The Lucky One- European Premiere

Last night, I was lucky enough to have tickets for the European Premiere of The Lucky One held at The Curzon in Chelsea. My lovely sister, Annie works in Film and Entertainment PR and managed to wangle us 3 cheeky tickets to see Mr Efron in the flesh so I went with two of my best friends. I am partial to a good rom-com and was really looking forward to a bit of cheeky celeb spotting so all in all, I was pretty gosh darn excited!

The premiere itself was pretty low-key with the director (Scott Hicks), author (Nicholas Sparks) and two main characters (Zac Efron and Taylor Shilling) making small announcements before the screening but unfortunately, as soon as they finished talking, they left!

So, now on to the film. 


The film is based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, and if you've seen any other film based on a Sparks book (The Notebook), you will know what to expect- particularly, some pretty corny lines like, "You should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute." I am mocking it, but I love those lines. Why don’t people ever actually say stuff like that anymore? I may be a ridiculous romantic at heart but come on people, keep romance alive and crack out the corny lines!


The Lucky One tells the story of Logan (Efron), a Marine who, while serving in Iraq, stops to pick up a snapshot of a pretty woman (Beth) that’s been left on the ground with the message “Keep Safe x” on the back; that moment’s pause saves his life from an overwhelming explosion which wipes out the majority of his platoon, so he determines that when he returns home he is going to track the woman down and thank her. 


Having made it out of the war, Logan then decides to go on a walkabout to find the woman in the picture.  After traveling on foot from Colorado to Louisiana to find her — a task that seems incredibly easy, given the lack of clues in the photo — he then somehow can’t bring himself to explain why he’s there.  


I won’t elaborate on the plot points but I will mention that the predictability of the storyline is somewhat saved by the efforts of the cast. Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling make the perfect couple and the onscreen chemistry is rather enthralling to watch. I would also note that Blythe Danner’s performance of Beth’s slightly eccentric grandmother is stunning and familiar, reminding me of my own Nan. The star of the show for me was actually Riley Thomas Stewart who played Beth’s young son Ben. He felt like the most natural character on the screen and acted out some incredible witty scenes which got a fair few laughs in the premiere. 


I would also mention that the scene of a rather racy nature is quite superb. The tension leading up to it is cleverly thought out and the fact that Zac Efron has blossomed into a somewhat muscly strapping fellow was rather pleasing to the eye- he has most definitely been on the protein shakes and hit the gym hard. I would definitely disagree with the rating and would say that it was perhaps a little racy and also quite violent at times. 


All in all, a great romcom. A little predictable but great none-the-less. This is an emotional, visual and romantic screenplay that will likely stay with you for some time. If you loved The Notebook and Dear John, you will LOVE The Lucky One. And Zac Efron (even though he is rather short in real life…).


Check out the trailer here:

Peace,
O x