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Lucky You

Hanson puts his money on Hollywood clichés

By BROOKE HOLGERSON | May 3, 2007

2.5 Stars

VIDEO: Watch the trailer for Lucky You.

Curtis Hanson’s latest directorial effort sat on a shelf for two years, emitting a whiff of failure — unfairly so, it turns out. As Huck, a professional poker player in Las Vegas, Eric Bana can be both hostile and charming, with an addictive personality that’s hinted at but not explored. Hanson excels at grounding his characters in their environment, and Huck’s ease at navigating the casinos (he knows every cocktail waitress, every dealer) and his friendship with men clinging to the lowest rungs of Vegas society are material for a film of their own. But Drew Barrymore doesn’t quite make it as the love interest, and neither can Robert Duvall overcome stereotype as Huck’s successful cardsharp father. Too bad Hanson puts his money on Hollywood clichés when Vegas itself is the sure bet.

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