse. Throw in the lovely Ann-Margaret as the creepy mother, and you have a film with flawless casting. Oh, and how could I forget Jeffrey Tambor? Note to self: never, ever forget Jeffrey Tambor.

    My only criticism of this film is that the ending comes upon you quite fast and may seem slightly implausible the way it's hastily explained in the final scene. But maybe that's the point. Like an unexpected punchline to a joke, it's probably designed to whack you senseless. But I would've loved to have seen more of Ari losing her mind, having ghostly hallucinations and transforming from clever manipulator to total flake. That's really what made me love this movie.

    I also seem to recall that the music was pretty cool. I had never heard of the band Transcargo before, but I really liked their song "Kissing the Day" (listen to it on Myspace). I also liked "Whatever Gets You By" by The Features. These and other songs are quirky, happy-ish tunes that are brilliantly juxtaposed against the macabre story.

    If you like dark comedies that make light of murder, don't hesitate to check this out. So many dark comedies rely on unspoken satire for laughs, but this one dives boldly into comedy territory. I haven't seen too many of those madcap, slapstick style dark comedies. Similar films include the Roberto Benigni film "Il Mostro" about a nerdy schlep (Benigni) who is being investigated for multiple gruesome murders, the Chinese film "A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop" which is a comedy remake of the Coen Brothers' thriller "Blood Simple", and an obscure gem called "Mambo Cafe" about a family that tries to stage a murder at their restaurant to improve business.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Colin Hanks also played a serial killer in season 6 of "Dexter"
    • Goofs
      When Grace finds the 2nd check and opens the envelope the check is correctly made payable to Benjamin Keller, however the 'Authorized Signature' is also Ben's name (signature) (which also looks like a handwriting font as the 2 L's and E's in Keller are exactly the same)
    • Quotes

      Grace: You seem like such nice people. Such nice people!

      Ben Keller: We're still nice people, Grace, but we're also in love. And love's kinda scary. I'm starting to realize that now.

    • Connections
      Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2/Horrible Bosses/Zookeeper/Lucky/The Ward/Project Nim/Tabloid (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Crazy
      Written by Scott Russo

      Performed by Aimee Allen

      Executive Producer Beth Hohlier

      Courtesy of Side Tracked Records

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Lucky?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 15, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Счастливчик
    • Filming locations
      • 9926 Fieldcrest Dr, Omaha, Nebraska, USA(Ben and Lucy's house)
    • Production companies
      • Ten/Four Pictures
      • Tax Credit Finance
      • Mirabelle Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $8,564
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,986
      • Jul 17, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,564
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 43m(103 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

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