Luckytown (2000)

Kirsten Dunst plays a young woman (Lidda), who is searching for her father (James Caan). She finds herself at odds with her boyfriend who wants nothing but a carefree lifestyle.

Director:

Paul Nicholas

Writer:

Brendan Beseth

Stars:

Kirsten Dunst, James Caan, Vincent Kartheiser

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirsten Dunst	...	Lidda Doyles
James Caan	...	Charlie Doyles
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Colonel
Luis Guzmán	...	Jimmy
Robert Miano	...	Tony DeCarlo
Jennifer Gareis	...	Sugar
Federico Dordei	...	Frankie
Theresa Russell	...	Stella
Nick Paulos	...	Gill
Joseph D. Kucan	...	Hector
Joe Lacoco	...	Tough Looking Man
Joe La Due	...	Motel Manager (as Joe LaDue)
Dom Angelo	...	Dealer
Sly Smith	...	Mario
Brian Le Baron	...	Kid (as Brian LeBaron)

Storyline

If you find your dad, what happens next? When she turns 18, unhappy Lidda Daniels leaves Southern California to look for Charlie, her father, a professional gambler who abandoned her years before. On her way to Vegas, she picks up Colonel, a video store clerk whom she finds attractive even though they've never spoken. He's is happy to go, in part because he sees himself as a great poker player. It takes Lidda time to track down Charlie, who's involved in his own tangles: he's freshly back in Vegas for high-stakes poker with Tony, an old nemesis. Tony is jealous of Charlie over a woman, plus Tony has a new habit of hiring a hit man to kill anyone who beats him. Can anyone win?

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Plot Keywords:

poker | las vegas nevada | strip club | face slap | texas hold 'em | 

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Taglines:

Luck always runs out, true love doesn't.

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Genres:

Drama | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Luckytown Blues

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

A Plus Entertainment, Entertainment 7, Mediapix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Lida: is he gonna chase after us
colonel: Who Gill? Nah he still rides a bicycle.

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Connections

References Buffalo '66 (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Of(f) This World"
Written by Gunnar Innvaer, Ronny Odegard, Hans Rykkja, Anders Rykkja, Therese Vadem, & Heidi Marie Vestrheim
Performed by Atakama
Produced by Ned Douglas
Courtesy of EMI Norsk

User Reviews

potboiler...without enough water..Gareis plays thermonuclear babe...

I saw the video version of LuckyTown...and it has high aspirations beyond what it was able to achieve....however, some scenes (such as those of the "road trip" sequences) could have been edited more for length....and slowed things down...I think that Kirsten Dunst cast in her role was not appropriate, as I feel that the character was not and did not evolve through her experiences...perhaps this role was a bit too early in Kirsten's carrer repetoire...James Caan's characterization was not very 3-dimensional either....not enough there for him to "turbo it up" into something one woul d expect from James like in his roles from the 1970s...but one actress stole the show (as it was)...and that was Jennifer Gareis...yowza...she plays to the hilt the "Sugar" character--a prostitute/junkie/grifter..too bad that they didn't allow for more character development...she looks really good in all theh outfits that they had her wear, and she also looks fantastic disrobed as well (a thermonuclear babe, a zoomy girl)...indeed, there is a sex scene (on top of a pool table with Miano) that should rank in the PLayboy's Top 25 Lovemaking Scenes of the last five years....additionally, there is a scene where Gareis' character disrobes and comes on to James CAan's character, and he declines her invitation! I doubt that I would have had such self control in similar circumstances.... And Luis Guzman, no matter if he is put into an excellent film or a terrible one, gives his all, and had the best overall performance in this picture of a superstitious hitman who won't kill anyone on Valnentine's DAy (the day most of the story takes place on) because previously he killed his girlfriend and her secret lover on that day...."Bad luck and things happen on this day" he observes....despite higher aspirations, this potboiler doesn't have the water to keep boiling....but I give them an A for aspirations, and a C for execution...