Lucky (2017)
90%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Lucky is a bittersweet meditation on mortality, punctuating the career of beloved character actor Harry Dean Stanton.
Lucky is a film that will make you laugh, cry, and ponder the meaning of life all at once. It’s a beautiful tribute to the late Harry Dean Stanton, who delivers a soulful and matter-of-fact performance as the titular character. The film is a meditation on mortality, but it’s also a celebration of life and all its quirks. With a smart script and a wonderful supporting cast, Lucky is a must-see for anyone who wants to be reminded of the beauty of the human experience. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and get ready to feel lucky to be alive.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 28m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:Italy
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 2017 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Harry Dean Stanton, directed by John Carroll Lynch, written by Logan Sparks and Drago Sumonja, comedy, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Tara Brady, Simran Hans, Ed Potton, Mark Kermode, Robbie Collin, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Daniel Howat, Jeff Mitchell, Gisela Savdie, Dan Buffa, Leigh Monson, MPAA rating, Magnolia Pictures, Ira Steven Behr, Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Greg Gilreath, Adam Hendricks, Richard Kahan, John H Lang, Logan Sparks, Drago Sumonja, David Lynch, Ron Livingston, Ed Begley Jr., Tom Skerritt, Beth Grant, mortality, enlightenment, aging, atheism, minimalist, Jim Jarmusch, David Lynch, philosophical, Harry Dean Stanton’s farewell, character study, isolated town, American desert, conservative views, deadpan humor, natural acting, elders, cinematography, bittersweet meditation
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
David Lynch – Howard
Ron Livingston – Bobby Lawrence
Ed Begley Jr. – Dr. Christian Kneedler
Tom Skerritt – Fred
Beth Grant – Elaine
Director(s)
John Carroll Lynch
Writer(s)
Logan Sparks, Drago Sumonja
Producer(s)
Ira Steven Behr, Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Greg Gilreath, Adam Hendricks, Richard Kahan, John H. Lang, Logan Sparks, Drago Sumonja
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (152) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (147) | Rotten (5)
This is no fluffy eulogy or hagiography. There are flashes of anger and discontentedness throughout.
September 18, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
A goldmine of small but perfectly formed parts.
September 16, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Simran Hans
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Stanton’s navy veteran quietly dominates virtually every frame, weather-beaten as the landscape around his small American town.
September 14, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Ed Potton
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
There is a slightly surreal feeling to it… it’s a bit Twin Peaksy…. I thought it was really charming.
September 14, 2018
Mark Kermode
Kermode & Mayo’s Film Review
TOP CRITIC
This is a subtle, unhurried film – not sentimental in the usual sense, but studded with moments of poignant, low-key strangeness.
September 13, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Robbie Collin
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Sounds grim but character actor John Carroll Lynch’s directorial debut is a wonderful and warm meditation on mortality.
September 12, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
Metro Newspaper (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Lucky is a lovely, small film. It’s an ode to living. A farewell to a well-lived life, and an acceptance of what comes after.
May 19, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Daniel Howat
Next Best Picture
Harry Dean Stanton felt perfectly comfortable accepting dozens and dozens of small roles, but before he left this world, he resonates, as Lucky, with a soulful and matter-of-fact leading performance.
July 14, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Jeff Mitchell
Art House Film Wire
With a smart script, the movie is a true reflection on life and death [Full Review in Spanish]
November 8, 2020
Gisela Savdie
El Heraldo
He is proof that sometimes you really don’t know what you have until it is gone. Stanton may no longer be around, but his versatile resume remains. Lucky stands among some of his finest work.
November 6, 2020
Dan Buffa
KSDK News (St. Louis)
It’s a blip, unlikely to make you rethink your perspective on the aging process even as it tries to convince you that what it has to say is really artful and important.
September 24, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/5
Leigh Monson
Substream Magazine
It is difficult to express how much I loved Lucky, a film that can be and should be interpreted differently by everyone who watches it.
September 15, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com…
Plot
Follows the literal and associated life journey of middle class Brit Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell), representing the “everyman”, as he tries to make his mark in his so far young life. He is able to make great strides in his traditional view of success by being what those in authority want him to be. As such, he achieves in a few weeks what it usually take years for others, namely having his own sales territory, the northeast and ultimately Scotland, for Imperial Coffee. He is also able to garner a plethora of fringe benefits from this job, including women throwing themselves at his feet. But he will ultimately face a struggle in class and authority warfare, which culminates with his encounter with the Burgess family, wealthy industrialist Sir James Burgess (Sir Ralph Richardson) and his daughter Patricia (Dame Helen Mirren), who Mick wants to marry, the former who is contemplating investing in the shady dealings in Zingara. Mick will also find that the class struggle not only applies in his case in an upward direction, but also in a downward direction with the working class and the truly down and out. Through it all, Alan Price and his small combo act as a Greek chorus of sorts providing commentary of Mick’s travails through song.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Harry Dean Stanton, who plays the lead role in Lucky, was a beloved character actor who appeared in over 200 films throughout his career.
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