When love heals a soldier’s heart

The Lucky One (2012)
Certified: 12
Duration: 100 minutes
Directed by: Scott Hicks
Starring: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner, Jay Ferguson, Riley Thomas Stewart
KRS release

Former marine Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) strongly believes that a photo of a woman he does not know ended up saving him during war.

(Zac Efron) has a good enough physique to be believable as a former US marine...- Johan Galea

While walking with his dog from Colorado to Louisiana he meets her in a small town.

Beth Clayton (Taylor Schilling) runs a kennel, has a young son Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart) and lives with her grandmother Ellie (Blythe Danner), who had raised her since childhood.

She is a single mother and the boy’s father is a policeman named Keith (Jay R. Ferguson).

Beth believes that Logan is there to apply for a job at the kennel she runs.

Due to the fact that her brother, who was a marine himself, had been killed on duty she tries not to give him the job.

But Logan ends up getting the job anyway and soon enters Beth’s life and also that of Ben. Inevitably enough, this irks Keith and he tries to distance Logan from his ex.

But instead Logan starts to develop feelings for Beth and yet he still has not told her the real reason he came to her village the first time around.

Nicolas Sparks’ novels seem to have become the source of inspiration of many a Hollywood romance.

In fact, seven of his 16 novels have already become big-screen hits and two others are in the production stage.

Mr Sparks sticks to genre convention in his writing and story structure, keeping things simple.

The Lucky One is such a film and its aim is simply to provide its audience with warm, fuzzy feelings.

This film capitalises on its leading star Zac Efron.

He has a good enough physique to be believable as a former US marine and almost makes us forget his career debut in High School Musical.

It does not hurt at all that he and Taylor Schilling look well on screen together and enjoy good chemistry that augments as the film progresses.

The Lucky One is Ms Schilling’s first big-time cinema feature after having shown her acting skills in the NBC hospital drama Mercy.

With jealousy thrown into the picture the audience knows where the story is headed; it is obvious from the start that the cop has had his chance and it’s Mr Efron’s turn to be happy.

Blythe Danner provides a very strong supporting performance and her scenes with Mr Efron are quite noteworthy.

This film believes in love with all the schmaltzy frills and swirls.

Australian Scott Hicks’ direction is relaxed and undemanding. He knows what the audience wants and so amps up the visual atmosphere.

The environment itself is consistently touched up to present a lush background to the film.

Mr Hicks is quite adept at this kind of direction, with his previous work in Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) and Shine (1996) being prime examples.

Composer Mark Isham provides a romantic musical score that is all soft in its approach.

For all those who liked such films as Dear John (2010) and The Last Song (2010), The Lucky One is their kind of film.