The Lucky Ones (2008)
Release Date: Friday September 26, 2008 Tuesday January 27, 2009 (dvd/video) Genre: Drama Running Time: 115 min.
Director: Neil Burger Cast: Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, Michael Peña, Molly Hagan, Mark L. Young, Howard Platt, Arden Myrin, Coburn Goss
This film wasn’t at all what I expected but as usual that’s okay. This isn’t a particularly fantastic film but it’s a nice rental. The idea of three stranded soldiers on leave sharing a car to get to their respective home destinations is a great scenario for an exploration of the human spirit. Here are three different versions of the same narrative (the life of a US soldier) that all prove to be worth thinking about with out the imminent presence of war onscreen. Rather, in this film, you get the feel for the emotional and internal struggle of these people who are at very different stages in life and from very different ethnic view points. It is also a nice discourse regarding the diversity in the socio-political landscape of the USA without pointing fingers or saying whose right or wrong. What this film does accomplish is the view of the soldier as a human being with motivations that may not be violent or malicious but rather stem from a place of survival. Rachel McAdams character has the advantageous role of a female soldier who is using the army as a family and a place to go because she feels she has no place in life.
This film has some really heart felt and funny moments making for an easy watch. I recommend this as an alternative to the traditional soldier coming home tale.