FAM Movie Review : The Lucky One ( 2012 )

Our Rating : 8/10

Genre : Romance | Drama

Director : Scott Hicks

Writer :  Will Fetters (screenplay), Nicholas Sparks (novel)

Cast : Zac Efron ( Logan ) , Taylor Schilling ( Beth ) , Blythe Danner ( Ellie ) , Riley Thomas Stewart ( Ben ) and Jay R. Ferguson ( Keith Clayton )

Scott Hicks director is really a lucky one to choose this script , One of finest best selling romantic novel of  Nicholas Sparks with same name which is well scripted down again by Will Fetters. Just like any other movies evolved from NC , this movie is no less a fun watching it as its pure joy watching every frame of it giving a beautiful feel all through. Movie is about U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault  ( Zac ) who is deported in Iraq war where at one mission he just escapes from a missile attack which almost killed him while he survives and killing almost all his crew. The fact that saved him was a  mysterious photo of a beautiful American woman in a no-mans land which while he tried to pick it up , he escapes from a missile attack just few feet forward in fraction of seconds . From then on there were few couple of incidents where he just got escaped from the clutches of death while carrying that girl picture on his pocket as a talisman . So he started to feel her as a lucky charm and starts trying to en-quire about her to all his colleagues to thank her but in vain. Its 8 months past and after 3 consecutive tour assignments  he decides to return home in Colorado where his sister family is living.

While seeing her face in the picture  , he just realizes a landmark in the background of her picture which is a lighthouse and with some home work he finds that the place belong to Louisiana. Though he is back home , he is still traumatized marine veteran trying to overcome his demons and he is not able to feel himself normal as all he can hear is gun shots , blood and war. Thinking that this not gonna help him in any way , he decides to travel in search of that unknown women by walk all the way from Colorado to Louisiana which is 500 miles far. Somehow he manages to track her down , finds detail from a localite in a bar that she’s Beth (Taylor Schilling), a young woman whose brother was killed in action a veteran, currently running a Dog kennels  living with her wise mother and a cute blond son Ben . She is a divorcee separated from Keith under mutual consent , where Keith father is a influential and a rich person in that region. He finally reaches her place finds her there ,  just at her first glimpse he is just mesmerized , loses his consciousness and finds no words to explain her why he came there & his actual reason for his visit. She thinking that he is for the job opening in kennel for a person in-charge asks him to fill a form but when she comes to know about him that he walked all the way from Colorado to Louisiana , she is little concerned on his identify though he is a marine she is reluctant and not fully ready to employ him. Irrespective of  her own doubts to be answered , her mother appoints him and gives him a chance.





Logan hiding his true intentions , just starts to take care of the kennel well which impresses all with his attitude and a pleasant behavior. Even her son Ben gets close to Logan and starts to like him much . Slowly as days goes on  , even Beth slowly falls for him with his charming looks and care which inturn raises tensions between her jealous ex-husband Keith who is also a Local Cop. Keith starts to interfere giving unnecessary trouble to Beth & Logan. Beth knew that if Keith wanted , he can take his son back to him as his father is a influential person , so for this one reason Beth always try to behave well with Keith and irrespective of trouble he causes , she manages to digest all of them. Days go along and each day Logan is just filling up her heart and at one point of time she just cant resist express her feelings for him and they start to date each other and Beth's mom is happy to see her daughter life is back on track & that she is really happy after so many days. But though she is happy with Logan , she is still haunted by his cute brothers absence who is still missing from war in Iraq. Beth is worried because her brother is still not declared dead and she is not able to live like this waiting for his brother without any surety. While Keith her ex husband playing a negative role tells Beth that Logan didn't come from Colorado for a job but rather to find her and he also tells that Logan inquired about her with a picture in local bar. Keith also had stolen that pic from Logan's place and gives it to Beth as a proof. When she started to check with Logan about the picture , he starts to tell everything about why he came to her place and why n for what he is here. Beth said that the picture was always carried by her brother and that the picture in Logan hand means Ben's brother is dead , while Logan also confirms that he has seen her brother last while saving a other injured man and he consoles her saying he didn't die for nothing and he did took his last breath while trying to safe injured men from his crew. Though Beth got her answers , she is not able to take everything at once , heart broken that Logan has hidden this from her, she starts to avoid him. Things goes bad upside down in a single night but this distance makes them more closer as they start to feel each-other and they start to realize what they are really missing. Will Beth accept Logan again , How will Keith behave if she does , will he take his son back and will he give trouble to Logan\beth relationship is rest of the story which the climax can answer you.

Though the story is very common one with a cliche feel at times and a predictable finish , this movie definitely has its moments. With some signature shots of country side filled with scenic background view , picturization for sure is beautifully done and well made which will make you feel through the movie. Unlike other Nicholas sparks novel , this one sure has a happy ending or to say a satisfying ending giving the audience a much satisfied feel of watching it. Zac as logan is definitely a charming person perfectly fit to the movie as a calm looking well built marine with natural romantic expression, Taylor as Beth on the other hand too is tall , gorgeous and beautiful making them a perfect pair in the movie and for more obvious reasons they did share a perfect chemistry together.

FAM Punch Line :  Overall The Lucky One is sure worth to be stacked in your romantic movie collections and will definitely impress you if you like movies of this genre. Though it doesn't fit the bill for a repeated view , well  it deserves a must watch once as Nicholas sparks hands behind its creation and for sure when it comes to romance genre he stays as a immortal unbeatable king for ever.

" The Lucky One - Love all the way from Colorado to Louisiana. Be a part of this journey "





There are so many memorable quotes in the movie , some of touching  , haunting and unforgettable ones are

"You know, the smallest thing can change a life. In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance - and when you least expect it - since we're on a course that you could have never planned, into a future you never imagined. Where will it take you? That's the journey of our lives: our search for the light. But sometimes, finding the light means you must past through the deepest darkness. At least, that's how it was for me."

Logan: You should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute.
Logan: Finding something like that in a war, is like finding an angel in Hell.
Logan: How do you explain something that you can't even understand yourself?
Logan: Everyone has their own destiny, but not even one makes a choice to follow it, but I'm lucky I did.

“She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people...”