Because she’s apparently cursed when it comes to TV series, and movie audiences are therefore cursed with her, Katherine Heigl has a new film out right now. Ironically titled Unforgettable, the film sees the actress playing an unhinged woman jealous of her ex-husband’s new marriage who sets out to destroy his second wife (Rosario Dawson).
The film is only notable for the attachment of Denise Di Novi. While the name rings a bell to many cinephiles, those unfamiliar with the legendary producer will certainly know plenty of the now-beloved titles she helped shepherd to the screen, including Heathers, Edward Scissorhands, A Walk to Remember, and Batman Returns.
Unforgettable marks Di Novi’s first time behind the camera as director, and in celebration, I thought a revisiting of one of her lesser-known films as a producer, the 2007 romantic comedy/drama Lucky You, was in order.
Co-written and directed by Curtis Hanson, Lucky You stars Eric Bana as Huck Cheever, a top professional Las Vegas poker player recently down on his luck. His one chance to reclaim his name and make a handsome wad of cash at the same time comes in the form of a seat at the table at the World Poker Championship where, if successful, he will be named to the top poker player in the world. The only thing standing in his way is a rocky relationship with his father L.C. (Robert Duvall), himself a two-time poker champion intent on winning the title again. However, Huck finds inspiration in a new-to-town lounge singer named Billie (Drew Barrymore), whose belief in him might be enough to take Huck all the way to victory.
One of the things which might turn off modern audiences from fully embracing Lucky You is also one of the elements which makes it so great; namely, the fact that the film feels in many ways like it came from the 1970s. This is true from the moment the opening sequence begins, showing Huck charming a tough pawn shop owner to get more for a camera than it’s worth. The way Huck shamelessly uses his talents as a poker player to get what he wants sets up both the magnetism of his character and the film’s subtle flair in the process. Other traits, including the minimal use of cell phones and modern fashions, coupled with the turbulent, yet still dreamy setting of Las Vegas and the backdrop of the poker world, show how Lucky You is completely in sync with what was one of the best decades in film. Perhaps most ‘70s of all, though, is the fact that Lucky You is a total character piece more dependent on the strength of the people on the screen than on the mechanics of the plot. This is a movie which is more than happy to let its characters actually talk and explore each other. Every scene throughout the film relies more on moments than moves to convey a sense of who these people are and what kind of world they find themselves in.
Speaking of backdrop, Hanson and his film certainly earn some high marks for the way they are able to give their audience an honest look at the world of competitive poker. Lucky You offers truth to the notion that poker is a sport rather than a game and shows just what it takes to be successful in that world. The film takes great pains to illustrate that poker is not necessarily dependent on luck, but rather skill, with timing and analysis being key components. In poker, reading the folds is just as important as reading the bets, and the movie wants its audiences to know it. But Lucky You also makes sure to look at the psychological side of poker and all that comes with it, including the devotion, obsession, honor, and ultimately, the quest for legacy. For Huck, it’s the thrill of winning, rather than the earnings themselves, which motivates him to remain there. Each of the poker scenes are so instantly captivating because Hanson perfectly illustrates what it is that makes the game so intoxicating to watch: the risk, the chance, and everything they mean to those who inhabit that world.
Every viewing of Lucky You makes me remember how much of a shame it was that Bana’s leading man career never took off the way it should have. He’s certainly got the charisma and the depth to carry not just a film, but a tricky character piece such as this. Few actors could have tapped into Huck’s past and the journey which made him the man he is in such a perceptive way. Barrymore, for her part, has never been more ravishing and sublime by being so understated in her performance. Her trademark cuteness is present, but subtle and mixed in with a genuine loveliness, especially in the all-too-brief moments she’s on stage singing.
A pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. shows up as an intriguing character named Telephone Jack, a cell phone-based con man, who suddenly disappears, while other actors, including Debra Messing as Billie’s sister Suzanne and Michael Shannon as a rival poker player, do their part to keep things interesting. No one holds a candle to Duvall, however, who naturally amazes and sinks his teeth into one of the best latter day roles of his career, playing it in the way only a legend such as he could.
Lucky You had a number of proposed release dates which came and went with the film still not seeing the light of day until being released in May 2007 on the same weekend as Spider-Man 3. The film was, as expected, a bomb both critically and financially and has been all but forgotten in the decade since its release.
On the surface, Lucky You doesn’t feel like a typical Hanson film, with its lack of a linear plot and its blending of comedy, drama, and romance. True, there are a number of elements that totally bear the director’s stamp, such as the screenplay which features sparkling lines like, “I think everyone is trying really hard not to be lonely,” and stellar moments, including Huck and Billie’s first kiss in the Las Vegas night, which possesses the kind of cinematic loveliness audiences crave. On closer inspection, however, Lucky You proves itself to be a total Hanson film experience for the chameleon-like director, whose wildly varied filmography includes the likes of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, The River Wild, L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys, and 8 Mile. The film is yet another wholly successful example of how Hanson was able to immerse himself into whatever world he was trying to capture and effortlessly bring it to the screen in ways which only the finest of filmmakers ever could.
