Get Lucky is an Indie comedy by Swedish director Ingela Ogard. Normally, a review would begin with a synopsis of the film. Still, for this film, which hews very closely to some familiar tropes, we can visualize that concept and include audience (that’s you) participation. Paint this picture for yourself. Imagine, if you will, a low-budget screwball comedy about a couple on the cusp of middle age. She’s desperate to have a baby, and time is running out. He is not quite ready to give up on romance and the pleasure of a couple’s intimate relationship in favor of a family with children. That said, he still has agreed to try for a baby with her, but the clinical nature of the process is causing him performance issues. He’s also concerned about financing a family.
They live in a run-down apartment where there’s very little privacy. When he gets the opportunity to act as a getaway driver for a crew of would-be bank robbers, he turns to a life of crime to shore up the cash situation. While he’s in the car to the bank robbery, she calls and tells him she’s ovulating, and he only has minutes to get home before the moment passes. What can he do? Will he disappoint the vicious, armed criminals or his partner waiting impatiently? Now imagine this all takes place in time loops, a la Groundhog Day, where the main character gets several tries to make the right decision. His adventure is populated by a variety of strange people, all seemingly intent on keeping him from getting home in time.
The couple in question is Tim (J.T. Jackson) and Cathryn (Kimberly Aboltin), and the odds are that the film you pictured is exactly what you’ll get with Get Lucky. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with that. Comedy is not measured primarily for originality but by laughs per minute. By that standard, Get Lucky does succeed.
“…he’s in the car to the bank robbery, she calls and tells him she’s ovulating…”
Nothing is taken seriously here, and you know these characters from other films, television shows, and even other media. From the man-child not ready to commit to the wife who has gone from a kinky romantic partner to a monster with a thermometer tracking her ovulation schedule, which refers to anatomical charts on the wall. From the magical older witch-woman to the wacky neighbor to the voyeuristic cleaning lady… they are all here. It’s a wild ride when you add in the time looping and some retro use of a split screen. The performances are over-the-top, except for Tim, where Jackson understates his character. The contrast in energy works… he’s the comedy straight man to a series of punchlines… that repeat in the time loops.
TV news updates us on the progress of the bank robbery, which the robbers commit with rubber bird-head masks; just add another layer of absurdity, Tim comes across as a cross between Sam Becket from Quantum Leap and clueless Kevin Hart in (insert here literally the title of any Kevin Hart movie). When he starts catching on that he’s time looping, he tries to use his future knowledge to improve the outcomes but keeps failing with hilariously bad judgment.
Get Lucky is fun and light; Ogard has made a film she doesn’t take too seriously. The production quality in cinematography and sound is in line with the budget, so it’s fine but not amazing. While there’s a great deal of motion in Ogard’s pacing, the premise and follow-through of the film are simple. The narrative resets in the same way as it does in Tom Twyker’s brilliant Run Lola Run, except Tim remembers his trips through the experiences when they repeat. At its core, underneath the insane antics, Get Lucky does have a sweet message about making decisions in life and the consequences of one’s actions. The question remains for the viewers to answer for themselves: who will ultimately Get Lucky?
"…the clinical nature of the process is causing him performance issues..."
