FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

sbanner-58949 Not only did I make an effort to watch the movie but I also attempted to read the book. I couldn't accomplish either. It wasn't the story. I didn't even get that far. It was the authors lack of simple research that killed it for me. It isn't hard to figure out that a Marine is a Marine, or a jarhead or some other nickname, but NEVER a "Soldier!" I got halfway through chapter two, and about 15 minutes into the movie, but there were too many screw ups pertaining to this characters Military Service. I should also point out, that I am a female civilian. I have NO military affiliation at all. I don't have any military family or anything of the sort, yet I manage to keep Marines, Seaman, Soldiers, and Airmen in their own proper buckets. Using those terms incorrectly is just very unprofessional to me

armalis It is difficult to say so much in such a short time. I'm sure the book must be better, but this movie was wonderful. I love all the actors. They were perfectly cast. I love the scenery, the beautiful cinematography and direction. I wish this was a mini-series, because there is only so much one can do with a movie.

Beatrice Manuel Logan (Zac Efron) is a strappin' young Marine. During the war in Iraq, he stops to picks up a photo of a young woman that he spots in the rubble. This very action saves his life as seconds later, an explosion goes off where he'd stood before. Feeling indebted to this mystery woman, who he believes to be his 'guardian angel', he sets off to find her. *Cue the beginning of a predictable, yet watch-worthy romance* We soon discover that his guardian angel is an attractive woman named Beth (Taylor Schilling) who lives with her grandmother Ellie (Blythe Danner, and probably my favorite character in the movie) and son Ben. They run a dog kennel, and Logan, who finds it difficult to tell her the truth behind his being there, ends up working for them (of course he does). At this point we all think 'time for Logan to lay out those moves and get the girl', right? Not so simple. Turns out Beth has this jealous and abusive, crazy ex-husband named Keith (Jay R. Ferguson) who ends up being the not-so-great villain of the movie. The last thing he wants to see is Beth with the new guy in town, and he pretty much tries to get in their way throughout the film by threatening to take their son away from her.A pretty standard storyline for a love story. You've got the handsome hero, damsel in (emotional) distress, the wise mentor and the villain. But the simple message that almost all Nicholas Sparks' books/movie-adaptations end up showing is that love will prevail. Love always prevails. The Lucky One is yet another display of this message, with subtle hints of how fate can play a role in leading you to your significant other.It was a good movie on the whole - sporting mixed reactions on my part ranging from appreciative sighs and awhs through to questioning frowns and at one point 'where's the nearest book to bang my forehead against'? The plus points include the beautiful scenery and setting of the film. The landscape shots shown were truly amazing, and the parts where we join Logan's character on his occasional walks were pleasant to witness. The soundtrack also added to the emotions that the characters were trying to portray, if not filling in for the role that a great script should have played. Zac Efron's acting in this was superb and it was nice to see him grow out of his famous role as a boyish high-school stud in HSM to a Marine, out of the war zone now but in a battle against his own demons. The sexual tension between Logan and Beth was also very well done before finally granting release to the much-excited viewers with unf-worthy scenes.However, the movie on the whole was very predictable. I had several moments where I felt like clapping myself on the back for guessing right on how things would turn out. Additionally, the lackluster portrayal of the characters, apart from our lead Logan, was a let-down. I especially felt like there could have been more added to Keith's character to make him a better villain in the story. Although he has his moment of redemption at the end of the movie, it wasn't enough. They could have dedicated more time to building the characters up to make them come off as more convincing than focusing mainly on just Beth and Logan's love storyline.There's also one more thing that bugged me and though it's a minor detail, I cannot not mention it.How can someone travel all the way from Colorado to Louisiana by foot and look so effortlessly handsome as Logan does when he shows up at Beth's farmhouse? I mean, come on! Realistically, the guy's got to have at least a little bit of dirt and mud on him but nope. The lead just has to look perfect instead. It is a movie after all, I should have expected that.All in all, I give The Lucky One a 5/10 star rating. It was an entertaining watch, and definitely less cheesy than I thought it would be. My comments on the movie are in no way to be related to the book which I am yet to read. I find that most movie-adaptations never meet the awesomeness of the novel from which they are based upon. But I am yet to find out if that's the case with this film as well.Although I'm not a believer of fate anymore, it's nice to think that there might be some unstoppable force out there that will lead us to finding our soul mate, the way The Lucky One made me feel. And also prevent you from being blown-up/run over/something equally unfortunate.On a serious note; the movie is worth a watch. And if what I've said in this review makes you think 'nah', then at least watch it for the eye-candy.

SnoopyStyle Logan (Zac Efron) is a marine in Iraq. He is drawn to a photo of Beth (Taylor Schilling) with the words "keep safe" written on the back. As he examines the photo, an explosion occurs just where he was before. Everybody considers the photo a lucky charm. He returns home after 3 tours suffering from PTSD. He decides to track down Beth. He can't quite explain his reason for coming when she just assumes that he's looking for a job at her dog kennel. Beth thinks that he's crazy but her grandmother Ellie (Blythe Danner) gives him the job anyways. Beth is divorced from angry jealous police deputy Keith Clayton (Jay R. Ferguson) and they have a son together. Soon, Logan befriends Ellie and the boy while annoying Beth. The photo is the property of Beth's brother who didn't make it back from Iraq.I like Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling individually. They are able to salvage some chemistry. The problem is that the whole setup feels forced. It's not simply the way it's written but also the way it's shot. Everything feels slightly fake. This is a Nicholas Sparks after all. The biggest problem is that Logan is a little too precious with his secret about the photo. It's better if he stops trying to tell it and leave it as an internal struggle. Some things are better left to the audience's imagination or even without reason. Nevertheless, I like both leads and I can't help but pull for them.