Lucky Them (Blu-ray) (2013)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2013
Running Time	97:00
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Megan Griffiths
Studio Distributor	Shock Entertainment	Starring	Toni Collette Thomas Haden Church Oliver Platt Ryan Eggold
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Lucky Them is an independent drama with comedy about a woman examining and reconnecting with her past. It is a decent film anchored by a strong performance by Toni Collette.

     Collette plays Ellie Klug, a rock journalist working for a non-mainstream magazine in Seattle. Years ago she used to date Matthew Smith, touted by many as the next big thing. His rapid rise to musical glory came to a swift end when he failed to turn up for an important gig and his car was found empty near a waterfall. Then after a flurry of activity and supposed Matthew sightings the world moved on and he is presumed dead.

     Ellie is still living the life of a rock journalist in an era where print magazines are falling faster than the stock market. She frequently discovers new talent, sleeps with said talent and then moves on. Her frustrated boss (Oliver Platt) gives an ultimatum - find Matthew and write the story of her lifetime. Failure is not an option. When her boss gives her $1000 to pay off a dude who claims to have strong information as to Matthew's whereabouts she leaves it on a bench next to her latest squeeze, aspiring guitar troubadour Lucas (Ryan Eggold) and has to look for another source of money. She finds it in the form of old boyfriend Charlie (Thomas Haden Church), a wealthy and eccentric businessmen who has recently done a course in documentary filmmaking and will lend her the money if he can make a movie of the quest.

     Drama and comedy ensue as the odd pair struggle to find the elusive Matthew or even work out whether he is still alive. The film was directed by Seattle filmmaker Megan Griffiths and the semi-autobiographical script was co-penned by Emily Wachtel, who herself wrote under the pseudonym Ellie Klug. Its history stems back over 10 years including producer Joanne Woodward, hence the credit dedication to Paul Newman.

     Whilst the idea of a rock journalist struggling to keep their job and struggling to maintain relevancy is even more important today the script does feel a little old. The character played by Thomas Haden Church is not that far away from the self-absorbed doofus from Sideways. Nevertheless the film takes off when Church and Collette are together with their weird chemistry.

     There is also a cameo in this film which surprised audiences when it was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The surprise would have been great indeed and would have continued through to the Blu-ray release had it not been for the fact that there is a picture of said actor on the back of the case.

Video

     Lucky Them comes to Blu-ray in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio consistent with the original cinematic presentation.

     IMDb does not contain details of the cinematographic process.

     The flesh tones are well rendered and there is a good level of detail to the faces and clothing. The settings for the film are generally drab interiors such as Ellie's apartment or overcast Seattle exteriors.

     The result is a film that is realistic in look but never vibrant or visually exciting.

    There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

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Shadow Detail
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Audio

     Lucky Them carries a DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack.

     The dialogue is clear and easy to understand. There are no technical problems with the soundtrack.

     Surround sounds do not feature a lot but the pub music scenes and the waterfall scenes are well spaced. The sub-woofer is pretty quiet.

     The soundtrack is stuffed full of singer-songwriter tunes and the concluding song by Paolo Nutini is a cracker.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    There are no extras.

    The Region 1 DVD release contains behind the scenes footage and some interview material. There is no Blu-ray release in Region A as yet. Buy this region if you want Blu-ray.

      Lucky Them is an enjoyable indie film which makes no serious demands on the viewer. It is nevertheless an enjoyable watch. The Blu-ray quality is consistent with the modest aspirations of the film.

Video
Audio
Extras
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Overall