Dir. John Carroll Lynch (2017)
Not rated (there's nothing really bad in this movie, just some language. Don't rush to see it with your kids, though.) Lucky is about the spiritual and mental journey of a 90 year old man, Lucky, (Harry Dean Stanton) who has outlived all of his friends and family. Living on the outskirts of a quite and un-populated desert town, Lucky is independent and still does everything on his own. He starts every morning with the same routine: brushing his teeth, showering, doing 'yoga' exercises, drinking a glass of milk, and then smoking half a pack of cigarettes. He visits the diner and has a cup of coffee and does the daily crossword, then heads to the drug store to buy more cigarettes. He then goes home to watch the afternoon game shows, and then ends his day by going to the local bar and having a Bloody Mary. He is well known and loved by everyone in the town, and they all go along with his harsh and dry sense of humor. The entire movie follows Lucky doing the same routine again and again, but along the way he has transformative interactions and experiences with people in the town that help him come to terms with the meaning of life, friendships, and the unescapable fate that is mortality, accompanied by beautiful desert scenes and mariachi and soulful harmonica music. This movie was very quiet and reflective. It makes you think about death a lot, which is a con for some and a pro for others when deciding to see this movie. Just keep that in mind. When I read reviews earlier, a lot of critics called this movie dry and boring, which I don't think is true. I actually think it is the exact opposite. The movie is quiet, with not a whole lot of dialogue, and it does (like I said) follow Lucky doing the same exact thing everyday. But if you were really paying attention, or even if you can just get past that, this movie is about so much more. During Lucky's routine, he talks to people in the town that enlighten him and give both Lucky and the viewer wisdom. I feel wise and old just after watching this. The entire theme of this movie is Lucky coming to terms with his own morality and death, and the movie offers so many aspects to that thought that so many people think about and are terrified by everyday. There were many references to the Bible in this movie, but they were hard to catch. There's a scene when Lucky is leaving a bar after nearly getting in a fight with someone inside, and one of the men, Paulie (James Darren), follows him out on the street. When they're out there, they are next to a nightclub or bar of sorts, but all the viewer can see is a blaring red light leading the way to the entrance. Paulie gets entranced by the red light and walks into the place in a daze like state. Lucky follows and gets to the entrance, but you never see what is inside. You only see Lucky staring down into whatever is in the building. That seemed like a pretty strong reference to hell, with the red light and all, but it never gets referenced again in the movie. Also, when Lucky is at home watching the game shows, he always pauses to call someone on the phone. You hear Lucky having a conversation with someone, but there is no voice on the other line. I felt that was a reference to Lucky talking to God in some way, but again, it is never referenced again in the movie. The last striking reference was when Lucky was walking home, past a building that he repeatedly curses out when he passes it. the viewer later learns that it is the bar that Lucky got kicked out of, Eden's, for smoking inside. Towards the end of the movie, the viewer sees the entrance to the bar that Lucky passes everyday, and it is a beautiful garden with statues and tall grass. And the bar is called Eden's. Garden of Eden, get it? So the movie was pretty laden with the Biblical references, but they are never explained. I think they all tie into the theme of Lucky coming to terms with death and understanding the meaning of life in the first place. Along with the references, the human connections and interactions Lucky has and makes are really what make the movie. There were so many endearing moments that made me want to cry, and I did cry in some. He learns from everyone in this movie: the owner of the local diner, the woman working at the drug store, the owner of the bar he goes to and everyone who goes there. They teach him little things over the course of the movie that help him face his fear of meeting his end. There's a scene where Lucky goes to the woman who works at the drug store's son's birthday party, and he gets up and sings a song for the the entire crowd. There's also a scene where a man at the bar is depressed because his tortoise, President Roosevelt, ran away, and everyone is making fun of him for being so sad about a tortoise. It turns into a really emotionally moving scene that I don't want to spoil, but I do recommend watching. This movie may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was mine. I was really moved by it, but it is really deep. If you're in the mood for a light and comedic movie, this isn't the one. If you want to cry and think about your own mortality, then this is definitely the one for you.
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AuthorCasey Land Archives
January 2018
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