The Lucky Ones [Theatrical Release] |  | Manufacturer: Lionsgate
Category: Theatrical Release
This item is no longer available
Rating:  11 reviews
Language: English (Unknown)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Number Of Discs: 1
ASIN: B001E95ZLU
Theatrical Release Date: September 26, 2008
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
An earnest if not wholly satisfying comedy-drama about an awkward homecoming for three dissimilar Iraq War veterans, The Lucky Ones works best as a vehicle for its interesting lead performances. Tim Robbins transcends his real-life, anti-war reputation by playing Cheever, a Reservist and decent fellow who is injured in Iraq when a porta-potty falls on him. Eager to see his family, he ends up on a road trip with two other soldiers trying to reach their own destinations. There's Colee (Rachel McAdams), a young and earnest woman who enlisted to escape family problems, endured a leg wound and is on her way to meet the family of her boyfriend, who was killed in combat. There's also T.K. (Michael Pena), recruited from a poor family and granted a month's leave after becoming impotent from a wound. The odyssey these characters, initially strangers to each other, share is fairly predictable for anyone who has seen such classic vets-coming-home movies as The Best Years of Our Lives. As Colee, T.K. and Cheever travel together, they encounter what sometimes feels and looks like an alien landscape: people who patronize them, people who despise the war without an inkling of what it's like to endure it, and a host of other exploitative chuckleheads who just don't get it. Inevitably, the trio has only itself to rely upon, to share the knowledge of the war's reality and provide support in ways that are sometimes funny and sometimes poignant. Co-written and directed by Neil Burger (The Illusionist), The Lucky Ones has a rambling structure that causes the film to lose focus. But its heart is in the right place, and Robbins, McAdams and Pena play people one can care about as much as enjoy. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Not What I expected May 24, 2009
Marjorie L. Swanson (Kenosha, WI USA)
As I am a big fan of Tim Robbins I am never concerned about buying a DVD that he is in.
I'm not sure what I expected from this movie but this wasn't it. I felt each problem that arose was all too predictable and that most of the things that happened to these three wounded people were improbable. Their responses weren't likely either. A disappointment.
 A Road Trip Not Worth Viewing May 18, 2009
Cary B. Barad (Baltimore, MD)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
A cliche-ridden "road trip" flick with a less than subtle anti-war, anti-military agenda which is to be expected given the presence of Tim Robbins. On the plus side, it does have some humorous and inspirational moments, but overall, not worth going out of your way for.
 Bonding of three soldiers while they are on leave April 23, 2009
Reader (Chicago, IL USA)
Tim Robbins and his supporting cast (McAdams and Pena) delivers touching story about three wounded soldiers temporarily back home in US after serving in Iraq. All three of them have been wounded while on active duty and are sent back home for 30 day rest. Upon arrival to NYC airport their flights are canceled due to prolonged power outage and the three decide to share a rental car ride on their cross country treck to their respective homes.
During their trip from east coast to the west they learn about each other's lives, how they were wounded and try to figure out their next move after 30 day leave is over. The unexpected realities of the civilian life sends them a curveball that they try to resolve. In spite of being relative strangers, all three are protective of each other in every possible sense. Many of their adventures are humorous, but the end of their stories is definitely suprising.
I absolutely loved this movie and I recommend it to everyone. It will give one a perspective on what makes people choose to become soldiers, what keeps them going and what keeps bringing them back to their duty. It also shows the other side of the story on how little civilians really understand about military experience and how at times, civilans can be disrespectful even if they mean well.
Charming hybrid April 16, 2009
H. Schneider (window seat)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The movie combines the well established road movie genre with the more recent 'returners from Iraq' genre. It is a comedy that makes light of personal tragedies and does it gracefully. I watched it in a 'combi pack' with 'Stop Loss', the much more serious film about soldiers who are forced to return to the front after their contracted term has expired.
In The Lucky Ones, Robbins is a sergeant who has completed his term and who looks forward to return to wife and teenage son. Pena and McAdams are on a 30 days home leave. The three get accidentally grouped together for a car trip from New York to Las Vegas and experience the difficulties of outsiders in an ambiguous situation. None of them has stable social circumstances, as even the Robbins character finds out to his shock. Their social backgrounds are quite divergent. They are variously feted as war heroes or attacked by the home crowd for being either too stupid to stay away from trouble or too luke warm about the war effort itself. The backseat drivers in middle American require heroic attitudes, not a statement that survival is a soldier's main objective.
This is the kind of movie that discusses problems without indoctrinating you.
Realistic depiction March 14, 2009
Mike Edelstein (Ft Polk, LA, USA)
This movie captures alot of true feelings. As an Iraq and Afghanistan vet, who has been wounded, I can understand the feelings of the characters more than an outside viewer could. From the people who are thankful and express it, to the critical idiots who have no clue what they're talking about since they've never been over there, the "usual stereotypes" are covered. I full enjoyed this movie. It also really shows how coming home isn't just a perfect homecoming...problems do occur. Because of this I especially recommend this movie to FRIENDS AND FAMILY of those coming home.
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