Movie Review: Just My Luck

By Anne Brodie May 11, 2006, 4:58 GMT

Ashley Albright (LINDSAY LOHAN) is the luckiest woman in the world, a personto whom all the good things in life have come far too easily.  She can picka lottery ticket at random and hit the jackpot.  In New York, the world¹sbusiest city, Ashley never has to wait for a cab. And she has a terrific jobas an account exec at a prestigious public relations firm. Everything goesAshley¹s way. And now, ...more

Lindsay Lohan is a capable comic actress and a supple physical, slapstick kind of gal.

She’s been in show business since her 1998 double debut as the twins in ‘The Parent Trap’ remake and has learned her professional lessons. She seems like a hard worker and throws herself into every kind of situation. And she goes for the gusto here as a lucky lady who loses it all one fateful night.

It’s not her fault ‘Just My Luck’s so lame.

The screechy sounds ‘Oh my Gosh!’ and ‘Ohmigawd’ are still ringing in my ears, the constant refrains of this tedious reverse Cinderella movie. And my head’s spinning from the succession of predictably formulaic bromides.

It begins ‘cute’ enough in Manhattan where a beautiful girl in gorgeous expensive clothes makes her way to work at a glossy p.r. firm. On the way, she somehow causes the rain to stop and the sun to shine brightly and a five dollar bill sticks to her chichi boot. Once at work, she saves the firm with some quick thinking and gets a huge promotion.

But it’s all pretty much like that for Ashley Albright (Lindsay Lohan) all the time. She was born lucky and regularly pats herself on the back with a self-satisfied smile.

On the other side of town, an extremely handsome young fella, Jake Hardin (Chris Pine), disguised to look like an extremely handsome homeless guy has lots of luck, all of it bad.

He’s the guy who gets splashed by passing traffic in the rain, who splits his pants, gets hauled to the police station and misses all clean and clear opportunities to change things.

Albright’s friends are jealous of her seemingly endless luck while they’re stuck in uneventful lives with limited prospects. The whine about their lack of luck, but take advantage of the good things that come their way through Ashley. It’s a fine line.

Albright is intensely materialistic. She owns dozens of important shoes and outfits, stored in her very nice apartment. She’s ‘That Girl’ of the conspicuous consumption era. We never learn how she manages to live in a doorman building while her friends from work share a shabby one room flat.

Albright plans a promotional masquerade party for her clients, a fantasy extravaganza that promises to be a huge success. She shares a kiss with a total stranger – who we know to be the unlucky guy.

Magically, luck drains out of her and into him. Her heel breaks, the bad luck begins and now she’s in jail!
It’s all as the party tarot reader warned her.

Tovah Feldshuh, the marvelously tough defense lawyer Danielle Melnick on ‘Law and Order’ is the Tarot reader, and while she’s onscreen, it’s good. Imagine bringing depth to ‘Just My Luck’!

Not to undervalue Lohan – she’s better than the material and big props; she gives her all, like the well-trained professional she is. She has fun with her characters new humble life as a bowling alley janitor / loser.  It’s a long way from her previous life, but she somehow finds her soul now that she knows how the little people live and strive.

Jake’s there to help in his earnest way, now rolling in dough and success and apparently able to buy vast amounts of laundry detergent. But Pine could have brought more to the part.

Jake’s too squeaky nice to be believable or interesting. He desperately needs edge.

But the film will surely find a loving home in he hearts of young girls ages 8 – 18, girls who think Lohan is all that and that clothes, limos and disco parties are could be pinnacles of success. Because that’s what the media says.

The gorgeous and smitten guy is waiting just around the corner and everything turns out just swell.  While this is a fantasy film of sorts, it will no doubt help shape girls’ views of their own futures.

That’s a lot to hang on Lohan, even as she personally traverses the rocky waters of to much partying, boys and cigarettes and too little to eat.

Opens wide in USA May 12th   MPAA rated PG 13