"The Lucky One," based off the book by Nicholas Sparks, follows Logan Thibault, played by Zac Efron, a U.S. Marine sergeant who returns to the United States after his third tour of duty in Iraq. While in Iraq, he finds a photograph of a woman, which becomes his lucky charm. He finds out that the woman in the photograph is named Beth (Taylor Schilling) and that she lives in North Carolina, so he finds her. He begins working at the local kennel, run by Beth's family. The circumstances eventually lead to a romance, but Beth's past bad relationship experiences cause her to be hesitant, and a dark secret form her past threatens their future together. Dana Venerable
Directed by: Scott Hicks With: Efron, Schilling, Blythe DannerWritten by: Will Fetters (screenplay), Sparks (novel)101 minutesRated PG-13
"The Lucky One" has enough cliches to collapse on itself in a mushroom cloud made of smugness and unrealistically high expectations. You know what's going to happen, and the characters couldn't be more one-dimensional if they were on paper. Yet inexplicably, the film is quite enjoyable and funny at parts. Varun Bhuchar
If nothing else, "The Lucky One" is an entertaining film. Full of overly dramatic and predictably corny scenes, it also has touching moments. You'll get your fill of running-after-the-love-of-your-life scenes, along with some beautiful nature shots. Not an artistic or intellectual masterpiece, "The Lucky One" still a fun film. Sarah Scully
The film lacks the sophistication and depth that made "The Notebook" such a tear-jerker. The only thing the film has going for it is the fact that the two leads are so good looking. The film's portrayal of the South is stereotypical and vapid, and even more alarming is the lack of emotion shown by Efron. "The Lucky One" is aesthetically pretty but has little substance. Patrick Chen
