Written & Compiled by: Lee Fenton
15 Reasons to Watch the Film Lucky Numbers
1.)
It’s the ONLY movie that stars both John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow.
2.)
It’s loosely based on a true story, ‘The 1980 Pennsylvania Lottery Scam’.
3.)
Michael Rapaport is hilarious – he’s in it.
4.)
One of the major roles is played by Ed O’Neil and he’s having a great time! That man is a comic genius. Every time he’s on screen the dialogue had me guffawing like an idiot.
I’m a big fan of Al Bundy from ‘Married… with Children’.
Obviously.
5.)
It’s directed by Nora Ephron (Mixed Nuts, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail)
6.)
The screenplay was written by Adam Resnick, who has written for ‘Saturday Night Live’ as well as ‘The David Letterman Show’. He has only written one other script, ‘Death to Smoochy’ – 2002.
7.)
This film features a standout performance by Tim Roth as the villain ‘Gig’. He is third billed on the cast.
If you aren’t a fan of Christmas, this might be a good movie to watch to rid you of the holiday blues! Instead of shoving nicety down your throat – this movie is full of people out for themselves which seems a tad bit more reflective of real life.
“Lucky Numbers” is not cute. At times, it’s downright nasty; and that’s when I like it best.” – Michael O’Sullivan of the Washington Post [2]
8.)
This is one of John Travolta’s most earnest and underappreciated roles, it was later in his career when his popularity was waning but it’s a shining example of why he was so adored in his early days. He’s unbearably charismatic as ‘Russ Richards’ the “meteorologist with a heart of gold” who is in fact quite the opposite.
9.)
‘Lucky Numbers’ was highly anticipated before release but went on to be considered “one of the biggest bombs of all time.” – wikipedia
But if you take a look at the list of biggest box-office bombs available online (wikipedia, IMDb, Box Office Mogo) you will see the film is no longer listed. I don’t think that it makes the cut anymore, even though it used to be considered a prolific failure. ‘Lucky Numbers’ is now just a run of the mill flop.
Lucky Numbers cleared $10,890,222 (worldwide)
$10,042,516 (domestic)
On a budget of: $63,000,000 (US)
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(So mine as well watch it just to see if it’s half the train-wreck it’s supposed to be!
In my opinion it’s not bad. In fact it’s actually quite good.)
10.)
Bill Pullman plays one of the minor parts as a bungling detective named ‘Pat Lakewood’. His character is good for a some hearty laughs owing mostly to his obvious aversion to paperwork or police work of any kind. Bill Puman is famous for his leading role in the ‘Star Wars’ parody film ‘Space Balls.’
11.)
There’s still a few critics that consider ‘Lucky Numbers’ to be an admirable outing by Nora Ephron. Including myself, and this guy!
And i’m sure there’s more…
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Mick LaSelle of the San Francisco Chronicle said: “ [Ephron] is suddenly liberated, and she guides her talented cast toward performances that are playful and yet comically precise . . . It’s a bit of fluff that, all the same, is a gentle commentary on human nature . . . Mainly it’s just a showcase for a lot of gifted comic actors to show their stuff – and for Travolta to go from complacency to wide-eyed panic, hitting all points in between.” [1]
12.)
Lisa Kudrow is so damn funny in this! And I mean it. She steals the show right out from under Ed O’Neil and John Travolta.
It’s great to see. But be warned, if you’re a fan of hers – this role is NOTHING like ‘Phoebe’ from ‘Friends’.
Don’t believe me?
Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post said, “Although Travolta gets top billing, Kudrow is the film’s true manic engine, and her ability to carry off perky amorality propels the preposterous plot forward through numerous twists and setbacks . . .
13.)
Michael Moore is in this movie!
Weird, I know.
His character is socially awkward because… what else?
14.)
The plot is really well thought out, and quite engaging.
If you like a good dark-comedy meets heist-drama, ‘Lucky Numbers’ will not disappoint!
15.)
The jokes are funny. Real funny.
Oh and you get to see John Travolta jack-knife a sixteen wheeler on a small patch of ice.
Merry Christmas from welldonemovies.com
Sources:
[1] Mark LaSalle of SFgate
https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/More-Than-Just-Lucky-Travolta-Kudrow-lead-2700028.php
[2] Michael O’Sullivan of the Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/movies/reviews/luckynumbersosullivan.htm
