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Just My Luck (2006) 20th Century Fox 1 hr. 42 mins. Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine, Faizon Love, Bree Turner, Chris Carmack, Carlos Ponce, Samaire Armstrong, McFly Directed by: Donald Petrie This film is rated: PG-13 Just My Luck Rating:  
E-MAIL FRANK OCHIENG When your real life tabloid exploits make for better entertainment fodder than the film that you are currently starring in on the big screen, you know that this isn’t necessarily a good sign at all. The generically entitled Just My Luck is a frustratingly flaccid romantic comedy starring mischievous media magnet Lindsay Lohan. To be nervy enough to include the word “luck” in this lame and sketchy romp feels out of place given this flimsy, forgettable farce. Perhaps including “bad” in front of “luck” would aptly explain one’s true feelings toward this insufferable dud. Slight, pointless and convincingly witless, Lohan’s cinematic Luck runs out instantaneously before we even settle in our unforgiving seats. Director Donald Petrie and screenwriters I. Marlene King and Amy Harris have concocted a disposable vehicle where the bubble-gum appeal of Lohan was meant to transcend the actress-singer’s popularity with pre-teen and young adult females. Shockingly, Just My Luck wants to be portrayed as this fluffy feminine empowerment entry wrapped around in an innocuous slapstick-minded mode. As cutesy and screwy that Petrie’s narrative presents itself, Lohan is swallowed up in this lighthearted lumpy laugher that makes the rest of her previous films seem like viable AFI material. Whatever fortunate occurrence arises in Lohan’s lightweight antics on screen, the same cannot be said for the un-Luck-y stiffs that are subjected to this teenybopper trite at hand. Ashley Albright (Lohan) is a young woman on a mission to discovering her place in the world as New York City’s “luckiest gal”. She seems to have everything falling into place so properly—professionally she’s saddled with a promising public relations job. And on top of that, she’s personally committed to finding that romantic twitch with a prosperous charming boytoy (Chris Carmack). Other happenings that spice up Ashley’s charmed life include successfully scratching lottery tickets with immediate payoffs and hailing cabs in the busy Big Apple streets without so much a sweat. With all this good news being bestowed upon the pretty and peppy Ashley, what can go so wrong at this point? Meet the maligned masked stranger Jake Hardin (Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement’s Chris Pine). When Ashley plants a random kiss on the hapless Jake during a masquerade ball, her “lucky streak” and overall confidence is drained and suddenly is surging inside the bones of former underdog Jake. Hence, Jake is reborn and has inherited the winning spirit of excellent karma. However, poor Ashley goes from riches to rags and experiences a continual fall from greatness. Fittingly, Ashley is curious about her sudden weakened infliction and begins to inquire about getting back her “magical” powers of luck-induced entitlement. In the meanwhile, a rejuvenated Jake is undergoing a transformation of a lifetime. Conveniently, he becomes a power player in the recording industry where fame and fortune is at his capable reach. Between promoting his newfound meal ticket in the band that will ride him to financial victory and dealing with other preferential treatment, Jake isn’t aware that Ashley looks to hunt him down and rescind that fateful kiss that disabled her while decorating him with unexplainable over-achievement status. As viewers sit in their seats with anticipated breath (please excuse the inserted sarcasm), will they see the flustered ex-privileged princess Ashley regain her classy clout as Miss Moneybags? In other words, can Ashley reverse the curse and prevail accordingly? Will the once hard-luck kid Jake fend off Ashley’s bid to steal his inherited thunder or will he succumb to her romantically? Better yet, is it too late to recall the glory of Lindsay Lohan’s inspired turn in Mean Girls or is this too insensitive and tacky as a spontaneous gesture? As a romantic fantasy, Just My Luck could have been something more beyond a toothless gimmicky diversion where wacky silly-minded stunts are in place of genuine affectionate pathos. Surprisingly, Petrie never capitalizes on the potential to show what a true sense of loss may mean to the spoiled vanity of Lohan’s lost soul Ashley. The movie fails when it engages in such relentless trivial down-in-your-luck matters. Lohan’s beleaguered character becomes bogged with nutty nuances such as filling a washing machine with too much soap. Sure, Lohan may be a redhead but she’s certainly not the late Lucille Ball. Why concentrate on such lazy and lopsided outdated comic devices that range from dysfunctional hair dryers to poop-stained currency? Basically, Lohan is going through the motions here but you can hardly blame her when the reckless cheesy script has all the stability of holding a red brick on a suspended wet paper towel. Just My Luck loses its way when the notion of love through quirky happenstance is clouded by countless miscellaneous madcap moments that nauseate more than they generate decent chuckles. If you find Lohan/Ashley aimlessly laboring in a bowling alley’s men room a hoot-in-a-half then maybe it’s your hard luck that’s on display after all. Crass, clueless, and thinly cockeyed, Lohan’s convoluted comical piece is as lucky as a mutilated 2-leaf clover. Click here to comment on this review or post your own thoughts. Frank Ochieng © TheWorldJournal.com |
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