The Lucky Ones (2008) R - 3 Stars

I think this had the potential to be a better movie but just doesn't grab your attention. It does have good casting with likable characters, but it takes you a long time to acquaint with them. Sort of ironic, their plight when stranded together at the airport, compared to being somewhat stranded together in Iraq.

Fred Cheaver (Tim Robbins) has completed his active duty in Iraq and is returning home to his regular life. Colee Dunn (Rachel McAdams) and TK Poole (Michael Peña) are also returning home for a 30 day leave from Iraq. Colee is trying to get a valuable guitar home to the family of a fallen soldier and TK is hoping his girlfriend will still want him after being shot in his unmentionables.

At the airport, the city has an outage that grounds all planes so they are unable to fly to their destinations. With all rentals already given out, the sales agent gets them the very last car on the lot due to their servicemen status. Together, they decide to drive to St. Louis so Fred can be reunited with his wife. But when they get to St. Louis, Fred's wife wants a divorce and Fred feels completely overwhelmed when his son needs a simple $20,000 to attend Stanford. Fred decides to drive Colee and TK to the closest airport so they can get on with their lives, however the two can't leave their military brother in this condition and instead travel on to each other's destinations. Beginning to feel like they don't fit in anymore, they discover that only together, can they understood the people they've become.

2008 - The Lucky Ones - Toronto International Film Festival - Film Presented

Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions
Director: Neil Burger
Writers: Neil Burger, Dirk Wittenborn
Producers: Neil Burger, David Levien, Rick Schwartz

I viewed 2/09