Just My Luck

Released: 05/12/06

Viewed: 11:45am 05/22/06

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine, Samaire Armstrong, Bree Turner, Faizon Love, Missi Pyle

Directed by: Donald Petrie

20 Century Fox Official Site of the movie

I like Lindsay Lohan. I mean, beyond the obvious reasons there are for a grown man to like her. I think she has great presence and natural skills as a comedian on screen. Mean Girls is a brilliant movie, and one of my favorite of its kind, largely due to Lohan’s abilities as a performer. Her latest film Just My Luck isn’t the stylish and sexy wickedly clever satire that Mean Girls was. It’s not even one of those adjectives. But it’s also not bad.

I would call it “by the books” and “safe” before I called it bad. It follows a basic romantic comedy formula that has proven time and again to please audiences. The only problem is Lindsay’s legion of teenage fans aren’t exactly ready to accept her in a Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Meg Ryan (5 years ago! Ha-HA!), America’s sweetheart sort of role. We still want her to be that sweet adorable teen queen that won our hearts with Disney remakes and innocent feuds with Hillary Duff over Aaron Carter. When do you think is the last time either of them thought about Aaron Carter?

Well as any male between the ages of 15 and 55 would tell you, Lohan is all grown up now, and really… she should be allowed to take on these kinds of roles without it being a big deal or a box office disaster. But the low-ticket sales aren’t the end of the world. The transition will come eventually, I’m sure.

With each new film I try to separate Lindsay the tabloid party monster from Lindsay the actress, and I feel like I’m still able to detach the two. It doesn’t help though that Just My Luck has Lindsay throwing parties, attending parties, using her good looks as a crutch and making out with 20 complete strangers. It reads like a copy of US Weekly without the unflattering photos and nipple slips.

It’s not just pretty pictures and an attractive cast. The whole of Just My Luck is pretty well put together. Safe and predictable, but not without its strengths.

This story of two people whose lives revolve around luck coming together and trading places is handled exactly as it should be. Each character is given a good amount of setup before the big switch. Just enough to show how they’re both slaves to luck but not done in an obvious or overly corny way. What I mean is that the things that happen to them are not so outrageously beyond the realm of good and bad luck. If we as an audience weren’t watching with such knowing eyes, we would just say that she’s having a good day, and he’s having a crap day.

Each character's transformation is neither harsh in its brevity nor tiresome in its length. Even better the circumstances that bring the two back together are both natural and funny. It was nice to see that the story was given as much time as the casting sessions.

Sadly, the ridiculously good looking cast, with a few exceptions, seemed either bored or confused. I thought Chris Pine held his own as the dual lead, but is it wrong that I kept wanting him to be Mark Ruffalo? I want all my sci-fi romantic comedies to star Ruffalo or Cusack. I’m hard-pressed to accept another.

I was glad to see Fazion Love who always makes me laugh. He’s perfectly cast here as a big record executive who knows exactly what his time is worth. Love delivers the ideal balance of unbridled enthusiasm and cold-blooded intimidation. I’d love to see him land more roles like this where, in a position of power, he gets to really tear people down.

It’s difficult to point out specifically where Just My Luck goes wrong. It definitely. does go wrong but the more I analyze the finer points of the film, the more I see how everything lines up well enough. The story is entertaining and sweet, and clever enough in how it all comes together. I admit that I did not guess the ultimate ending, but in hindsight saw that the clues were there all along. That’s cool, that they were able to bring something back and make it work.

The cast is inconsistent, but the ones that need to work the most, work fine. Lohan herself managed to shoot this movie right between her dangerously hot and deathly skinny phases, so she looked great, and that’s always a plus. But something was off. The movie just wasn’t anything special. Everything works but… so what? It’s not enough anymore.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Most people avoided this in theaters but I think it’ll have good legs on video. Curiosity will get the better of people and the DVD will be difficult to find in stock at Blockbuster the week it’s released. It’s really not all that bad, but there are so many other movies that are so much better. DVD Worthy?:

I’m not sure. Yeo and I really like watching this kind of movie on a lazy weekend, but I’ll have to let Yeo decide. There’s so much baggage that comes with Lohan though that I’m going to assume she’ll say “No.”

Trailer Hitch: The Devil Wears Prada

This is a straight up chick flick but the first full trailer makes it look like a smart, sophisticated, and sinfully entertaining film. It stars Anne Hathaway as an assistant to Meryl Streep who is essentially the cruelest boss you could ever imagine. Think Kevin Spacey in Swimming with Sharks except with a stark white wig and 5 inch heels.

The brilliance of the trailer is that it’s basically the first 3 minutes of the movie. We’re introduced to Hathaway on her first day at work and we meet a couple of her future coworkers who all but jump out the window with fear when they hear Streep’s character is on her way up. It’s quick, it’s well written, and it’s a great sign that the movie will be good if all the scenes are this strong. Chick flicks are a dime a dozen, but this one looks like it has potential.

Vote incentive:

Ah, today’s incentive is Lindsay stripping down for the gold. I say give it to her. That incentive is up over at Buzz where you fine folks have voted JLCM into the top ten for the month of June. Top Web needs a little of that love which is why I’m adding a fresh incentive over there too. It’s the final piece in the incentive event - What if Joe Was Laurence Fishburne? Cast your vote to see me as Cowboy Curtis from Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Yep, that was Laurence Fishburne. Crazy, right? Thanks for all the support guys!

Non Movie Related Stuff.

Anyone up for a contest!? The upcoming release of The Devil Wears Prada got me thinking about a possible contest. One that could get the readers involved with the strip. We've all had bad bosses, but who's had the worst? I'd like to hear from you! What's the worst thing your boss has ever asked you to do? Send your best evil boss story to me or post them in this thread, and I'll base the comic of the review on the winner.

The Prizes!

Whoever wins will get the original art of the strip, a copy of Tales From the Pimp issues 0-3, plus a set of the brand new JLCM buttons!

I'll post the two runners up along with the review and each of them will also win a set of the comics and the buttons as well as a sketch of whatever they'd like me to draw!

So dig down deep and try to remember the moments you've repressed of that fast food job you had when you were 15. When the boss made you retrieve a dead bird out off the roof, or the time your boss made you wipe his dogs ass, or the time your boss made you wipe his ass! I don't care, best story wins!

I realize this is kind of a chick flick, but it still felt like a great opportunity to get the community involved with the strip. I’ve got some great readers and I want you to feel involved and connected with the strip.

Thanks for reading, guys!

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