Dir: Scott Hicks
Starring: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner, Riley Thomas Scott
Synopsis: After finding a photograph of a young woman (Schilling) in Iraq that means he narrowly avoids dying in an explosion, Logan (Efron) keeps it as a lucky charm - vowing to one day find her an thank her for saving him. When he finds Beth after his tour ends, they find themselves falling for each other, and they begin their relationship with her not knowing the reason why he's there.
Verdict: A chick flick in every sense of the genre, The Lucky One follows the tried and tested plot devices that you come to expect. Boy meets girl, they eventually fall in love, there is a conflict or argument, then they get back together. Cliché to the extent that Beth even mentions to her grandma that she's expecting something to go wrong.
The thing that makes the film stand out though is the way the story touches on the subject of beliefs and superstitions in the armed forces, and the issue of post-conflict psychology, brought up by Logan's nephews freaking him out with video games and trying to surprise him in the morning which almost ends badly. The effects of the psychological trauma is stressed by slow motion action/death sequences.
Efron plays his part really well, showing that he's developed from the young singing and dancing actor in High School Musical: but I found that he still seems quite innocent and not wholly believable as an ex Marine. That said, the point of the film is the love story, which he delivers well opposite Schilling.
A classic styled romance film that the ladies can go gooey over, and earn the gents brownie points for taking them to see it.
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