DVD Movie Rating for: Lucky Numbers

3 out of 5

Movie Plot of: Lucky Numbers

Winter, 1988: Harrisburg PA's celebrity weatherman, Russ Richards, is broke: he's borrowed heavily to open a snowmobile dealership, and it's still unseasonably warm. Gig, his seedy pal, advises him to run an insurance scam; when it goes awry, Russ is out another $10,000 and in trouble with Dale, a bat-wielding thug. Gig convinces Russ to rig the state lottery with the help of Crystal, a gold-digging ditz with a heart of tin. They have to find a beard to buy the ticket, and then they have to cash it. Soon, murder and various double-crosses add to Russ's nightmare. A lazy cop zeroes in. Jail is closer than riches. Will Russ have to choose between his money and his life?

DVD Production Details of: Lucky Numbers

Starring: John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow (Friends TV-Series)

Director: Nora Ephron

Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby

Studio: Paramount Studio

DVD Release Date: April 1, 2003
DVD Features:
Theatrical trailer(s)

Exclusive Cast and Crew Interviews

Director's Commentary with Nora Ephron

Widescreen anamorphic format

Cast of the movie: Lucky Numbers

• John Travolta .... Russ Richards
• Lisa Kudrow (Friends TV-Series) .... Crystal
• Tim Roth .... Gig
• Ed O'Neill .... Dick
• Michael Rapaport .... Dale
• Daryl Mitchell .... Chambers
• Bill Pullman .... Lakewood
• Richard Schiff .... Jerry Green
• Michael Moore .... Walter
• Sam McMurray .... Chief Troutman
• Michael Weston .... Larry
• Maria Bamford .... Wendy
• Caroline Aaron .... Nurse Sharpling
• John F. O'Donohue .... Bobby (as John F. O'Donahue)
• Colin Mochrie .... Jack

Photo Gallery of the movie: Lucky Numbers

Click on one of the thumbnails to see the full size, high resolution photographs

Lucky Numbers

Reviews of the movie: Lucky Numbers

John Travolta plays Russ Richards, a small-town weatherman who is such a local celebrity that he even has his own table at the local Denny's. He obviously sees himself as a big deal about town, and he's got the spending habits to prove it, including payments on a big house and a fancy Jaguar. His unstable life is further complicated by the fling he's having with the station's lotto girl (Lisa Kudrow (Friends TV-Series)), who is also having an affair with the married station manager (Ed O'Neill). On the verge of bankruptcy, Russ asks the advice of his good friend and strip club owner Gig (Tim Roth), who cooks up a plan to fix the lottery. The hardest part of the whole scheme turns out to be finding a trustworthy person to cash in the ticket. This is a mean-spirited comedy, which is to be expected from writer Adam Resnick (Cabin Boy, TV's Get a Life), but not from director Nora Ephron (You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle). Then again, maybe she always has patronized the characters in her movies. Clearly, the casting needed to tap into the oddball surrealism of someone like Chris Elliott, whereas Travolta is just playing a dumb, self-deluded guy, and Kudrow, in her most unlikable role yet, is playing not just a ditz but a ditsy sociopath. The movie is not a total waste, thanks mostly to some stunning supporting performances by Tim Roth, Ed O'Neill, and especially Bill Pullman as the lazy cop. Overall, a mixed bag.

I think highly of John Travolta as an actor. After being one of the hottest properties in the eighties, he virtually disappeared for five years and then spent another four years with nothing more substantial than three `Look Who's Talking' movies. Then at 40 years of age, he took an enormous gamble with `Pulp Fiction', making a triumphant comeback and never looking back. Unfortunately, 2000 was not a good year for Travolta. After the lackluster `Battlefield Earth', he needed a project that would help him regain his momentum. This film wasn't it.

`Lucky Numbers' is a dark comedy about two hapless employees of a local Harrisburg TV station who try to fix the state lottery. The screenplay is goofy and has a TV sitcom feel to it. The majority of the jokes don't work. Director Nora Ephron (`Sleepless in Seattle', `Michael', `You've Got Mail') is a talented director, but quirky slapstick is not her strong suit. She does much better with schmaltzy romantic projects.

Travolta hasn't played a character this vacuous since Vinnie Barbarino in `Welcome Back, Kotter'. It is a definite step backward for him, since he has proven himself an excellent dramatic actor. His performance isn't terrible, the character is. For Lisa Kudrow (Friends TV-Series), this is the same ditzy character she has been playing for years, only with a liberal dose of profanity. She does a good job, but the character is extremely predictable with little range. Ed O'Neill is droll as the station manager who tries to cut himself in on the caper.

This film has plenty of talent, but a weak script. I rated it 5/10. It is not awful, but it is extremely mediocre and it didn't provide Travolta with an opportunity to redeem his year.