Lucky Numbers (2000)

A television weatherman scams a local lottery.

Director:

Nora Ephron

Writer:

Adam Resnick

Stars:

John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, Tim Roth

2 wins & 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, Pennsylvania is Russ Richard's oyster, there where he is the popular weatherman for WTPA Channel 6 News. That popularity allows him many perks in the city, especially at his local Denny's. Things start to go off the rails for him as this winter is unseasonably warm and not white, meaning that no one is buying from his snowmobile dealership, and none of his usual sources are willing to advance him any money to tide him over this rough business patch. In turning to Gig, a slightly shady acquaintance who operates a strip club and bar, Russ decides to turn to illegal activities to get the money he needs. After one failed attempt at that criminal life which has its own negative consequences, Russ instead decides on a lottery scam, his partners in crime being Gig, and Crystal Latroy, Russ' colleague at WTPA as the Pennsylvania Lucky Six Lottery girl - the lottery numbers which are drawn live on air during WTPA's supper hour news - and his sometime lover. Crystal is ...

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Plot Keywords:

weatherman | lottery | celebrity | murder | snowmobile | 

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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:

$63,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,536,625, 29 October 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$10,014,234, 17 December 2000

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

Paramount Pictures co-produced this film with StudioCanal. As of 2016, several catalog titles owned by StudioCanal, including most of the Carolco Pictures library, have their US TV rights owned by Paramount.

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Goofs

When Det. Pat Lakewood arrives at the scene of the jackknifed trailer, Russ throws a crow bar at the Detective's windshield and it breaks. In the next shot as Detective Lakewood pulls away, the windshield is no longer broken.

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Quotes

Walter: Do you masturbate, Russ?
Russ: Jeez, I've been so busy lately I barely polish my shoes.

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Connections

Features Knight Rider (1982)

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Soundtracks

Rapture
Written by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein
Performed by Blondie
Courtesy of Chrysalis Records

User Reviews

It's not terrible

Nora Ephron's Lucky Numbers has it's moments, but in the long run it is a near miss. The plot has a successfull weatherman and snowmotor businessman played by John Travolta in a somewhat redeemable performance (after Battlefield Earth, even though he wasn't bad in that). But, he starts to get in debt, and his snowmotor business is loosing because of a warm winter. So, he and his girl (Lisa Kudrow is wickedly cruel yet sometimes funny) get the idea to rig the lottery, but things go wrong. The film is all over the map, with too many characters and a lot of plot going into something that doesn't need it, and I'm talking about a dark comedy here, so know where I'm coming from. 2 very funny scenes though almost make up the utter lulls in the film: a scene where Travolta has a blank expression on his face while trying to report the weather and hearing about a murder linked to him; and the 2 exceptional scenes with Michael Moore (of Roger & Me fame) as Kudrow's pathetic, asthmatic cousin. Now if only these scenes were put in a slightly better film. C+