Le bon numéro

Working from a screenplay by Adam Resnick, director Nora Ephron diverts from her usual domain of romantic comedy to skirt the perimeter of Scorsese territory with `Lucky Numbers,' a black comedy of errors starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow. Travolta is T.V. weatherman Russ Richards, something of a local celebrity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he also owns a snowmobile dealership. Kudrow is Crystal Latroy, who works for the same station as Richards, as the `Vanna White' of the state lottery show; she's the girl who pulls the ping-pong balls from the tube and calls out the winning numbers. In their world, everything is pretty much jake until the weather stays too good for too long; no snow means no snowmobile sales for Russ, and pretty quickly he's in it up to here, financially. With his back against the wall, the usually honest and upright Richards is coaxed into a plan that will put an end to his woes and worries. All he has to do is convince Crystal to help him rig the lottery, and they'll walk away with upward of six million dollars. And, as it usually goes with a plan for the perfect crime, it isn't long before Murphy's Law goes into effect, and things go south in a hurry. And life for Russ Richards, a guy with his own table at Denny's, just isn't what it used to be. But, like they say, when things look dark, it's probably only going to get darker... For Travolta, the character of Richards is somewhat different than any he's done before. To pull it off (which he does), he has to play down the charm and stifle his natural charisma, leaving Russ with just enough polish and ego to make him `local celebrity' believable. This is a good guy at heart, reasonably intelligent, but not exactly the brightest bulb in the overheads. And Travolta manages to put it all across admirably. He's not someone you'll easily relate to, but you've got to like this guy. He's kind of a, well, he's a goof-ball. Kudrow has a character in Crystal that is different for her as well; as the lotto girl, on the show she exhibits a somewhat dense persona; but Crystal is anything but. She's the sharp one of the bunch, externally charming when she needs to be, but tough as nails on the inside and ready to play hardball as soon as the opportunity presents itself. And Kudrow plays it all beautifully. Crystal is not someone you're readily going to embrace, but it's hard not to like her. Is it her fault there's more than a little larceny in her heart just waiting for the right circumstances to be unleashed? Ephron seems to enjoy taking these characters, who are just a shade darker than what she's used to, through their paces. It's a satirical walk on the wild side for her, and she manages to mine laughs in some of the darkest places along the way. But when you have characters with names like `Gig' (Tim Roth) and `Dale the Thug' (Michael Rapaport), you're going to get some chuckles no matter what, especially when one of them is wielding a baseball bat for all the wrong reasons. The supporting cast includes Ed O'Neill (Dick), Michael Moore (Walter), Michael Weston (Larry), and, in a small, but highly effective and hilarious role, Bill Pullman (Lakewood). This is a funny movie, though not uproariously so; things happen that you will laugh at in spite of yourself, while at other times there are moments that are genuinely side-splitting hilarious (one in particular, near the end, that involves an eighteen-wheeler). This may not be Ephron's crowning achievement cinematically, but nevertheless, `Lucky Numbers' is entertaining and good for some laughs. For Ephron, it's definitely the road less traveled; but in the end, it's a trip worth taking with her. I rate this one 7/10.

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, 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.

We've travelled many miles to view Bill Pullman movies and fortunately this one came to our local theatre. Unfortunately, the theatre was not packed, as it should have been, and my loud guffaws bounced from wall to wall. Nora Ephron should have cast Sandra Bullock in the Lottery girl's role....minus the filthy mouth. Too much gratuitous foul language from Lisa Kudrow who also gave a 'forced' performance. Travolta was disarming as the 'oh so cool' weatherman, he carried his role well. Who stole the movie?? Bill Pullman with his comedic skills did!!!! His Officer Lakewood was outstandingly outstanding. His body language and facial expressions communicate admirably to an audience. Hollywood should acknowledge this marvelous actor a bit more.

I love Ephron's signatures, Christmas time, snow globes, pleasant music. How about another Ephron, Pullman, Bullock movie?

John Travolta is embarrassing. He is NOT funny. Unfortunately the story is about his character Russ Richards. This Russ Richards annoys everyone in the movie and the audience. Travolta's last good movie was 1997's SHE'S SO LOVELY.

Lisa Kudrow does her best, but can't save the movie. Her character ranges between being stupid and being ruthless. Some of the better moments AND laughs come from her.

Bill Pullman steals the show as a cop who doesn't want to work. Unfortunately he only appears at the end of the movie when you are so bored that you are not longer interested in what is happening next.

Good cast (except Travolta), poor story, nothing special. 4 out of 10

Do not go into this movie expecting sheer hilarity. Do not go into this movie expecting character development. Do not go into this movie expecting realism or a positive portrayal of Harrisburg, PA and its residents. If you can do that, you might be able to enjoy this for what it is- an unrealistic situation comedy with a couple of surprises and laughs. Think "Disorganized Crime" with more humor. Travolta is actually fairly low-key, Kudrow is not as annoying as I expected, and decent cameos/supporting performances by Ed O'Neill, Darryl Mitchell & Bill Pullman (as good cop/bad cop), Michael Moore (!?!), and Tim Roth. Set your expectations low and you should enjoy it.