"The Lucky One" is a 2012 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Hicks. It was released in April 2012 and is based on Nicholas Sparks’ 2008 novel.
The film features Zac Efron as Logan Thibault, a U.S. Marine who discovers a photograph of a young woman while serving in Iraq. He keeps it with him as a lucky charm and later searches for the woman, beginning a relationship with her.
The movie received negative reviews from critics and earned $99.4 million at the box office.
Plot
Logan Thibault, a United States Marine serving in Iraq, sees a Marine named "Aces" die while trying to help a teammate during an attack. The next day, he finds a picture of a young woman on the ground before a mortar attack destroys the area where he was sitting, killing many nearby. Unable to find the owner of the photo, Logan keeps it. A squad member calls the woman in the picture his "guardian angel" just before an explosion destroys their vehicle.
Logan returns to Colorado to live with his sister's family, who are caring for his dog, Zeus. He struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor guilt, so he decides to leave and search for the woman in the photo. Logan and Zeus travel to Louisiana, where a lighthouse in the photo gives them a clue. He shows the photo to people in town, and a local resident tells him the woman used to be married to a friend, a local deputy sheriff.
Logan finds the woman, Beth Green, but has trouble explaining why he is there. She assumes he wants a job, and her grandmother, Ellie, hires him. At first, Beth is annoyed by Logan's presence, but she begins to like him because of his calm behavior, willingness to work, and skill in fixing machines. Logan forms a supportive relationship with Beth's son, Ben, who has lost his father, Beth's brother Drake. Beth's former husband, Sheriff's Deputy Keith Clayton, the son of the town's judge, is suspicious of Logan. He is rude and demanding toward the former Marine and stops his son Ben from playing the violin around him, causing Ben to practice in his treehouse.
On the anniversary of Drake's death, Beth becomes very upset, and Logan helps calm her. Keith tries to stop the growing relationship between Beth and Logan, but she stands up to him, showing she is no longer afraid of him.
Learning that Logan was asking about Beth when he first arrived, Keith steals the photo, making Beth believe Logan has been following her. Her trust broken, she is upset and sends Logan away. Ellie tries to comfort Beth, explaining that Logan surviving was not his fault, and that Drake died in the attack.
An intoxicated Keith sees Logan walking with his dog and angrily confronts him, pulling out a gun while people on the street panic and run. Logan takes the gun away from Keith and gives it to another officer. He then goes home to pack, finding a photo of Beth's brother Drake inside a book Ben had given him. A tattoo on Drake's arm reads "Aces," and Logan realizes Drake was the sergeant from the night of the raid. He returns to Beth to share what he learned about how Drake died.
At Judge Clayton's house, Keith is shocked and embarrassed by his actions, though his father tells him the situation will be forgotten before the election. Keith walks into a storm, leaving his badge behind, and pleads with Beth to reconcile. When she gently but firmly refuses, he threatens to take Ben away.
Ben overhears the argument and runs into the storm, followed by Keith and Beth, just as Logan arrives. Ellie urges Logan to follow. Ben is heading to the treehouse, but the rope bridge breaks, and he falls into the river with his father. Keith, caught in the bridge's rope, calls to Logan, who grabs Ben and hands him to Beth. Before Logan can return for Keith, the treehouse falls on him, and he is swept away by the fast-moving river.
Back home, Beth thanks Logan for saving her son. He explains that Drake died saving one of his own men. Logan begins to leave, but Beth runs after him and tells him he belongs with them.
A year later, Logan, Beth, Ben, and Zeus celebrate Ben's 9th birthday together.
Cast
- Zac Efron as Logan Thibault
- Taylor Schilling as Elizabeth "Beth" Green
- Blythe Danner as Ellie
- Jay R. Ferguson as Keith Clayton
- Riley Thomas Stewart as Benjamin "Ben" Clayton
- Adam LeFevre as Judge Clayton
- Joe Chrest as Deputy Moore
- Ann McKenzie as Charlotte Clayton
- Kendal Tuttle as Drake "Aces" Green
- Robert Terrell Hayes as Victor
- Russ Comegys as Roger Lyle
- Sharon Morris as Principal Miller
Reception
The movie The Lucky One earned $60,457,138 in North America and $38,900,000 in other countries, totaling $99,357,138 worldwide.
During its first weekend in theaters, the film earned $22,518,358, placing it in second position at the box office behind Think Like a Man, which earned $33,636,303.
Critics gave The Lucky One mostly negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 20% rating based on 148 reviews, with an average score of 4.3 out of 10. The critical consensus states that the movie includes some escapist melodrama but depends too much on overused emotional themes, making it appealing only to those familiar with Nicholas Sparks' style. On Metacritic, the film received a score of 39 out of 100 based on 35 reviews, which indicates generally unfavorable opinions.
Home media
The movie The Lucky One was made available on DVD and Blu-ray on August 28, 2012. It earned $31.6 million from home video sales.