The Lucky One

Plot synopsis:
Is there really such a thing as destiny? Is Fate shadowing our movements, stacking the deck, or are all our momentsordinary and extraordinaryrandom?A Marine (Zac Efron) has seemingly defied the odds during three tours of duty in Iraq. The story opens in Iraq, where U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault is on his third tour of duty. Almost immediately, he is thrust into a firefight that changes his life forever.Central to the story is Logan's connection to what he comes to perceive as his own good luck charm - a photograph of a stranger he finds in the middle of the war zone.Returning to the States, Logan is unable to fit back in with his own family. Will Fetters says many of his friends who served echo that sentiment. "The disconnect these veterans feel when they come home is so immense. It takes a while to get back into the rhythm of life. Their once usual surroundings feel alien. Nothing will ever be the same."Logan is also unable to shake his curiosity about the woman in the photo (Taylor Schilling), who inadvertently saved his life. Deciding he must try to locate her, he scours the internet to identify the lighthouse in the background, and finds the match. Soon he embarks on a trek from Colorado to Louisiana, with his dog Zeus at his side.However, when Beth meets Logan, there's immediate distrust. Beth lives at her family home, where she runs a dog kennel and training business with her grandmother, Ellie (Blythe Danner). Ellie, who, upon observing Logan's command over Zeus, hires him to help at the kennel, despite Beth's objections. Hicks comments that Ellie might also have ulterior motives.Another person who welcomes Logan's arrival is Beth's seven-year-old son, Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart). Logan becomes fast friends with Ben, who delights in beating him in chess and showing off his magic tricks. Logan also not only accepts but encourages Ben's playing of the violin, something his own father dismisses.Ben's father, and Beth's ex-husband, is the town's Deputy Sheriff, Keith Clayton (Jay R. Ferguson), who uses their son Ben as a pawn to intimidate and control Beth. It only gets worse when he jealously starts to view Logan as an interloper in his family.

Tags: romantic

Review:
From what I've heard, the books are exceptional, however, the movies always fall short.Logan (Zac Efron) is a marine who serves three tours in Iraq.
He recognizes a tower in the picture and walks with his German shepherd, Zeus, from Colorado all the way to Louisiana.Of course, Logan and the woman, Beth (Taylor Schilling), fall deeply in love, but struggle through the conflicts that arise.
Sadly, most of this movie is revealed in the trailer, which seems to happen quite often these days.Zac Efron does a decent job playing the character of Logan, however, he just can't pull off the tough-guy look that is essential in this film.
In Iraq, the marine Sergeant Logan (Zac Efron) finds the photo of a young woman with the message "Keep Safe X" on the back in the debris of a construction and he keeps it in his pocket.
The plot is very simple and predictable, but the chemistry among Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner and the boy Riley Thomas Stewart makes the film worth.
This was the first Nicholas Sparks book I read and I loved it, so I had high hopes for the movie.
Considering the novel at hand here (the source so to speak) comes from the same man as the Notebook, you'd be forgiven to expect something similar.While I think Zac Efron might be underrated by many as an actor (although he still has to prove himself), he doesn't help his case in this one.
Whenever there is a new adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel is released, there's always a mass amount of haters and so be it because some of them are extremely cheesy and bad, however I think that the hate towards The Lucky One is unwarranted, I personally thought it was a very enjoyable romantic drama.
The Lucky One is quite different to other Sparks movies, I found the storyline to be a lot more serious and mature than normal, and the story being told from the male perspective is also a nice change.The acting from Zac Efron is top form, as he gets older his roles get better and his acting improves with each movie, Taylor Schilling is also nice, if not being a little too old for Efron, but she brings some niceness to the character, and Blythe Danner is a bit of a scene stealer in her small role.Yes parts of this film are a little cliché, particularly towards the end, but it's no biggie, the lack of chemistry between the two leads is a bit annoying at first but soon it changes and gets better, even though Taylor Schilling is nice in the role I do think that she is miscast, I think Abbie Cornish may have suited the role a little more.
I feel someone with his circumstances would have emotion (having lost people close to him, having gone through a war...) Emotion of pain or anger, at least, but I did not feel it, and I have seen so many military movies where the soldiers were pleasant to watch because of their raw emotions- makes for a really emotional, wonderful, movie experience.I also didn't sense the emotions of passion in the love scene between him and "Beth", I felt they showed the physical aspect of their "love" but didn't feel the emotions (once again) I just saw blank stares at one another.
The supporting actors were good, I really love Blythe Danner playing the role of "Ellie" she definitely pulls it off, which is not surprising because most of her movie roles are very similar characters.
Taylor Schilling as "Beth" was okay, but the bad acting on Zac Efron's part, and the lack of an interesting, unpredictable plot made it hard for me to enjoy her part in the movie.
You know there was a day when Nicholas Sparks's movies were actually good, like the notebook.
There's no end to his activities, whether it's relating to the shy kid who talks or plays for no one but him, finding an identical lighthouse in the middle of nowhere, curing himself from PTSD in a day, taming the wild dogs like a pro, or frightening fellow hicks just by standing there, this muscle's your man, here to woo random d1tzy girl silly who suddenly found a great man in her life, unlike that douch3bag husband she only married because she got pregnant with the quarterback jock, who also happens to be the top sheriff in town, lookout!
Zac Efron looks so clueless he tries hard to portray like an ex marine but God alone knows who told him that it means to look anally retentive at all times.
I mean the movie was still really sweet and I did enjoy it but if you read the book you probably share the same disappointment of a lot of things that made it really a great story.
I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like there's no point in watching a Nicholas Sparks movie.
Its usually a nice romantic story, but then in the end someone will die, most of the time it's the main character who we have learned to love throughout the movie and we will be heart broken thinking what the hell is the point of his troubles if he cant even spend 10 minutes with the girl.
The plot is mediocre, typical Nicholas Sparks, the actors are okay, not too convincing, but okay, still tolerable, especially cause Zac Efron is really hot, he doesn't look like a kid anymore.
I would add, the interaction between Zac's character and the little kid, was great.Overall a enjoyable movie but like one of my friends said, "When are they gonna realize The Notebook was the greatest movie ever made, and when will they stop trying to remake it?".
I would add, the interaction between Zac's character and the little kid, was great.Overall a enjoyable movie but like one of my friends said, "When are they gonna realize The Notebook was the greatest movie ever made, and when will they stop trying to remake it?".
In the few moments they actually got the opportunity to act with each other, it looked like Effron & Schilling had some chemistry and enough talent to let the audience in on their romance and FEEL the love story.
Both Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling are good actors and beautiful eye candy on screen but that "connection" was never fully felt during the movie for me.
I can't be bothered going through too much of this, except to say that Zac Efron plays a Marine who after an ambush while on a tour of duty in Iraq finds a picture of a beautiful girl who he comes to believe is his guardian angel because he survives the rest of his tour and so he wants to find her when he gets home to say thanks.
This is a story about a surviving Marine in a battle looking for his lucky charm lady; a picture of a woman whom he believes has saved his life.
These days Critics don't like Nicholas Spark's novel based movies but I had great time watching it and in my opinion it was better than uneven "Dear John" and Clichéd "The Last Song"..
The film centers on Logan (Zac Efron) a marine who one day stumbles upon a picture during a tour of Iraq.
It's note easy to find a dramatic romance movie that captures the imagination and runs away with a memorable storyline and acting performance, especially one to compare with The Lucky One. Chocolat (2001) stands out for its quirky theme of cooking sweets against the backdrop of a rigidity of an entire community, The Air I Breathe (2007) has a gritty flavor and more harder but strong fictional content between Brendan Fraser and Sarah Michelle Geller, The Cooler (2003) where Mark Isham's music also appears as a special relationship connect but with a anti-hero of sorts, The History of Violence (2005) that has a questionable man uphold the integrity of his love of family against the darker forces that catch up to him, and much more dramatic flourish of Moulin Rouge (2001) or at its most extreme Excalibur (1981) where the knights of the round table upheld the most chivalrous standard of man.
Last year's Tree of Life (2011) probably depicted the highest standard by which to compare this movie while perhaps, The Bridges of Madison County (1995) and the Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) reflect the prolonged character development and more sedate, involving, and substantive counterpoint to the more populist The Lucky One.What this mainstream movie is able to accomplished in all its predictability is good editing, good inclusion of the main plot points without excess, and in most cases a nicely refined underplay of the usual story narrative.
Zac efron managed to pull out the character from the book, as well as Taylor Schilling with her acting skill during some scenes.
If they had made more of this subplot it would have given the actors something a bit more than conveying affection and concern with their eyes - which Zac Efron can do well - but I'm sure there is more to his acting talent than the insipid script and poor character development allows; far too many musical montages driving the story along.
Aside from a few things' being predictable and not a perfectly genuine plot, I felt this movie did it for me, I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time, this movie made me a bigger fan for Zac Efron, somehow it's the second movie of his that I watched so far, and I am really convinced by everything, it needn't be that big to make it worth your money.6/10.
This was a good book, I enjoyed the movie too, a decent enough adaption of another Nicholas Sparks romance.
Anyways, Zac Efron is nice to look at and does a good job as a slightly PSD'd Iraq war veteran who returns from his third tour of duty and tracks down the woman from a photo he credits with keeping him alive.
His good luck charm, a woman he doesn't know but who he soon suspects may be the love of his life.I enjoyed quite a few things about this movie; it's beautifully shot; sunlight filtering through trees in Louisiana.
He is a character that you can easily hate, which is always fun.My favorite scene in this movie would be when Logan "schools" 'Keith' disarming the drunken bully on a crowded street, all the while maintaining his cool and making Beth's ex the Sheriff look like a total ass.I was disappointed with the "exciting" climax though; a storm, rising flood waters, a child trapped on a wooden bridge and both men fighting through the waters.
As I said, I have not read this Nicholas Sparks story, but seen movies of his other romantic dramas.
Zac has a special reason for wanting to meet Taylor, he is so handsome and she is so lovely, and seeing them together in this story I was spellbound by their romance the locations for the film in the southern states are quiet and green It's in my collection, no intention of selling this DVD but as I watch again I decided to write this understated review Malcolm in Toronto May 2015.
The photo is the property of Beth's brother who didn't make it back from Iraq.I like Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling individually.
The movie is based on a novel written by Nicholas Sparks (The notebook, Dear John, A walk to Remember, etc.) and follows marine soldier Logan, who, during a battle in the Iraq war, discovers a photo of a woman on the ground beside some debris.
Zac Efron manages to give his character Logan, a charming touch without overdoing it; Taylor Schilling as his love- interest, gives the movie sweetness, and at the same time an emotional depth to the overall plot.
"The Lucky One" is the seventh adaptation of a novel by Nicholas Sparks, the writer of "Dear John" and "The Notebook." This time, Zac Efron plays a marine named Logan, who is serving in Iraq, when he finds a small photograph of a girl with the words "keep safe" written on the back.
He is ruthless and always hungry for victory, a trait that he tries to instill in his son.Immediately, he is suspicious and jealous of Logan and doesn't hide his disdain for the former Marine.Zac Efron may not be up for Oscar consideration yet, but his performance is as convincing as his character would allow, and Taylor Schilling and Jay R.
Ferguson are also credible as their surprisingly multi- dimensional characters.Expectedly, as Logan and Beth become romantically inclined, their relationship becomes physically heated, but directly after such scenes, the movie often cuts to the couple attending church, which could lead one to think that they are trying to make premarital sex seem like no big deal.Or is it just me?
watch it for a one time watch ....Recommended for Couples....Stars: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner | See full cast and crew.
Finding the likeness very appealing, Logan feels compelled to go to Louisiana, where the couple lived, and tell Beth what he knows of her husband's situation.
The only positive thing I got from this film was to see Zac Efron maturing to become a man; he is no longer the boy with just the good looks in the "High School Musical" series..
Zac Efron stars as Logan a marine who finds a photo of a beautiful girl in the rubble in Iraq.
In The Lucky One even gets some tastefully done romantic sex scenes with co-star Taylor Schilling.While in Iraq on a military style mission Efron finds a picture of a pretty woman with the inscription 'stay safe' on the back.
Whether that makes a good story or not is an entirely different question.Sergeant Logan Thibault (played by Zac Efron) is on his third tour in Iraq when he and his fellow soldiers engage in a firefight.
The acting is questionable from all involved, the script is crammed with cheesy lines like "I'll always be next to you," Blythe Danner's character hovers about but seems fairly redundant, and the filmmakers come across as reasonably aware that the film's only noteworthy strength is Efron's muscular build.
The film has many wonderful moments, and I enjoyed spending some time in the Nicholas Sparks world created by the movie.That said, Zac and Taylor don't quite come off as one of the most memorable couples in the cinematic pantheon of romantic pairings.
I also agree with other reviewers when they say Logan's dog had a massive role to play in the book but hardly appeared at all in the movie.I have given it 8/10 as I love Zac Efron and his acting in this.
I loved the Notebook (also a film based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks) and i expected a lot more from this film.I'm always a little cautious watching a film with an actor from Disney in the cast however i didn't think that Zac Efron did a bad job.
Additionally, every movie based on the beloved romantic Nicholas Sparks' story line, is predictable.
In The Lucky One, Logan (Zac Efron) is a marine who has just come back from the Iraq war where he was almost killed by a bomb but instead walked away from where his camp blew up and found the picture of Beth (Taylor Schilling).
She's Beth (Taylor Schilling), who works at the kennel, is a single mother to her seven-year-old son, Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart), and shares the home with her mother (Blythe Danner, who gives the most interesting performance in the film).
I'M A SLIMEBALL!" written on it.The Lucky One is pretty standard stuff as these kind of films go - The central romance between Logan and Beth is nice and all, but the characters don't really have a lot of personality to go with their physical attractiveness.
Whoever The Lucky One was meant to be, it certainly wasn't me.If you've read any of Nicholas Sparks' novels (I haven't) or suffered, sorry, seen any of the film adaptations (Message in a Bottle, The Notebook etc.) then you'll understand the formula: Woman in need of love meets man but an obstacle (death, another woman/man etc.) bars their way to rumpy pumpy and never-ending happiness but something will occur (argument, misunderstanding, accident etc.) resulting in the death or change of heart of the cause of the obstacle and the opportunity for the heartthrob to prove his prowess and win the girl.If that was a plot spoiler for you, you evidently didn't watch the trailer (the entire film in 30 seconds – and better for it!) and deserve only to watch such turgid, pox-ridden flicks as Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.There are no surprises in The Lucky One other than how utterly predictable the plot and outcome are and how thoroughly stereotypical and two-dimensional the principal characters turn out to be.
As the Logan character in the book didn't have much dialogue neither did he in the movie and I thought Zac Efron did amazingly well conveying his emotions through facial and body movements.
The best part is that Zac Efron is amazing in this and although for me his character was already well developed from the book I think he did a good job in the movie as well!.
I was pleased that the ending was at least reasonably "happy ever after" because one thing with Sparks' stories is that you never know what the "big disaster" will be at the end or to one of the main characters.Zac Efron is a teen heart-throb and because the film wishes to appeal to the young teen girl demographic he is the perfect choice.
So, I'll change my mind -- not a chick flick -- a drama.This is the first film I've seen Zac Efron in where I actually liked his acting.