Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- tense
- melancholic
- intimate
- late night viewing
- poker night
What critics said
Critics generally found the poker drama thin and poorly paced, with the father-son conflict working better than the unconvincing romance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Huck repeatedly wins, loses, borrows, and steals money while trying to enter the poker tournament, making gambling a behavioral expression of his instability.
Huck’s resentment toward his estranged father intensifies when they meet as competing poker players.
Huck’s attraction to Billie develops alongside his debts, deception, and increasingly desperate efforts to fund his tournament entry.
The $10,000 World Series of Poker entry fee motivates Huck’s borrowing, losses, theft, and mounting obligations.
Films like Lucky You, and why
The Cincinnati Kid
shared high-stakes gambling milieu, flawed protagonist, and tense character drama
Rounders
shared poker-centered conflict, emotional volatility, and gambling subgenre
The Cooler
shared father son tension, romantic complications, and emotionally grounded drama
The Gambler
shared gambling obsession, self-destructive behavior, and intimate relationship drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Curtis Hanson
- Release Date
- 2007-05-01
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (293)
Cast
- Eric Bana
- Drew Barrymore
- Robert Duvall
- Debra Messing
- Jean Smart
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Horatio Sanz
- Michael Shannon
- Kelvin Han Yee
- Danny Hoch
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Lucky You about?
- A gifted but self-destructive poker player gambles his way through debt, romance, and a volatile reunion with the father he cannot forgive.
- What is Lucky You like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lucky You as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Lucky You violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Lucky You.
- What did critics think of Lucky You?
- Critics generally found the poker drama thin and poorly paced, with the father-son conflict working better than the unconvincing romance.
- Which films are like Lucky You?
- Films with a similar feel include The Cincinnati Kid, Rounders, The Cooler, and The Gambler.
- How long is Lucky You?
- Lucky You runs 124 minutes.
- Where can I watch Lucky You?
- In United States, Lucky You streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
