Romance Seekers Look Elsewhere
Lucky You is for Poker Lovers

Gambling is nothing new to cinema. There have been movies of card sharks, con men, and lonesome losers for years. In the past few years, however, poker has become a spectator sport, forever changing the public perception of the game and the game itself. In Lucky You, a new film directed by Curtis Hanson, No Limit Texas Hold 'Em turns into a metaphor for life and how it should be lived.

Lucky You
Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) teaches Billie Offer (Drew Barrymore) the basics of Texas Hold‘em in the drama Lucky You, Photo by Merie W. Wallace, SMPSP. (Warner Bros, 2007)
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Written by: Eric Roth & Curtis Hanson
Starring: Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall, Debra Messing, Horatio Sanz, Robert Downey Jr., Jean Smart, and Charles Martin Smith

Rated PG-13 (for some language and sexual humor)
Running time: 124 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 7 out of 10.

Lucky You follows a reckless young player named Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) as he tries to win a stake to get into the World Series of Poker. When he meets a young singer named Billie (Drew Barrymore), he sees a mark for some easy money and cons her into lending him cash for a game.

Huck's desperation to get into the WSOP is heightened by the arrival of his father, legendary poker champion L.C. Cheever (Robert Duvall). Huck wants nothing more than to beat him at his own game.

Set in 2003, the film is about a time of a change in the poker world. As the game grows in popularity, it introduces new technology (the "hole cam" for television viewers to see the players cards) and new players (who rise from the ranks of the online gamers). There is a melancholy air to Lucky You, a somber nostalgia about the old ways on the Vegas strip and the game of poker. The masters, like L.C., are finding it harder to win as the game grows bigger. At one point, L.C. laments that the WSOP has gotten so big that you have to be lucky to win.

The film is also about life, making choices and dealing with the consequences. While Huck is determined to get into the WSOP, he also is determined to put things right with Billie. He hurts her repeatedly, but he also recognizes that she may be the most important thing in his life. He can't win at poker or in love.

Those who see this film for Barrymore are likely to be disappointed. She has what can best be called a supporting role in the film. This isn't a romance. It's more of a drama. Anyone who is not into No Limit Texas Hold 'Em is likely to be bored.

Watching Lucky You is a treat for fans of professional poker. Several pro players make cameos in the film. Some (like Barry Greenstein and Sam Farha) play themselves. Others (like Jennifer Harman) play fictional characters. The poker is authentic, in part because director Hanson is a player himself and in part because poker legend Doyle Brunson served as a consultant on the film. (Brunson also has a brief cameo.)

Those who enjoy the outrageous betting by Lester (Saverio Guerra) and Ready Eddie (Horatio Sanz) should stick through the credits to see how the bathroom wager plays out in the end.

Lucky You is a film that I will remember as a great poker film, but a mediocre romance. Poker fans will enjoy the game play and the cameos, but no one is going to be satisfied by the semi-dysfunctional romantic storyline.