Lucky Numbers
There's some movies I enjoy even though I know I probably shouldn't and have a difficult time trying to explain why I did. "Lucky Numbers" is a perfect example of this because it's such a blatant rip-off of "Fargo" and every movie based on an Elmore Leonard novel and yet it somehow still works for me. I know I'm in the minority here but let me explain.
The film takes place in Harrisburg, PA in 1988 during an unseasonably warm winter. John Travolta plays the local big-shot TV weatherman who is idolized by the townsfolk as if he were John Travolta himself and not the bumbling Russ Richards.
Russ is married to Crystal (Lisa Kudrow), a blonde bimbo if ever there was one in the history of cinema. She's a selfish, nasty bitch full of lust and desire but somehow she got the job of the lottery ball girl - not exactly the most intellectually taxing job on the market. Crystal's cheating on Russ with their collective boss Dick (Ed O'Neil), the TV station manager. She doesn't seem to genuinely like either of them, but it's all she can do in this one-horse town.
Much like "Fargo," this movie tells the story of a man who's going broke and has to pull off a huge scam to get rich quick. He enlists the help of his English friend Gig (Tim Roth), the local stripclub owner who tells him how to fix the lottery. Along the way a subplot involving a two-bit thug named, accurately, "Dale the Thug" (Michael Rappaport) gets mixed up in the process. There's also a bookie that somehow gets thrown in the mix once the deal goes down.
I'm not going to elaborate much further on the plot and story because it continues to unwind and take twists and turns you're not expecting. This is a farce, which is basically a straightforward, adult-oriented comedy but doesn't go as far as a classic black comedy should. Where as "Fargo" was sometimes shocking and disturbing while being funny, "Lucky Numbers" is just funny because you can't take these characters in these outrageous situations seriously. It's all a big cartoon basically, but it's funny and I can respect that.
Travolta is great in his role and even though he's not a really likable character, he's trying to be a nice guy despite the fact he's a creep. He's like a gangster with morals who genuinely feels sorry for the guys he has to kill. Crystal is just the opposite, she's constantly arguing and using whatever brain cells she has left to look out for herself. Kudrow is perfect in this role since she's spent 8 years on TV as the dim-witted Phoebe on "Friends." Here is character is basically a very evil incarnation of Phoebe.
I have to admit I was honestly surprised and pleased by how the plot unraveled and the methods each of the main characters use to try to get their share of the money. Like "Jackie Brown," (an Elmore Leonard adaption), the story is about a circle of 10 characters all after the lottery money that has been won illegally. The screenplay does a fine job in balancing the characters and slowly revealing their motivations and hidden agendas while at the same time keep Russ Richards the main focus. More and more characters are introduced and since the film has such an iconic, cartoony atmosphere you can take on faith just what makes the minor characters do what they do.
The ending itself is great. It's surprising and funny and makes you feel good. You realize this film has packed in about 10 different movies' worth of stories into two hours' time and didn't fall apart (although many other critics might beg to differ). I liked it, and I could see it again - isn't that what makes a movie good?
GRADE: B
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