Watch Lucky Them For Free

Please don't spend money on this.

I wanted to but couldn't!

Excellent adaptation.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Lucky Them stars Toni Collette as veteran music journalist Ellie Klug for a failing Seattle rock magazine whose future might be going online only and she might have no future at all with the publication as she is more interested in partying and flirting with musicians then getting good stories.Klug goes around the famous alternative rock city looking for new talent such as rising street musician Lucas Stone (Ryan Eggold) who she ends up having a casual relationship with. Her editor forces her to write a story that might save a career with the magazine. Search for missing rock star Matthew Smith who has been missing for a decade after a car wreck. Smith was also her first love when she was young.Klug hits the road with her wealthy friend Charlie (Thomas Haden Church) who plans to make a documentary film on the search for Matthew Smith.As a low key road movie, the film is elevated by Haden Church who plays characters like Charlie with effortless ease. The story is slight, Klug is not really that likable, she appears shallow, easily falling for a young charmer.Still this independent movie filmed in and around Seattle (without showing its famous landmarks) managed to rope in a megastar for a belated cameo appearance.

This movie is an easy movie to watch with a good heart. The writing is rather basic but the core plot is intriguing enough to keep watching. This film offers nice emotion without demanding deep concentration from its audience. It utilizes nice cinematography, but it's darkly lit reflecting the pacific north west and the main characters emotions so if you're sensitive to low light films, this will bug the crap out of you; there is zero sun and a lot of dark bar scenes. As for acting Tony Collette is a joy to watch as she makes the story seem real, and Thomas Haden Church takes some getting used to at first but then you'll see he's exactly what the film needs with his quirky yet sincere humor. A good balance of characters and a cool plot makes this movie a decent experience, one where if you invest yourself enough you may find a tear or two at its resolution.7/10

The comedy-drama Lucky Them is helmed by three women working as the director, co-writer, and star. The film first screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013. It was released in the US nine months later. Comparatively, other films from the festival directed by men including 12 Years a Slave,Philomena and Prisoners, were released under three months later in the US. Why has it taken an additional year and a half for this film, starring no less than two Oscar nominees in Toni Collette and Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Spider-Man 3), to be released in Australia? Either the film isn't spectacular or it's increasingly difficult for women to etch themselves into the film market, currently dominated by men. Truthfully, it's a bit of both.Ohio born filmmaker Megan Griffiths (pictured below), who directed the film, holds several accolades to her name including a B.A in visual communications and an MFA in Film Production from the Ohio University School of Film. She was named Emergent Narrative Female Director in 2011 and one of the Artists of the Year by City Arts magazine in Seattle. Griffiths directs the film from Emily Watchtel's semiautobiographical screenplay. Emily Watchtel co- wrote the film with Huck Botko but it's developed from her experiences of the music scene and dating. She told Indiewire she once interviewed celebrities, including musicians, and struggled as an actress. She intended the film to be a television show, reflecting its minor slice of life scale.As a writer Watchel worked under the pseudonym Ellie Klug, the name of Collette's character. Ellie is a forty year old music critic, who drinks too much and is struggling to impress Giles (Oliver Platt), the editor of her print magazine. The publication is fading and to boost its interest again he wants her to write a story about a musician named Matthew Smith, who supposedly died going over a waterfall ten years ago. Smith was also Ellie's ex-boyfriend who walked out on her before the plunge. She offers a brutal, darkly funny assessment of him: "He's not dead, he's just an asshole who's gone." Meanwhile, Ellie's also caught between two men: Lucas (Ryan Eggold), a young musician who excites her frivolous side while she interviews him and Charlie (Haden Church), a rich, older but pompous goofball with no interest in music. She reluctantly pairs with Charlie after he lends her money and he films a documentary about their search for Matthew.The film stylisations are limited to highly retro decor. There are neon signs and grainy, brown colour tones, which along with Ellie's love of old vinyl records, highlights a sense of nostalgia for the past. The film compliments its style thematically through a tug of war between the past and the present of Ellie's life, not dissimilar to films like The Skeleton Twins, Young Adult and Greenberg. The narrative type is a belated coming of age story, where a person edging closer to middle age must relinquish their grip on the past. For these characters it is pleasurable to be young again, holding onto the memories of bad relationships, and shielding themselves from the shallowness of their present day lives. The film is also about her unlikely relationship with two men: one too young for the long haul and the other pulling her closer to the reality of aging.Watchel's humorous script is easy to digest but has contrivances, like the way Ellie loses the money first given to her by her boss and a light bulb moment near the end. The side characters are also weakly drawn and unevenly directed. Lucas, with spiked hair, v-neck shirts and guitar ballads, is rendered like Ellie's dream guy or someone from a band poster. Thomas Haden Church is funny as Charlie but the part is written and played very broadly and more suited to a caricature from a sitcom like The Office. The same is true of his hippy girlfriend who appears briefly. Quirkiness from these characters is pleasurable but along with the nostalgic yearnings it subdues the risk or danger from the middle act. Only by the last portion can see how destructive Ellie's actions are towards others. Toni Collette brings an enjoyable leading presence. Her hardened cheekbones and slightly gaunt face are physical attributes befitting of Ellie's slightly edgy lifestyle and her mannerisms like eye-rolling and smirks aptly signpost her character's immaturity. Although I laughed several times at the cast's low-key humour, this isn't exactly new or daring material when films are desperately in need of fresh voices.

Came across this on one of the premium channels on cable. Liked the looks of the cast, and it was just starting (as opposed to most movies I come across on the premium channels, which are usually in progress when I find them), so decided to watch. It was excellent. Toni Collette does great as usual, and Hayden-Church, playing somewhat of a variation of his 'Sideways' character, provides most of the comic relief and a great companion to Collette's more serious role. All of the characters had some likable qualities and were overall decent people, and I enjoyed the story as well.I had no idea what to expect from this, but it did remind me of 'Sideways,' one of my all time favorites, in that it featured a couple of 'pals' (or acquaintances anyway) going on an adventure and encountering some interesting characters and situations along the way. Well worth an evening's viewing.