Lucky Numbers (2000)

A television weatherman scams a local lottery.

Director:

Nora Ephron

Writer:

Adam Resnick

Stars:

John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, Tim Roth

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	Russ Richards
Lisa Kudrow	...	Crystal
Tim Roth	...	Gig
Ed O'Neill	...	Dick Simmons
Michael Rapaport	...	Dale
Daryl Mitchell	...	Det. Chambers
Bill Pullman	...	Det. Pat Lakewood
Richard Schiff	...	Jerry Green
Michael Moore	...	Walter
Sam McMurray	...	Chief Troutman
Michael Weston	...	Larry
Maria Bamford	...	Wendy the Waitress
Caroline Aaron	...	Nurse Sharpling
John F. O'Donohue	...	Bobby (as John F. O'Donahue)
Colin Mochrie	...	Jack

Storyline

Winter, 1988: Harrisburg PA's celebrity weatherman, Russ Richards, is broke: he's borrowed heavily to open a snowmobile dealership, and it's still unseasonably warm. Gig, his seedy pal, advises him to run an insurance scam; when it goes awry, Russ is out another $10,000 and in trouble with Dale, a bat-wielding thug. Gig convinces Russ to rig the state lottery with the help of Crystal, a gold-digging ditz with a heart of tin. They have to find a beard to buy the ticket, and then they have to cash it. Soon, murder and various double-crosses add to Russ's nightmare. A lazy cop zeroes in. Jail is closer than riches. Will Russ have to choose between his money and his life?

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Plot Keywords:

weatherman | lottery | snowmobile | murder | celebrity | 

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Taglines:

When they put their heads together... it's a no brainer.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexuality, some drug use and brief violence

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Numbers

Filming Locations:

Arcadia, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,536,625 (USA) (27 October 2000)

Gross:

ESP 6,757,230 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, StudioCanal, Mad Chance

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the commentary, Lisa Kudrow did her own stunt when her character's car goes through the glass at the station (although it didn't look that dangerous anyway).

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Goofs

When Russ and Gig are leaving the Denny's, a sign for "Big-K" can be clearly seen in the background. The film is set in 1988, but K-Mart did not adopt the Big-K logo until 1996.

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Quotes

Larry: [sirens wailing] Don't say a word without a lawyer, even if they beat the crap out of you. Stay strong.
Russ: Not tonight, nobody's beating the crap outta me.

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Connections

Features Knight Rider (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Right Place, Wrong Time"
Written by Dr. John (as Mac Rebennack)
Performed by Dr. John
Courtesy of Atco Records

User Reviews

Okay Comedy From The Mind Of Adam Resnick!

Lucky Numbers is not a great film but a good one. I thought John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow and Tim Roth and Ed O'Neill gave fine performances. Lisa Kudrow is the only one of the "Friends" cast who doesn't make totally sucky movies. With the exception of Jennifer Aniston in Office Space and maybe David Schwimmer in Apt Pupil.

I really dug the Midwest American setting, the two bumbling cops, how Travolta's character Russ Richards wallows and loves his local celebrity status and his reserved parking spot at the local Denny's, and the great 80's soundtrack. And this has to be the first flick directed by Nora Ephron that I enjoyed.

Adam Resnick wrote the screenplay for Lucky Numbers and the more recent Death To Smoochy. Both these films are good but flawed dark comedies and deserve to be seen and enjoyed. So don't listen to what others may say and go see these two (flawed) Resnick gems. Ciao!