"The Lucky One" is the seventh adaptation of a novel by Nicholas Sparks, the writer of "Dear John" and "The Notebook." This time, Zac Efron plays a marine named Logan, who is serving in Iraq, when he finds a small photograph of a girl with the words "keep safe" written on the back. At that moment, a mortar attack kills those around him, but leaves him with only minor injuries. Similar attacks occur over the next several months he serves, and he is always the sole survivor. He gives the photo credit for being his good luck charm.
When he goes home, he suffers from survivor guilt, and finds it difficult to adjust to life back home in Colorado. So after finding the location of a lighthouse in the photo, he walks down to Louisiana to find the girl in the photo. Yes, he actually walks the entire way from Colorado to Louisiana. He says later in the movie that he likes to walk. Uh fair enough explanation, I guess? So he meets the woman in the photo, by the name of Beth (played by Taylor Schilling), who assumes he's there for a job opening, making him unable to explain the true reason he walked there. But she still questions why he would walk such a distance simply for a job. At first, she is irritated by his presence, but begins to soften when he develops a relationship with her son Ben.
Logan also meets Beth's ex-husband, a Sheriff Deputy named Keith (played by Jay R. Ferguson), whom she divorced on account of sexual immorality. He is ruthless and always hungry for victory, a trait that he tries to instill in his son.
Immediately, he is suspicious and jealous of Logan and doesn't hide his disdain for the former Marine.
Zac Efron may not be up for Oscar consideration yet, but his performance is as convincing as his character would allow, and Taylor Schilling and Jay R. Ferguson are also credible as their surprisingly multi- dimensional characters.
Expectedly, as Logan and Beth become romantically inclined, their relationship becomes physically heated, but directly after such scenes, the movie often cuts to the couple attending church, which could lead one to think that they are trying to make premarital sex seem like no big deal.
Or is it just me? I don't want to give too much away, but the thing that strikes me the most is, as the film progresses, the characters start to believe that Logan's arrival is some form of fate and destiny, that a so-called higher force intends that Logan would find Beth's picture for a reason. Funny, isn't it, how they attend church, and never once consider the existence of God? If you know some other Nicholas Sparks stories, it becomes evident that the author has respect for Christianity, even if he isn't a believer himself. I don't know this for a fact, but in the book, I would imagine the characters do consider God's purpose for everything.
But still, it is an interesting story that asks questions that I, as a Christian, know the answers to, which could make it an opportunity to share my (and all other Christian's) beliefs.
I give "The Lucky One" a score of 6/10. A considerably engaging story, but far from the best Sparks adaptation.
When he goes home, he suffers from survivor guilt, and finds it difficult to adjust to life back home in Colorado. So after finding the location of a lighthouse in the photo, he walks down to Louisiana to find the girl in the photo. Yes, he actually walks the entire way from Colorado to Louisiana. He says later in the movie that he likes to walk. Uh fair enough explanation, I guess? So he meets the woman in the photo, by the name of Beth (played by Taylor Schilling), who assumes he's there for a job opening, making him unable to explain the true reason he walked there. But she still questions why he would walk such a distance simply for a job. At first, she is irritated by his presence, but begins to soften when he develops a relationship with her son Ben.
Logan also meets Beth's ex-husband, a Sheriff Deputy named Keith (played by Jay R. Ferguson), whom she divorced on account of sexual immorality. He is ruthless and always hungry for victory, a trait that he tries to instill in his son.
Immediately, he is suspicious and jealous of Logan and doesn't hide his disdain for the former Marine.
Zac Efron may not be up for Oscar consideration yet, but his performance is as convincing as his character would allow, and Taylor Schilling and Jay R. Ferguson are also credible as their surprisingly multi- dimensional characters.
Expectedly, as Logan and Beth become romantically inclined, their relationship becomes physically heated, but directly after such scenes, the movie often cuts to the couple attending church, which could lead one to think that they are trying to make premarital sex seem like no big deal.
Or is it just me? I don't want to give too much away, but the thing that strikes me the most is, as the film progresses, the characters start to believe that Logan's arrival is some form of fate and destiny, that a so-called higher force intends that Logan would find Beth's picture for a reason. Funny, isn't it, how they attend church, and never once consider the existence of God? If you know some other Nicholas Sparks stories, it becomes evident that the author has respect for Christianity, even if he isn't a believer himself. I don't know this for a fact, but in the book, I would imagine the characters do consider God's purpose for everything.
But still, it is an interesting story that asks questions that I, as a Christian, know the answers to, which could make it an opportunity to share my (and all other Christian's) beliefs.
I give "The Lucky One" a score of 6/10. A considerably engaging story, but far from the best Sparks adaptation.