The story revolves around three soldiers, Cheever (Tim Robbins), Colee (Rachel McAdams), a naive private who's pinned her hopes on connecting with a dead fellow soldier's family, because she has lost all ties to her own, and TK (Michael Peña) when they return from the Iraq War after suffering injuries they learn that life has moved on without them. They end up together on an unexpected road trip, with Colee on a mission to bring her boyfriend's guitar back to his family because he saved her life, and she hopes to live with them. TK seeking confidence to face his wife after a shrapnel injury that threatens his sexual function decides that he must first see prostitutes to find out if he can still be the husband he wants to be for his wife, and middle-aged Cheever planning to return to a wife who unknown to him is looking to get a divorce and to a son who is in need of twenty grand to go to college. But when an unexpected blackout cancels all flights out of New York, they are forced to make their way to their destinations together. Cheever agrees to share the cost of a rental car for the drive to Pittsburgh with the two similarly stranded servicemen, TK and Colee. After Cheever finds out his wife is looking to divorce him he decides to go to vegas with his fellow travelers. This is a last ditch desperate effort to pay for his son's college tuition. What begins as a short trip unexpectedly evolves into a longer journey. Forced to grapple with old relationships, broken hopes and a country divided over the war, TK, Cheever and Colee discover that home is not quite what they remembered, and that the unlikely companionship they've found might be what matters the most.
This seems like a film that's made for the obvious ups and downs throughout but it actually manages to be quite original and refreshing. Instead of feeling like a film that's just about resolving the individual situations, it's a lot more carefree and a lot more about these three individual people simply enjoying life together and keeping one another upbeat. Of course there are many different stops on the way to their ultimate destinations in order to give us some situations of them interacting in the real world, but each one is a lot of fun and we gain a little more depth to the characters at each stop. All of the characters are well-fleshed out and don't feel like just another retread of stereotypes we've seen over and over again. And all the way through we are treated to three strong performances from three solid actors. The real star is Rachel McAdams, though, she keeps the laughs coming all the way through and steals just about every single scene with her bright eyes and southern drawl, but you can tell that there is real emotion brimming just under the surface. She's a girl who has every reason to hate life with a fury, but she remains optimistic and tries to get those around her to enjoy living just as much as she does. One scene in particular, when she finally meets the family of her fallen friend, is a showcase for what an extraordinary actress she is, and is definitely one of the best performances of the year. The Lucky Ones is a refreshing and very well-acted story. I give The Lucky Ones a 3 and on my avoidance scale a very big 0, go see this wonderful film.
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