Lucky Them (2013) Reviews

• Thomas Haden Church steals the show

  Lowbacca19772014-04-26

  Toni Collette plays the lead role of Ellie, a music critic still living in the shadow of her ex-boyfriend, emblematic musician Matthew Smith, who disappeared ten years previous. Ellie still really is living as though she's ten years in the past, and that includes not adapting to the changing expectations of the magazine she works for, until she's given an ultimatum to do a story on Smith, and the music impact he had. She begins a search to see if he's out there, somewhere. Also featured are up-and-coming musician Lucas, played by Ryan Eggold (who wrote and sang his own songs), and one-time date Charlie (Thomas Haden Church). I wasn't particularly impressed with Ellie as a character, her challenges she's facing certainly are the point of the film, but it was hard for me to really get by the number of chances it seems she gets, and some of what seems to be her more manipulative tendencies. That said, for that character, I do think Collette plays it well, just that there's parts of the character that were not so motivating. Lucas also feels like a bit too cliché of a character to feel particularly real. Oddly, and certainly not something I'd expected when he first showed up, but for me Charlie quickly became the most interesting character. At first introduction, there's certainly a repellent vibe to him, but it gets developed more into an extreme social awkwardness and unawareness than maliciousness. He still doesn't quite strike me as pleasant, per se, but there's a personality to him from both the writing and Church's performance quickly makes him the most memorable character for me. His actions, his words, his personality all are very idiosyncratic but with an element of being genuine hinted at, but never fully convincingly there. It certainly does make him the character that held my interest best though. The film feels like it makes some sudden stops and gos, with overly convenient plot turns, and a lot of side events that clutter the film, but don't quite seem to really add enough to the story to justify their inclusion, and there could've been a lot more included in there to flesh out Ellie's search for Matthew. I do like, though, that ultimately the film becomes more about if the search is worth it or not, or if ten years is long enough to let the past remain in the past or not. It's an interesting theme, and while I think the search isn't conducted consistently, thematically the film is always exploring if that search is worth it.

• A quiet little gem . . .

  purrlgurrl2014-08-25

  Better than I thought it would be. But then, I've never seen anything that features Toni Collette that I didn't enjoy. There's a very, very small handful of screen actors that can breathe real life into any character and she is among them. Set in Seattle and actually filmed in Seattle rather than Vancouver, B.C. (how refreshing is that?), it's the story of a rock journalist who sleeps with every musician she covers, while still pining for the one she met and fell in love with in high school who mysteriously disappeared (or killed himself?) at the height of his success 10 years earlier, leaving her bereft and crushed. When she screws up again on her latest piece, her editor assigns her a "this is your last chance or I'm going to have to let you go" story, which is to be about tracking down what happened to the mysterious, missing legendary rocker, her former lover. As she reluctantly begins the quest she bumps into a man she very briefly "dated" previously (Haden Church), a tech bazillionaire who now aspires to be a documentary film maker. Through a mishap they become unlikely partners in her search, with him filming the progress. The story is about their journey into the past and her finally letting go of the relationship that's still messing up her life 10 years on.

• Lucky Them and Me.

  wendyschmidt19572014-06-02

  Lucky me because I found this great little gem entitled, Lucky Them. Toni Collette, plays a darker, humorous role of rocker mag. writer, Elle. She's not losing her edge as much as losing her eagerness to do anything meaningful, anymore. Along comes a story, that is, in part, her story. And, she must choose to visit a painful past relationship. For the trip she brings along a straight up, funny, straight man, Charlie, played by Thomas Haden Church. He is also searching for something gone missing in his life. Add to that a cast of minor characters that steal the show in nearly every scene. But, Toni holds the key to this movie and she never, ever disappoints.

• If you get a chance, see this little gem!

  msmolly2014-07-14

  Lucky Them was filmed in and around Seattle, and is lacking the obligatory shots of the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and ferries crossing the sound. Usually those scenes are meant to make a film look like it's in Seattle, but really being filmed in Vancouver and I find that annoying. Toni Collette plays Ellie, a music critic for the print magazine Stax. Her job keeps her out late at night visiting Seattle's music clubs, drinking too much and often leaving with a cute young musician. At one time she was in a long term relationship with alt-rock star Matthew Smith, who went missing 10 years ago and is presumed to have ended his life by jumping at Snoqualmie Falls. Many of his fans believe he is still alive and keep a website listing sightings. Oliver Platt plays Giles, the editor in chief at Stax. He has the brilliant idea of a 10 year anniversary of the disappearance of Matthew Smith as a big feature story in Stax and gives the assignment to Ellie, who is not so keen on digging up old personal history. Giles makes it clear that her job is on the line if she doesn't produce. Ellie is out covering the music scene one night when she runs into an old acquaintance Charlie, played by Thomas Haden Church. Charlie is a dot.com millionaire, with plenty of money and time. Recently he has been taking documentary film making classes at a local community college. He agrees to help her in the search for Matthew Smith if he can make a documentary film of her in the process. And so the fun begins! Everyone should have their own Thomas Haden Church sidekick! The story is intriguing enough without being overly complicated to keep me interested in the outcome.Is Matthew Smith still alive? Will they find him? All I will say is the ending is brilliant and perfect!

• "Lucky Them' Indeed

  pampowell52014-07-13

  Toni Collette truly has a thousand faces. She can be the insecure divorcée or the frumpy mum in A LONG WAY DOWN. And now she is this character of the hip music critic who is still gorgeous at 40-something and can shag a twenty-something with a just a flash of her smile as bait. I'm not sure who has had more fun in the roles she has had recently: Toni Collette or Julianne Moore. Ms. Moore starred in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT with Mark Ruffalo and in DON JON with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Whew! Let's hear it for women my age snagging awesome, fun, and sexy roles that are still emotionally intelligent with depth of character. Collette's character, Ellie, is a music critic who has been in the business for a lifetime. As a youngster, she met and fell in love with an up and coming rock star, Matthew Smith, who made a significant impact upon the music scene. Unfortunately, he disappeared; an apparent suicide, but never found. Ellie, a good decade later, still trying to find the next upcoming star, is floundering in her job. She is assigned to investigate and find Matthew Smith who has been "spotted" performing not far from her location. Reluctantly, and under the "promise" of getting fired if she didn't conform, Ellie takes on this assignment with the a little help from her friends. Ellie is a very complex character who wants nothing more than to be loved and to give love in return, but she has been burned too badly by Matthew. In her bar hopping search, she happens upon someone with promise, but her want of love supersedes her intellectual side. She begins a relationship with the unplugged guitar hero Lucas. But Ellie is Ellie: older, not necessarily wiser. And we watch as she makes one decision after another that are not necessarily good ones. With an old acquaintance who has more time and money on his hands than the Elton John, Ellie receives a bit of help with strings attached: Charlie is allowed to begin his documentary filmmaking career with the search for Matthew Smith. As Ellie is at her rope's end, she agrees. The story follows Ellie along this path of discovery with interesting side stories of love for herself as well as Charles' eccentricities. This is a very entertaining film with such depth and creativity that I was captivated from the very beginning. Collette is wonderful. She is rock-solid gorgeous and believable as the hip music critic who has been jaded by love. Thomas Haden Church is a character I've not seen before. He is a pretentious, rich nerd who is rather desperate in the love department. In fact, he is rather blinded by love, but so innocent about it that his pretentiousness becomes endearing. Throw into the mix, Oliver Platt as the ever-loving editor and the film is perfectly set. With the self- discovery of our two main characters this film is completely satisfying. The film, co-written by Huck Botko and Emily Wachtel with the original idea by Caroline Sherman, is directed by Megan Griffiths. It's a bit of a quirky film, tackling a familiar story in a unique and interesting way. Collette is an extremely versatile actress who continues to show her range of abilities and I'm guessing, is having a lot of fun doing so! The music is enticing and even enchanting at times to match the mood and fluctuations of the movie perfectly. LUCKY THEM is a movie that will appeal to music lovers and film lovers alike. It's a strong cast with an equally powerful story. This film is recommended for over 20′s as I don't think the teen population would understand or relate to the topics. And if you're my age (40's) and female, you are going to love it! Cheers to Toni Collette!