Alan Markfield
Taylor Schilling and Zac Efron in “The Lucky Oneâ€
In the clichd opening narration to The Lucky One, Zac Efrons somber Marine explains that before finding the light, you have to struggle through the dark. Everyone who is forced to sit in a dim theater watching Scott Hicks silly, sappy love story is likely to agree.
More than anything, this latest adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel feels like a wasted opportunity. The savviest dir ectors are able to exploit Sparks formula for its comfortable escapism. But Hicks, who does better work with more thoughtful material (Shine), is way out of his element. He hits the beats lonely woman, hunky stranger without bothering to develop even the slightest depth.
The biggest problem, however, comes down to chemistry. If the leads have it, a Sparks romance will work. (The Notebook, which made stars of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, still sets the standard.) If they dont, theres little else to fall back on.
Alas, its hard to imagine a more evident mismatch than Efron and Taylor Schilling. She plays Beth, a single mom who lives in a small Louisiana town with her adorable son (Riley Thomas Stewart) and tart grandmother (Blythe Danner). While in Iraq, Efrons Logan found a picture of Beth that saved his life. So when he returns home to the States, he sets out to thank her.
Once he arrives at her familys dog kennel, she mistakes him for a job appli cant. Since there would be no movie if he corrected her, he keeps his mouth shut and starts working there. Inevitably, they fall in love but her abusive ex-husband (Jay Ferguson), who happens to be the sheriff, wants Beth to himself.
Theres no telling what the casting directors were thinking when they put this pair together. They dont make a natural couple physically, theres no emotional connection between them, and they seem to be acting in different movies.
Schilling, a relatively inexperienced television actress (Mercy), overplays every scene. Efron, who has shown flashes of promise in other films, underemotes to such a degree he might as well not even be there. Hes a body for hire, a generic guy wholl look good in any scenario that requires him to be shirtless.
That said, maybe youre looking for a story in which a silent, sensitive loner kisses a woman in the rain and then jumps into a river to save her sons life. And theres no arguing that the mo vie does look great; Sparks sun-dappled, waterside settings always do. So, okay: try to turn off your brain and enjoy yourself. Just be aware that youll probably be thinking of Gosling and McAdams the entire time.
Magic Moment: A twilight boat ride.
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