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Lucky Seven by Harry Winer
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Brad Rowe, Brian Markinson, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Lochlyn Munro, Patrick Dempsey Director: Harry Winer Brand: Sony Producer: Kimberly Williams-Paisley Cinematographer: Jon Joffin Editor: David A. Simmons Producer: John Danylkiw Producer: Judith A. Polone Producer: Judy Cairo Writer: Jessica Barondes DVD: Region Code 99 Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.78:1 Running Time: 95 minutes DVD Release Date: 2004-02-03 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Lucky SevenMovie Review: ...destiny gets punched in the face... Summary: 5 Stars
For me, the crush was on as soon as I saw Kimberly Williams (now Willliams-Paisley) in Father of the Bride (15th Anniversary Edition). Kimberly Williams-Paisley hasn't really done a lot of films in her career, so it's tough luck for her fans looking to see more of her cinematically. There's the sequel to FATHER OF THE BRIDE, of course, and a 2001 made-for-TV movie, Follow The Stars Home, which I quite liked - and then this one, LUCKY 7, which came out in 2003, also a made-for-TV movie and one which I like even more. As a bonus, the DVD even comes with a seven-minute-long Making Of segment.
When 7-year-old Amy Myer's dying mother, playfully and on a whim, jotted down a timeline list for Amy, she unwittingly mapped out her daughter's life. Slavishly adhering to the timeline, Amy had gone to summer camp, holidayed abroad, become a lawyer, and had kept count of her romantic relationships. Her mother's guideline had indicated that her seventh boyfriend, that lucky seven, would be the one, the real thing. The story proper opens with Amy, now in her twenties, having just broken up with Boyfriend #5 (dumb dude cheated on her). But then she meets Daniel, who is successful, charming, looks like Brad Pitt's younger brother. Fireworks even go off when they kiss for the first time. Her friends think him perfect; her dad even gives him his seal of approval. And Daniel really likes her. But Amy starts tripping because Daniel is only number six, which, in her mom's guideline, makes him diddly-do-squat.
She decides to have an interim boyfriend and takes up Peter the local bagel shop owner's invite of a weekend out-of-town non-date to his friend's wedding. Or as Amy tells her father: "I'm trying to turn Peter into number six so that Daniel can be number seven." And because this is a movie redolent with an air of gentle wackiness, Amy finds out that she's not the only one indulging in a pretend relationship. Peter had already told his friends that Amy was his girlfriend. And, maybe for the first time in her life of regimented and neurotic non-spontaneity, Amy decides to go with the flow...
All you soft touches for romance should probably line up for this one. LUCKY 7 is a terrific romantic comedy, featuring very nice chemistry by its two leads, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Patrick Dempsey. The story isn't about to shock anyone with outrageous twists and turns; we know how it ends. I do like that, initially, Patrick Dempsey's part isn't strongly featured, he's more of a background character. It isn't until the weekend getaway that his backstory really gets fleshed out. Dempsey oozes unpretentious, regular guy charm in this one, and probably there's some leftover cred I'm giving him from his days in Can't Buy Me Love, one of my favorite alltime teen flicks of the '80s (dude is also good in Enchanted (Widescreen Edition)).
Kimberly Williams-Paisley makes it look effortless, doing it with warmth and natural appeal and good acting (and she's also very cute). She juggles her character's neuroses without ever getting annoying, and she very easily makes Amy likeable. I think she's an underrated light comedienne; she's absolutely perfect for this sort of romantic comedy roles.
LUCKY 7 is more or less an askewed fairy tale, and of destiny being gently thwarted. It's also a coming-to-grips story and maybe even a coming-of-age story, because Amy, although now an adult, is still very much holding on to her long departed mother. A crack finally begins to surface when we learn (as Amy confesses to Peter) that she really loathes her lawyer job. LUCKY 7 is very romantic, and I dug all the beats, from those hands fitting perfectly to those moments in which you see Peter yearning for Amy, to the dilemma of number six possibly turning out to be the one and so turning the timeline topsy-turvy. The "How to make crab cakes" lesson, though, is just a wee bit disgusting (and yet I laughed). The supporting cast is very good, consisting mostly of Amy's understanding dad and Amy and Peter's respective bunch of friends. I also appreciate that the screenplay writer didn't do the dirty by making the romantic third wheel an unsavory jerk. Because when Amy finally does pick her lucky seventh guy, it shouldn't come off as so easy and obvious a choice. And, in the parlance of this movie, the sum of one's life shouldn't be reflected in a hope chest filled with memories and mementos of a mapped-out existence.
Summary of Lucky SevenLUCKY SEVEN - DVD Movie
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