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| Courtesy of Warner Bros. |
If you’ve
seen one Nicholas Sparks adaptation, you’ve seen them all. That’s a slight
exaggeration, but the guy has been cranking out books so long that the formula
is pretty well established at this point. The Lucky One, directed by Scott Hicks,
doesn’t deviate from the norm, but surprisingly stellar performances from stars
Zac Efron and newcomer Taylor Schilling keep things entertaining as the
characters move through the standard story beats.
A
bulked-up Efron plays Logan Thibault, a Marine who just finished his third tour
of duty in Iraq. He credits one thing for getting him home safely – a photo of
a woman he found in the dirt. When he walked over to pick it up, an explosion
took out the spot where he was previously standing.
Determined
to find the woman and thank her for saving his life, he eventually discovers
her name is Beth (Schilling) and she runs a kennel with her grandmother (Blythe
Danner) and young son (Riley Thomas Stewart). Before Logan can explain why he’s
there, Beth mentions a job opening and he doesn’t correct her. As you’d expect,
two beautiful people can’t spend that much time together and not fall in love.
Which doesn’t sit well with Beth’s ex-husband (Jay R. Ferguson), a bullying cop
who doesn’t like being rejected.
If nothing
else, The Lucky One will serve as the first time most moviegoers see Efron in
something besides teen-targeted fare, and he proves more than capable of making
the jump from child star to adult actor. Schilling should also see a career
boost from the flick, as she’s able to make the histrionic material seem
convincing.
Screenwriter
Will Fetters gets that he can’t exactly use the element of surprise in a Sparks
story, so he concentrates on making the characters as adorable as possible.
Except for the ex-husband, of course. He’s portrayed (mostly) as a
mustache-twirling villain who does everything but tie Beth to a set of railroad
tracks.
The
biggest problem is all the unnecessary tiptoeing around the photo. Clearly there’d
be no last act conflict if Logan told Beth about it up front, but that makes it
impossible for viewers to fully invest in the relationship. We know that
information is still out there, so we spend three-quarters of the movie waiting
for the other shoe to drop.
Still,
fans of Sparks and romantic drama should be in heaven with this one. And if
you’re a boyfriend/husband who is reluctantly tagging along, I don’t think
you’ll be too bored or miserable.
The Lucky One is rated PG-13
for some sexuality and violence.
Grade: B-
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