The film has an interesting story. U.S. soldier Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) returns to North Carolina from his third tour of duty in Iraq, with the one thing he credits with keeping him alive—a photograph he found of a woman he does not even know. Learning her name is Beth (Taylor Schilling) and where she lives, he shows up at her door, and ends up taking a job at her family-run local kennel. Despite her initial mistrust and the complications in her life, a romance develops between them, giving Logan hope that Beth could be much more than his good luck charm.
The film has Zac Efron as 1st Sgt. Logan Thibault, Taylor Schilling as Beth Clayton, Blythe Danner as Nana, Jay R. Ferguson as Keith Clayton, Riley Thomas Stewart as Ben Clayton, Joe Chrest as Deputy Moore, Jillian Batherson as Amanda, Courtney J. Clark as Logan's Sister, Russell Durham Comegys as Roger Lyle, Robert Hayes as Victor Miles and Cameron Banfield as Younger Marine.
If you watch Efron's performance in Scott Hicks' film of Sparks' book (from a script by Will Fetters) honestly, you'll see an actor who has both grown and continues to grow. He plays the strong silent hero who walks into a small town in Louisiana and sweeps into the life of a former teacher named Beth (Taylor Schilling). Beth is still grieving for the brother she lost in Iraq and for the marriage that ended because her husband was an insufferable turd (who still happens to be the local sheriff's deputy, which allows him to lurk threateningly).
Efron is Logan Thibault, also an Iraq veteran, who believes his life was saved when the glint of sun off the plastic protector around a photograph lying in the rubble attracted his attention. It drew him a few steps away from where he had been sitting, when he went to pick it up, just as a mortar round took out the friends he was chatting with seconds before.
The photo - of an anonymous girl with the words "Be Safe" on the back - becomes his good-luck charm. When Logan musters out of the Marines, he goes in search of the girl in the picture, tracking her to that small town in Louisiana probably to return the photo and tell her thank you.
But the woman, Beth, who runs a kennel, is such a chatterbox that he doesn't get the chance to tell her his story. Instead, she thinks he's looking for work and hires him for a job opening to help around the kennel.
So he goes to work for her and her grandmother (Blythe Danner), making himself invaluable to them and becoming a pal to Beth's son. He also becomes an object of jealousy for her ex-husband, who doesn't like having this guy hanging around his ex-wife.
Thus The Lucky One has Zac Efron as a young Marine having trouble adjusting to civilian life. It is the seventh Sparks novel to be made into a film, joining The Notebook, Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember, among others, with two more in the pipeline - and it is a movie his fans will consider one of his best. The Lucky One is set during and after the combat mission in Iraq. It is about the Marines. The hero, Logan, has survived three rough tours in Iraq, and seen more than his share of casualties. He regards the photo [a picture of a woman that he finds in the rubble] his lucky charm. Logan when discharged goes on a quest to find the woman in the photo he picked up in combat. The story of the film is dramatic, surprising and satisfying.
Sparks writes love stories, but they are also stories of redemption -- often a man trying to redeem himself after a mistake or tragedy; the women tend to be damaged more often by relationships turned sour. As a character says in his novel "Dear John," "Every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it's just as hard as what you're going through." Readers respond to that, because they are struggling with something, too, and they may very well find someone who understands that in a book by Nicholas Sparks.
This film is for those who have enjoyed the previous bestsellers by author Nicholas Sparks. The film has Efron saying things like, "You should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute," and this is bound to melt your heart.
The best thing about Nicholas Sparks is that all of his books have hit the New York Times bestsellers list, and together have sold close to 80 million copies worldwide, printed in over 45 languages. Yet, it is the U.S. where the North Carolina-based author reigns supreme. More the 50 million of his books have been gobbled up there, attracting a largely female demographic with his trademark romance melodramas. Hollywood has embraced that best-selling, romantic trademark with a seventh film adaptation of one of his books - The Lucky One, which opened on April 20. The film has emotional turmoil mixed with love and modest lust. The main thing is that the movie has the spirit and the intent.
Sparks acknowledges that his books, and the films, have "become convenient targets" for sniping attacks. He says that he's "accused of exploiting cliches and lapsing into melodrama." His response is short and simple: "I would say, 'No' to that."
For instance, the idea for The Lucky One came after Sparks lost a valued picture of his wife, and only then realized how much the photograph meant to him. The Iraq war backdrop seemed appropriate for its timeliness, and the fact that he's surrounded by U. S. military bases near his New Bern, North Carolina, home. As usual, he visited the set briefly but never interfered while the film was being shot.
After The Lucky One, there is more Sparks-based product ready to hit movie theatres. Safe Haven, directed by Lasse Hallstrom, is ready for release in February of 2013, just in time for Valentine's Day.
Thus the film The Lucky One is a great film which is bound to appeal to you. So do watch the film. Don't miss it.
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