The Lucky One

Nicholas Sparks.

That’s all I have to say to "spark" a quick resolve for men to hate the film and women to love it and then drag those same men to see it. Sparks (A Walk to Remember, The Notebook) has written some of the most influential love stories of our time. “The Lucky One” may not become an instant classic, but it has a lot of heart (and a lot of shirtless Zac Efron).

Efron plays Logan Thibault, a marine who found a picture of a woman in the desert and miraculously survived several deadly accidents overseas. When he gets back home he feels he needs to thank the woman who inadvertently saved his life. And so the love story begins.
Logan travels across the country by using Google to find the woman in the picture (sweet but unrealistic). When he finds the woman (Elizabeth played by Taylor Schilling) he’s unable to tell her the truth. This leads to Elizabeth falling for Logan, ripped abs and everything.

The only competition Logan has is with the evil ex-husband, Clayton. The audience, at least me, roots for Logan to lose his even-tempered manner and sock him in the face.

This film executes a seemingly unique plot-line pretty well. If you’ve read the book you understand the characters and their dynamics better. But, the challenge of a film is to put all these elements into a movie without having to have your audience do homework before hand. Efron is elegant in his role as the quiet, stand-up guy. And, if you’re like me, you’re completely OK with a silent Efron, as long as he’s buff like he is in the movie.

“The Lucky One” may not be the stand-out movie of the year, but it has heart and comes with a positive message that love conquers all. If you feel like escaping into love story you’ll enjoy it. And guys, at least pretend you enjoy it in front of your girlfriends, they'll appreciate it.