Luck Review
Luck (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Peggy Holmes, written by Kiel Murray and starring Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Colin O’Donoghue, Lil Rel Howery, Flula Borg, John Ratzenberger, Adelynn Spoon, Grey Griffin, Suzy Nakamura, Kari Wahlgren, Kwaku Fortune, Chris Edgerly, Maurice J. Irvin, Nick Thurston and Fred Tatasciore. Luck is a kind-hearted animated movie that will satisfy children and adults looking for family friendly entertainment. It boasts some bright and colorful animation alongside clever characters who will be relatable to every day audiences searching for something uplifting and entertaining. Apple Original Films and Skydance have brought us a lovable movie that can rival recent Disney animated films although there is a little work that needs to be done if these studios want to surpass typical Disney/Pixar movies.
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Meet Sam (voiced by Eva Noblezada), an unlucky young girl who has recently left an orphanage to start an adult life of her own. She gets a job at a crafts store but seems to be something of a klutz who can’t seem to do anything right. Her boss puts her outside on shopping cart duty because things are too hectic in the store with her there. She is “besties” with a young girl from the orphanage named Hazel (voice of Adelynn Spoon) who has a stroke of bad luck whenever she comes close to being adopted. This film opens with a song and dance number between Hazel and Sam that is quite cute until Sam’s unlucky streak causes the musical interaction between these two characters to come to an abrupt halt. Sam is established as a girl who can’t get anything to go her way. She gets locked in the bathroom, the knob on the door comes off, and she has a hard time making her toast. For one, the toast won’t stay down to get cooked at first and for another, the jam sticks to the wall when the toast goes flying. One evening, Sam meets a black cat named Bob (voice of Simon Pegg) who she feeds part of a sandwich. At first, she doesn’t know Bob talks and Bob leaves behind a lucky penny that changes the turn of events for Sam–for the better. For a little while anyway. When the lucky penny gets flushed down the toilet, the plot thickens because Bob is returning to the Land of Luck where he comes from and needs the lucky penny. Sam follows the cat down a portal to the Land of Luck where she fits nicely into a leprechaun named Gerry (Colin O’Donoghue)’s green outfit. In the Land of Luck, Sam and Bob sneak past the Captain (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) to see if they can help each other out and get both of their lives on the right track. Lucky pennies are important and are a key ingredient to successful endeavors. Jane Fonda provides the voice of a dragon who will become a key part of the movie as the picture focuses on the way “luck” works–both good and bad. The Land of Luck is beautifully conceived as we see a twisty ride that Sam must make her way through as she enters the magical land. There is also the pesky notion of bad luck which complicates the plot and the movie falters a bit in its portrayal of bad luck. There’s not enough oomph in some of the scenes where Sam and Bob try to make the best out of their unfortunate situation. It could have used another script revision to work on developing some of the secondary characters too. However, Sam is a character the audience will love to follow. Noblezada gives her a credible voice that gives the character kindness and warmth. Pegg is a hoot as the cat Sam bonds with during the course of the film. Black cats aren’t necessarily bad luck all the time as the movie’s concept so warmly portrays. Sometimes, life involves taking chances in order to see the bright side of unfortunate events which frequently can teach us important lessons. That is what Luck is all about. Luck is a family movie that succeeds at what it wants to do. Fonda adds some complexity and intelligence to her dragon character and emerges with a nice little voice-over part which is probably the best thing she has done recently. Goldberg also doesn’t disappoint even though her turn is just a small part of the film. In the end how much you enjoy Luck probably depends on how much bad luck you’ve had in life recently. I’ve had a bit of it recently so it was soothing to see a world portrayed where everything doesn’t depend on how successful one is but rather how well one handles the less special moments in life. I liked that about the movie and think most people will really enjoy this film. It’s a special picture that should definitely be viewed for those looking for a positive themed story. Rating: 7/10 Leave your thoughts on this Luck review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.
