Lucky (III) (2011)

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

Director:

Gil Cates Jr.

Writer:

Kent Sublette (screenplay)

Stars:

Colin Hanks, Ann-Margret, Jeffrey Tambor

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Hanks	...	Ben Keller
Ann-Margret	...	Pauline Keller
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Detective Harold Waylon
Adam Harrington	...	Steve Mason (as Adam J. Harrington)
Mimi Rogers	...	Ms. Brand
Allison Mackie	...	Grace
Tom Amandes	...	Jonathan
Michelle Davidson	...	Leslie Singer
Olivia Sather	...	Shannon
Eric Kirchberger	...	Sunny Mart Clerk
Heather Marie Marsden	...	Allison
Bryan McClure	...	Sandwich Guy
Bennett Wright	...	8 year old Ben
Lena Noel Krussel	...	8 year old Lucy (as Lena Krussel)
Thom Sibbitt	...	Mechanic

Storyline

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

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Plot Keywords:

one word title

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Taglines:

Even a serial killer can win the lottery

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tetemes összeg

Filming Locations:

Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ten/Four Pictures, Tax Credit Finance, Mirabelle Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Hawaii restaurant and jungle in the movie is Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo's indoor Lied Jungle exhibit.

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.26 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Whatever Gets You By"
Written by The Features
Performed by The Features

User Reviews

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.