Akito HirataReview - The Lucky Ones
March 2nd 2009 10:04
Tim Robbins plays Fred Cheaver, a soldier returning from his final tour of duty looking to return home and settle back into his comfortable life with his wife and son. Rachel McAdams is Colee Dunn, a woman who recently sustained a leg injury, looking to return a friend's guitar to his family because he saved her life. The third soldier is TK Poole, played by Michael Pena, who was wounded in the groin and is looking to visit Las Vegas in the hope that a high class hooker can help his cause before returning home to his fiance. Both Colee and TK are on leave for a period of 30 days and due to return to Iraq once their leave is up.
Upon arriving at JFK the three soldiers discover that all outbound flights are cancelled due to a power failure. Colee and TK opt to share a car with Fred who is heading home to St Louis figuring they will catch a flight to Las Vegas from there. The three soldiers don't have a lot in common personally although the commonality of the war and their shared experiences is enough to bond them together for the length of the trip.
All three leads are superb - Tim Robbins brings a quietness to his role of Cheaver that is superb. McAdams gives a sterling performance as the kind hearted slightly naive Colee and Pena's cocky performance underpinned with the embarrassment of his erectile dysfunction is well captured.
As with all road trip movies the events that occur are slightly cliched although this film adds some new opportunities to branch out of the formula. While they are not entirely believeable - hurricanes, working girls, an attendance at Church - the emotions behind the characters are beautifully played out. A road trip is also not complete until the events along the way change or move the characters in some way. Whilst their shift in attitudes which occur is not overly profound it is enough to give them a better understanding of themselves and a deeper respect for each other.
Voyage Review: 3.5/5
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