The Lucky One

     Oh shoot! I shouldn’t have watched that movie! Ughhh! …. Wait for it! …… here it comes…. I liked Zac Efron (New Year’s Eve, The Paperboy, The Lorax) in it. I know! How could I? That is exactly what I asked myself.  I read The Lucky One (2012) back in 2008 when it first came out. I absolutely loved it! Yes I am a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks.  I have to say though that I like his books more than his movies, as a matter of fact I have never read the books that his more popular movies are adapted from. Examples, I have never read Dear John, A Walk to Remember or Message in a Bottle. I have read tons that haven’t been made into movies though.  Some of them are now in that transition.  I am very excited for Safe Haven (2013) another wonderful book and the movie looks promising.

   The movie does fall short of the book. The sheriff is a lot creepier and more of a sleaze in the book. There is one scene in particular that shows what a creep he really is and it was completely left out of the movie. Logan is way more awesome in the book! I really liked him. He was so suave and tough. That was my worry with Zac Efron. Logan is a Marine who served in Iraq. He is on leave and decides to start walking.  I don’t want to spoil anything, which is why I am leaving out details. Anyway, he has walked from Colorado to Louisiana. One of my favorite lines is when Beth asks Logan, “What kind of person drives from Colorado to Louisiana to work in a dog kennel?” To which he replies “I wouldn’t know I walked”.  So, the question then becomes can Zac play a tough, suave Marine that would walk across the country just to meet the woman that saved his life? The answer, he wasn’t perfect but he did pull it off.  He wasn’t too bad.

      On the other hand Blythe Danner (The Prince of Tides, To Wong Foo, The Proposition, The Lightkeepers) was perfect as Ellie, Beth’s grandmother. The grandmother was one of my favorite characters in the book. She is so funny and quirky. I just love her. She was wonderful in the movie as well.  Just like I had pictured her.

     The movie was entertaining and I did enjoy it. However, as usually happens, the book is way better. So, in the end, the movie just made me want to go back and reread the book.