Welcome to Movie Monday!! Where we are hanging onto the weekend just a little bit longer and taking a bite out of the dreaded Monday with a little bit of fun! Movie Monday is a place where you can find movie reviews (by me!), trailers and other fun movie information. The movies are not limited to any genre… look for movies old and new… and feel free to leave a comment to tell us if you watched the movie, loved it, liked it or would rather never see it again! You can even recommend one to us all!
So let’s get to the movie!
Title: The Lucky One
Genre: Romance, Drama, Adaptation (book by Nicholas Sparks)
Rating: PG-13 (some sexuality and violence)
Director: Scott Hicks
Starring: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner
Box Office: 47,917,000
Synopsis (courtesy of http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/the-lucky-one/ )
U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq, with the one thing he credits with keeping him alive – a photograph he found of a woman he doesn’t even know. Learning her name is Beth and where she lives, he shows up at her door, and ends up taking a job at her family-run local kennel. Despite her initial mistrust and the complications in her life, a romance develops between them, giving Logan hope that Beth could be much more than his good luck charm.
My Review (courtesy of me)
Let me start out by saying that I watched this movie mainly because Zac Efron is hot. LOL! Okay, Zac Efron is hot but I also watched this because it looked good. I admit, I have never read a Nicholas Sparks novel. Of course, I have heard of him and I know how great he is and I have heard such wonderful things about him. The main reason I don’t read his books – or really – watch movies adapted from his novels – because his stuff makes me cry and I don’t really like that. LOL!
Still, I have watched a couple of his films and this was one I couldn’t pass up.
I’m not sure if my opinion will be very popular and I understand that.
There were many things that I liked about this movie. One, I thought the setting was beautiful. The quality of the movie and the colors were amazing. The setting looked natural and real and it was easy to understand why Logan (played by Zac Efron) felt at peace there.
I also really enjoyed the part that Blythe Danner played (the grandma). I thought she was a great addition to the cast and was fun to watch on screen.
My favorite part of the movie was Zac Efron. He did an amazing job with his role. He played the part of a quiet war hero trying to find his place well. He was able to draw in the viewer and make us (or rather me) feel something for him. I liked him instantly on screen. Not to mention that he is very easy on the eyes.
Plot wise – the movie is developed. Sometimes with movie adaptations you feel like there is less characterization, like you don’t know the characters as well as maybe you should. I didn’t feel that way with any of these characters, with the exception of the ex-husband. Granted, I haven’t read the book, so I can’t say how well the movie followed it. But as a movie viewer I didn’t walk away with a bunch of unanswered questions. Every question I had was answered during the movie. It had a complete beginning, middle and end.
There are a few things I didn’t like in this movie. (Remember this is only my opinion). Let me start off by saying I am a little sensitive to Marine Corps war veterans. The reason being that my husband is a Marine and has served in Iraq. I know many people that have served, I know of people that have died and I know people who are currently deployed. So, I don’t usually watch any movies pertaining to the war or soldiers. That being said, it bothered me very much that no one met him at the airport or anywhere when he came home. It made me feel like no one supported him. Granted, maybe he didn’t tell anyone he was coming. But the fact that when they all saw him come down the street the only one who seemed to care or even smile was his dog. Big points for doggie. Major anger at the rest of them. His family didn’t seem to support or care about everything he went through at all (except for maybe his sister, but it wasn’t enough to make me happy). They almost seemed burdened to have him home. Course, maybe there was more to that in the book.
Also, while the plot was complete, there were some things about it that I didn’t care for. This will probably be met with some disagreement but I wasn’t a fan of the lead female role. Her frosty attitude toward Logan at first made me kind of mad. Then she finally came around but it was ruined by her ex for a while. And I didn’t really understand why Logan having that picture was kind of the “ominous threat” hanging over the pair. Who cares that he carried that picture around? He hadn’t done anything wrong. And when it was presented that maybe he had it for less than honorable reasons – she believed it kind of fast. I mean really?? When asked about it he told the truth – a truth which was very hard for him to tell – and her reaction? She got mad and told him to leave. I don’t care what her reasons – that she had a connection to that photo that upset her – you don’t stand there and look at someone who practically pours out his heart and who has clearly seen a lot of bad to get out. You just don’t.
I think the thing I didn’t care for the most in the plot was the stuff with the ex husband. I don’t want to give it all away so I won’t go into detail. But really, I didn’t like the way it ended.
Overall, it was an entertaining movie. I am glad I watched it. I would recommend it to anyone who is a romance or drama fan. Also, to anyone who likes Nicholas Sparks (isn’t that like 99% of us all? Lol).
So tell me have you seen The Lucky One? What did you think?
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