JUST MY LUCK(PG-13)
*** (out of 5)
May 12, 2006
STARRING
Lindsay Lohan as ASHLEY ALBRIGHT
Chris Pine as JAKE HARDIN
Samaire Armstrong as MAGGIE
Bree Turner as DANA
Faizon Love as DAMON PHILLIPS
Missi Pyle as PEGGY BRADEN
Chris Carmack as DAVID PENNINGTON
Makenzie Vega as KATY
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Directed by: Donald Petrie
BY KEVIN CARR
Listen to Kevin’s radio review…
Being a household name can be good, and sometimes it can be bad. I’m not sure yet which way the scales have tipped for Lindsay Lohan, although I’m sure the box office of her latest film “Just My Luck” will give us an idea of this.
Right now, a “Lindsay Lohan movie” already has a certain meaning. You’re not going to get your action film fan racing out to see this. Her films are falling into the category of “Sandra Bullock romantic comedy.” If you like them, you’ll most likely enjoy “Just My Luck.” However, if the mere sight of Lohan’s grinning mug makes you want to hurl, you’ll want to avoid this film.
The film, which has been compared to her earlier movie “Freaky Friday,” is about luck and how it can change. Ashley Albright (Lohan) is a young, sexy Manhattanite who has everything going for her. She’s lucky in everything she does – from scratch-off lottery tickets to taxi cab rides. However, when she runs into Jake Hardin (Chris Pine), her good luck is suddenly swapped with his bad luck.
In a matter of hours, Ashley loses her job, her apartment and most of her dignity. Not only is she without her good luck, but she seems to be cursed. Jake, on the other hand, is having everything go right for him for a change. Ashley tries to get her luck back from Jake, but she ends up falling in love in the process.
As much as I wanted to hate this movie, I have to admit it had quite a bit of charm. I attribute that more to director Donald Petrie, who gave us the recent romantic comedies “Miss Congeniality” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.”
But back to Lindsay Lohan. I will admit, I can’t resist a chance to bash the actress. I think that, while cute on screen, she’s a whack job. I’ve never enjoyed celebrities that make more of a name for themselves off set, like Lohan does.
To be honest, she really isn’t right for the role. She’s just too young. The movie would have been more believable with a woman in her later twenties. I just find it hard to believe a girl who isn’t old enough to drink (legally, of course) is going to have this life. As much as I hate to admit it, someone like Jennifer Garner would have been a better choice.
Last year when “Herbie: Fully Loaded” came out, I offered the theory that Lindsay Lohan was actually kidnapped and replaced by a highly sophisticated robot copy. How else do you explain how freakish she looks in the tabloids. I truly believe that “Just My Luck” offers credence to this theory.
Lohan’s weight fluctuates throughout the film more than Matthew Perry’s did during a season of “Friends.” Yes, she is a pretty girl, and her husky Demi Moore-esque voice is pretty sexy. But the attraction ends there.
Overall, in the role of Ashley, Lohan gets to be somewhat annoying. We’ve all met those people who seem to have everything go their way. They have no struggles in life, and they’re completely self-centered. That is the character of Ashley. Even when she loses her luck, she never really grows enough as a character to warm up to her.
Instead, is Chris Pine as the unlucky Jake Hardin who steals the show. The “Princess Diaries 2” star might just have a career as the love interest in these romantic comedies.
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