Movie Review: Lucky You

After months of holding back their cards, Warner Bros. is finally releasing their romantic, poker playing dramady Lucky You. It's been nearly a year since the picture was originally slated to debut, and the studio has upped the ante by choosing to open Lucky You as the sole alternative to perhaps this summer's biggest blockbuster. Is Lucky You a royal flush or was the studio and talent behind the picture just bluffing?

On paper Lucky You sounded like a fantastic idea. With Curtis Hanson, the writer and director of "L.A. Confidential" and the surprisingly successful "In Her Shoes", at the helm, plus the superb acting talents of Eric Bana and Robert Duvall, combined with the box office gold mine that is Drew Barrymore, how could Lucky You go wrong? To make things short and simple, televised poker is a snooze fest, so why would a dramatization be any different?

This is a shame too, especially since last year's Casino Royale proved just how wildly exciting a game of Texas Holdem can be when the stakes are right. Whether it was the sheer number of card games featured throughout the picture's hefty running time that desensitizes audiences, or perhaps it was the unexciting camera work and lack of energy in the editing, when the climax of Lucky You hits, you just want the principle tournament players to get it over with and fold.

Eric Bana plays Huck, a compulsive gambler who won't admit to his addiction. The son of a two-time World Series poker champion, Huck spends his time in Las Vegas casinos where he has earned a reputation as a reckless player. Determined to step out of his father's shadow, we meet Huck on his quest to raise the ten thousand dollar entry fee for a seat in the World Series poker championship.

Of course, since life is full of surprises, Huck meets a girl. Not just any girl mind you, but Drew Barrymore's Billy, a girl he has absolutely no chemistry with, yet the film's narrative structure demands they fall in love. Why? The reason is simple; she has to be the one to help him "change his game" and "change his life".