Set in the world of high-stakes professional poker, the story focuses on Huck Cheever (Bana), a gifted young poker player confronting his personal demons as he attempts to win a world championship tournament in Las Vegas. (from MovieWeb.com)

Releasing any movie on the weekend of May 4th, 2007 would be, in my opinion, a huge mistake. Hoping to rake money off moviegoers wishing to be at the theatre, but not necessarily see Spider-Man 3, Lucky You pictures itself as the ideal romantic drama, featuring young stars Eric Bana (from Hulk, Troy) and my personal favorite, Drew Barrymore. This film, however, is not really a romance movie and leaves you to wonder who, in the long run, made the genre-label mistake; me or them?

First, a disappointment. Drew Barrymore, though she graces the cover of the movie poster, is not actually a major role player in this movie. This film basically deals with Huck (Bana) and his relationship with his father L.C., and Huck's obsessive gambling habit. I think the movie would have worked better had Barrymore not been in it - not because she did a bad job, but rather because she deserved better. The whole 'romantic' thing that was going on was a waste of plot, as the problem and solution rested within Huck and his father. But Barrymore did sing in the movie, and that's always a plus.

Second, a drawback. There is a lot of poker playing going on here. It certainly helps if you know how the game is played. At times, especially with the father and son connection, the movie reminded me of the Mel Gibson poker flick Maverick. Several shots are shown of what particular "hand" a character has, and the audience, based on their knowledge, can be heard gasping and muttering "Oh, that's a good hand" under their breath. Well, coming from someone who doesn't know how to play cards any more than knowing how to teach an elephant how to fish; it was, at times, confusing. I had to play by ear, reflecting on the audience's reactions to see whether the on-screen character had a good play at hand or not. This movie would be most appreciated by poker players, but for novice or unskilled folk like myself, it can be a complete mystery. Whereas a film like Maverick included poker but wasn't about poker, Lucky You is.

Third, something good. Eric Bana fit the part well, as did his father Robert Duvall. The relationship they held was fantastic, and the lessons learned from the on-screen duo was priceless. It was sad seeing one of my favorite actors, Robert Downey Jr., in the movie for only about seven minutes total. Barrymore was at her best, not playing the picture-perfect "dumb blonde" role, but like noted before, she isn't a role player. Most of the movie is spent dealing cards at the poker table- consider an amplified fleshed-out version of the Poker tournaments you may watch on ESPN. It probably won't excite a whole lot of people.

The causes for concern regarding content are few. There are a few uses of language. Barrymore has implied sex with Bana, they're shown kissing twice, and one of Huck's male friends has breast implants because of a bet he made with someone. This kind of gets creepy and doesn't really bowl over well.

All in all, Lucky You mixes up the superhero week a bit. However, with the lack of any real entertainment outside of its continuous poker games to contend with, Lucky You just runs the risk of disappearing and becoming a rather forgettable flick.

- Zachary Anderson, (reviewed: 5/5/07)