The Lucky Ones (2008)

Director:

Neil Burger

Writers (WGA):

Neil Burger (written by) &
Dirk Wittenborn (written by)

Release Date:

26 September 2008 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Tagline:

Sometimes losing your way home means finding yourself

Plot:

The story revolves around three soldiers -- Colee, TK and Cheever -- who return from the Iraq War after...

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Road Trip | College Tuition | Stranded | Iraq War

Cast

Tim Robbins	...	Fred Cheaver
Rachel McAdams	...	Colee Dunn
Michael Peña	...	T.K. Poole
Molly Hagan	...	Pat Cheaver
Mark L. Young	...	Scott Cheaver
Howard Platt	...	Stan Tilson
Arden Myrin	...	Barbara Tilson
Coby Goss	...	Peter Tilson (as Coburn Goss)
John Heard	...	Bob
Jennifer Joan Taylor	...	Bob's Wife
Katherine LaNasa	...	Janet
Leo Ford	...	Janet's husband
Susan Yeagley	...	Kendra
Emily Swallow	...	Brandi
John Diehl	...	Tom Klinger

Also Known As:

The Return (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

Canada:113 min | USA:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44062) | Canada:18A | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-7

Filming Locations:

Alsip, Illinois, USA

Company:

Overnight

Trivia:

While all three of the main characters have been injured in Iraq, Cheever (played by Tim Robbins) is the only one not to have been injured in combat. He is also the only one leaving the army for good, as he says in the beginning of the film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Cheaver could not use his $20,000 re-enlistment bonus for his son's tuition. The bonus would be given in increments and would be heavily taxed. He would not get more than $8,000 of that initially.

Quotes:

Colee Dunn: [T.K. is checking her wound] Have you done this before?
T.K. Poole: No.

Movie Connections:

References The Fly (1986)

Soundtrack:

Evil Ways

Excellent

This is excellent. This movie is a great example of how those in the military take care on one another. After my five years of military service as a Marine, I have found no other organization that works so well. This was a great example of how we (those in the military) get it done each and every day. It also illustrates that in the military we learn to work with both men and women and all colors. It is a simple matter of what is required to get the job done. Thanks for a good example of life in and out of the military.

The characters were true to form and based on my experience showed the way it really is as one tries to adapt and adjust to live after returning from a deployment. It was so smart to include a woman and to write the lines in such a way to show that she was an equal. While only a newbie to the military, she demonstrated life experiences and knowledge that helped the more senior members of the cast. A great job of balancing and showing that life experiences help those in the military deal with situations.

I do not think I can say enough how much I enjoyed watching this movie and experiences the life of military members through the characters in this film. Again, great job!