Lucky YouMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Lucky You."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 49 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 70
    Salon.com | Stephanie Zacharek

    Even if you think you know where Lucky You is headed, there's something pleasurable about watching it unfold, maybe chiefly because Hanson isn't trying too hard. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Starts off promisingly, then grows as lifeless as a poker face. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Playing the character with this much girlish innocence is risky. Barrymore can seem dumb, but as Lucky You unfolds, we realize that the character is just a device to bring viewers into the parallel universe of poker. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Even though it is sometimes dull and generally thin, there is something winning about the movie's genial lack of ambition. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    The result is that most of the picture plays out as a series of scenes in which our hero sits there, gets angry and loses all his money. Read full review

  • 50
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    I watched this movie thinking that it used the idea of taking a chance on cards as a metaphor for taking a chance on love. I was dead wrong. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Brian Lowry

    The result is dull and lifeless. Read full review

  • 40
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    Poker has proven itself a popular spectator sport on television -- at least in the short run -- but as scripted drama, where you can pretty much guess the winner of a given hand, it's dull, dull, dull. Read full review

  • 38
    New York Daily News | Jack Mathews

    Perhaps this is just a bad performance by Bana; he's not shown me anything yet. But there's a more basic problem. If money is just a way of keeping score, and Huck doesn't care whether he's flush or busted, why should we? Read full review

  • 33
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Really, all this movie is about is the joy of checks, calls, folds, rivers, and the acquired thrill of knowing what those words mean. Read full review

View more reviews for Lucky You on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Don't bet on Barrymore's lackluster poker rom-com.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this isn't a typical bright and bubbly Drew Barrymore romantic comedy. While there's not much sex or violence, there's plenty of antisocial behavior and compulsive gambling. One character runs a telephone scam, while others live in bathrooms to win bets. The main character steals his girlfriend's money and gambles away someone else's. He also encourages his girlfriend to lie and cheat for him. Goons looking to collect on his debts throw him into an empty pool, where he scrapes up his face. Some swearing and drinking.
  • Families can talk about the media's fascination with poker. Is it fun to watch people gambling? Why? Do you think there's some voyeurism involved? The movie's theatrical release date was delayed several times, making its poker-centric storyline less of the moment and timely -- does that affect how much you do or don't enjoy it? How are release dates determined to begin with? Who decides when the "best" time to put something in theaters is, and how does that affect a movie's success or failure? Families can also discuss gambling addiction. Do you agree with Huck when he says that he's not hurting anyone but himself? What would you do in his situation?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Lots of gambling, stealing, and lying, though Billie insists on being honest. One character runs a 1-900 scam.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Goons threaten Huck and throw him into an empty swimming pool.
  • sex false0 Sex: Billie hikes up her skirt to ride on a bike. Billie and Huck kiss; later it's implied that they've had sex. They lie in bed together naked, covered by a sheet.
  • language false3 Language: Some salty language, including "s--t."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Las Vegas is practically a main character. The Bellagio and Luxor casinos get a lot of attention. Canon cameras are also featured.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Lots of people casually drink beer, but none to excess.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

1.5

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