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The Lucky One
By Sr. Rose Pacatte, F.S.P.
Source: AmericanCatholic.org
U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Ephron) survives
several bombings and ambushes while deployed in Iraq. This is his third tour. In some rubble along
the road he sees a photograph of a beautiful young woman with a message written
on the back: “Stay safe” and is signed “Beth”. While holding the photo another
bomb goes off where Logan was standing. He starts to think the photo is like a
guardian angel or good luck charm for him. Then it happens again; he survives
when his buddy is killed.
When Logan returns home he goes to stay with his sister and
her family in Colorado. It soon becomes evident he is suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
But he is still haunted by the photo and instead of going to the VA to
get help he decides to walk across the county with his beloved German shepherd
Zeus to find her. And he does - at a kennel in Louisiana.
Beth (Taylor Schilling) thinks Logan is there for a job but
when he says he is a former marine she turns him away. But her grandmother
(Blythe Danner), with whom Beth and her seven year-old son Ben (Riley Thomas
Stewart) live, hires him anyway. We soon learn that Beth’s beloved older
brother was a marine killed in combat but so far the military has not told them
how he died but they suggested that friendly fire may have had a role in his
death. On no evidence Beth suspects that Logan might have been involved. Beth
has survived much loss: their parents were killed in an accident when she and
her brother were young. She became pregnant as a senior in high school, married
the father, Keith (Jay R. Ferguson) who is a bully dressed in a deputy
sheriff’s uniform. They are now
divorced.
“The Lucky One” is based on the best-selling novel by
Nicholas Sparks and I was privileged to meet him last Saturday during the press
day for the film. When asked about the predictability of his stories he
described the formula that resonates with readers: a plot that moves through
all life’s emotions from loss, sorrow, jealousy, betrayal, sadness, tragedy,
reconciliation, love to joy. He also
said that there are three things that he insists on when his books are turned
into movies: 1) That the spirit and intent of the story are maintained 2) that
the spirit and intent of the characters are maintained and 3) that the filmmakers
make the best movie possible. In other
words Sparks does not mind artistic license if it serves the story.
“The Lucky One” is the fourth collaboration
between Nicholas Sparks and producer Denise Di Novi and a fifth is in the
works.
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