Movie Review: The Lucky Ones
The few films out there concerning Iraq War vets have portrayed horrible physical injuries or soldiers with a few mental screws loose on returning home. The Lucky Ones takes a different approach by tingeing a vet homecoming with comedy as it unites three diverse soldiers just trying to re-connect with their lives stateside or find a new beginning.
Two of the soldiers T.K. Poole (Michael Pena) and Pvt. Colee Dunn (Rachel McAdams) are on 30 day leaves but older Sgt. Fred Cheever (Tim Robbins) is a career Army man heading home for good having hurt his back. This unlikely trio end up sharing a van together cross country to Las Vegas when a blackout grounds the planes they planned to take to various locations. Colee, who is dealing with a slight leg wound that causes her to limp, is taking her dead soldier boyfriend's guitar back to his family hoping that they will take her in since she is estranged from her own relatives. Ambitious T.K. has an injury that makes him worry he'll not be able to physically "hook up" with his Army Lieutenant girlfriend and Fred just wants to pick up his life with wife and son where he left off but, it's too late.
On the drive cross country, crazy adventures draw the trio of warriors together and they form a bond that might just last a lifetime. On their trip they stumble upon a posh lawn party, a "healing" church service, a trio of traveling hookers and a big tornado etc. before arriving in Las Vegas where Colley learns that she won't have the new home she wished for, T.K. decides maybe he can't handle returning to Iraq and Fred, needing money for his son's college education, makes a decision he never thought he'd make.
Rachel McAdams is very winning as a naive, sweet girl who can kick butt but had rather heal hearts, including her own. Michael Pena is sympathetic as the macho ambitious soldier whose plans fall apart and the ever-excellent Tim Robbins is wonderful as the suddenly rootless husband and dad whose home life takes a dive.
Many critics have blasted the film for not being "serious" enough but is there a rule that every film about soldiers has to be an horrifically torturous drama? Look at the classic M.A.S.H. etc. Some of the road trip adventures may seem a little "out there" but soldiers are real people with real personal problems and life often throws humor into the mix where we least expect to find it. Sure, war creates personality-bending and physically damaging injuries but The Lucky Ones doesn't focus on that aspect. It's a story about unlikely friendships and creating a "family" where none existed before. If quirky comedy drives the story, then fine. I was invested in what happened to these three likable characters. And, yes, I laughed too. I felt that the ending left some unanswered questions but If you can find the film in your area, it's worth checking out.
For a fresh look at a usually gloomy subject, 3.5 out of 5 stars.
