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Just My Luck
2006 - PG-13 - 103 Mins.
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| Director: Donald Petrie | | Producer: Bruce Willis, Arnon Milchan | | Written By: I. Marlene King, Amy Harris | | Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine, Samaire Armstrong, Bree Turner, Faizon Love |
| Review by: Joe Rickey |
| Official Site: www.justmyluckmovie.com/ |
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Who's the masked man anyway?
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An uncommonly lucky young businesswoman finds herself on the other side of the coin after kissing a stranger at a masquerade ball. Now she must locate the kissee and kiss him again so she can regain her lucky streak in Donald Petrie's comedic romance with a fantasy twist.
Ashley Albright (Lindsay Lohan) is quickly becoming a PR star after singlehandedly keeping a high-powered client (Faizon Love) in the fold. Now she has to plan and put on a masquerade ball for charity with the help of her cadre of friends.
Concurrently, a manager (Chris Pine) for British rock group McFly has about the worst luck imaginable. When trying to get the attention of the aforementioned high-powered client (Love) his pants fall down, a bird craps on his jacket, he picks up a greenback he doesn't realize is covered in dog crap (This film likes its poop), and he falls into a female jogger when his pants are down and gets arrested. He does manage to stealthily get himself into the masquerade ball at which he dances and is kissed by Albright, an act that instantaneously switches their respective fortunes. Now everything falls his way while Albright soon finds herself unemployed and repeatedly imprisoned for numerous reasons. Ashley goes on a pratfall-filled quest to find the masked man she kissed at the ball.
Filled with slapstick of the most inane kind, 'Just My Luck,' produced by Bruce Willis of all people, is a terrible film; the sort of dumb comedy that would have been better off debuting on the Disney Channel or perhaps having its negative burned so as not to hurt the careers of those involved. Scene after scene is comprised of someone doing a pratfall or getting pooped on or humiliated in some way. It's the equivalent of reality TV gone cinematic. Meandering pacing also drags the film down as the result is a foregone conclusion so why Petrie takes forever to get us there is a mystery. The writing duo of I. Marlene King (1995's 'National Lampoon's Senior Trip') and Amy Harris (HBO's now canceled "The Comeback") also falter when it comes to the basics of characterization. Lohan's portrayal of Ashley Albright is as an unlikable thoughtless person who takes everything for granted and flaunts her good luck to the degree that one has to wonder how she could have any friends at all, let alone two (nicely played by Samaire Armstrong and Bree Turner).
Of course, tabloid magnet Lohan's listless performance doesn't help matters. She constantly looks like she would rather be anywhere but on set filming yet another by-the-numbers comedy for the tween set. In fact, in some scenes she looks and acts so lethargic you want to tell her to go and get some much-needed rest. Experiencing better fate (pun intended) is her love interest as played by Chris Pine ('The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement') mainly because he actually appears to be giving it his all. Also supporting himi is the likeable, everyman nature of his character.
Despite a few good performances, 'Just My Luck' is just too dumb. and not worth spending your hard-earned money on.
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