Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: It is a mystery to me why this film bombed so bad, unless it is that people just can't handle one person (Travolta) have a too long streak of success. I fully enjoyed it. Nice story, some really funny moments, and great characters. Bill Pullman's lazy cop character for instance.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely NOT a comedy but...
Review: It's an interesting approach at what people will do for money. Still, I hated it. John Travolta was terrible [as usual]. Lisa Kudrow, who was the reason I watched this, was so incredibly unlike her role on "Friends" as she was a murderous goldigging nympho-biatch who made you mad every time she was on screen. I was very disappointed with her performance. I can't believe this hilarious comedic actress went for such a ... part. The other supporting actors were no good either with the exception of Bill Pullman, who was pretty funny as the "I could give a damn about it" cop. The best thing about this movie though, is the cute, gullible waitress named Wendy who's only on screen about five minutes throughout the entire film. Anyway, skip this one. It was just plain awful.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing Lucky About This Turkey
Review: John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow star as two people who try to rig a lottery contest. Yawn. I'm keeping it short and simple because this movie is a failure in every department. Not to say that the cast weren't bad. The supporting cast were the best. It's nice to see Ed 'o' Neill on the silver screen, trying to shake his Al Bundy image. That's the only good thing to say about this monster dog of a movie. Avoid at all costs. You won't be lucky to see this movie. What was the usually great Nora Ephron thinking?. John Travolta, get a new agent. Totally awful. No luck comes from this stinker.
Rating: 
Summary: Plucky Bumblers
Review: John Travolta's Russ Richards bounces through life in "Lucky Numbers" driven by ambition to break through the glass ceiling of celebrity from small-town weatherman to network game show host. Outwardly, he is milking his high visibility with star treatment at Gig's, a neighborhood strip club, and the local Denny's, sad as that may sound. But privately, he is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, financial and moral. He is frustrated reporting no-snow weather predictions to the locals as his snow-mobile dealership skids sideways on no sales. A big-city agent isn't returning his calls. Russ's dilemma deprives him of whatever slim judgment he might have had and steers him into a series of hare-brained schemes, egged on by the slimy club operator, Gig (Tim Roth), and abetted by Crystal (Lisa Kudrow), the lottery girl. She has her own ambitions and blatantly uses sex to advance her agenda, even prospectively with her seriously bent cousin played in a cameo by Michael Moore of "TV Nation" fame. She casually assists his demise when his attitude turns inconvenient. They plot to fix the state lottery. Surprisingly, their unlikely subterfuge works. But things go pear-shaped when it comes to cashing in the winning ticket. Six million dollars brings out everyone's larceny. Character flaws abound. In this inverted world only the town numbers man, Jerry Green (Richard Schiff), is outraged by the developments, albeit for selfish reasons. His reward is a terminal visit to the wintry river. The location shots effectively capture a soulless Harrisburg, Pa., enough to engender real sympathy for Russ's desire to move on to the big leagues. The film is well put together without artistic pretenses. In many ways, it is funnier than its contemporaneous release, "Meet the Parents", although it obviously did not get equivalent general release support from the studio marketing department for whatever reasons. If you liked Travolta as Chili Palmer in "Get Shorty", this might be right down your alley.
Rating:
Summary: Lucky Numbers is an odds on riot of a dark comedy!
Review: Lucky Numbers is a pretty likable movie. For a dark comedy it's pretty appealing and while it doesn't have a ton of belly laughs, it's really quite funny. Imagine Ruthless People crossed with Fargo and you have a decent idea of what to expect in this film.John Travolta shines as Russ Richards, TV weatherman and mega star in his own mind. He drives a Jaguar, lives in a huge home and has a booth (and parking spot) reserved for him at the local Denny's. Russ even owns his own snowmoble dealership which is hurting due to the warm winter. To make matters worse, Russ has spent much more money than he has, so, to preserve his local celebrity persona, Russ becomes a desperate man. His friend Gig (Tim Roth in a welcome return to the screen), a sleazy barkeep suggests he get his girlfriend Crystal (Lisa Kudrow), the lotto girl, to rig the drawing. From here on in, things get out of control. Russ and Crystal's scam works, all of a sudden, everybody wants in on the action. Crystal's strange cousin (Michael Moore of 'Roger and Me' fame), Dale the Thug (Michael Rappaport), and even TV station manager Dick (Ed O'Neill), who is having an affair with Crystal, all want a pice of the lottery fortune. Bill Pullman turns up towards the middle (as a lazy cop illegally collecting disability) to investigate the goings on. All of this adds up to quite a funny movie. All of the cast seem to work well together, the chemistry is great and the dialogue very funny. While Lucky Numbers isn't always such a winner in terms of its plot, there is a superb ensemble cast here, and every one of them give it their all.Travolta is very funny as the stressed out 'celebrity' whose scam falls apart before it really begins. His increasingly frenzied behavior is hilarious by the end. Bill Pullman steals the show as the cop who'd rather be doing anything else, and Lisa Kudrow is both likable and despisable as the greedy woman who cares only for the money. In smaller roles, Ed O'Neill, Tim Roth and Michael Moore also pull off their roles with charm. For a film about backstabbing and greed, there certainly are a lot of likable characters. Lucky Numbers may not be a comedy masterpeice, but it's so fun to watch that audiences should enjoy themselves with it. Director Nora Ephron is better known for her 'romantic comedies', she directed You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. Ephron takes on a different film with Lucky Numbers, a comedy about people trapped in middle America and will do anything to get out. This may not be the most admirable message to try and get across, but the movie itself is pure fun. With such a good cast and plenty of chuckles, Lucky Numbers is a million dollar winner all the way.
Rating:
Summary: Odd
Review: Maybe it's one of those movies you have to watch more than once to appreciate, but this didn't really do it for me. It was great to see Lisa Kudrow letting her mean cousin die and finding the doll in the bathtub, but other than that, it wasn't as good. It's like something is missing. Maybe a more appropriate soundtrack could have helped.
Rating: 
Summary: A TRAVOLTA LETDOWN
Review: Much has been said about Travolta's choice of film roles of late, and the criticism will continue after the premier of LUCKY NUMBERS. Travolta plays a weatherman in Harrisburg, Pa. who's side project snowmobile dealership is suffering due to the great weather in December. In an attempt to get himself out of financial hardship and live a lifestyle worthy of his local celebrity, he along with the lottery girl(Lisa Kudrow) and a local strip club owner (Tim Roth), hatch a plan to fix the Pa. Lottery. Needless to say, the plan's aftermath is hectic at best. There are some moments of worth in this film. Kudrow does a better than average job with her role as the money grubbing lotto girl who is not only sleeping with Travolta but the station manager as well. She is comically ruthless. Tim Roth is entertaining in his smaller part although he could have been used better. Michael Rappaport is the five star perfomer in this flick. Most of the belly laughts that this flick produces stem from his tough guy enforcer character. The real loss in this film is Travolta's character. The blame can not rest on Travolta. He does what he can, but the script lacks. His reluctant criminal persona is neither pitiful nor funny, both being necessary to pull this movie off. Overall the movie is a dark comedy that often is more dull than funny. A great cast suffers from a poor script, a lackluster plot, and an ending that is both anticlimatic and unbelievable. Being from the Harrisburg area, it was interesting to see a movie where I knew the locations and recognized the streets and scenery. In all fairness that may have added to my rating of this movie. Therefore, if you are not from central Pennsylvania you may only see this movie as a two star affair. Even Travolta fans will probably walk away dissapointed. Wait to rent this one, and I wouldnt recommend buying it.
Rating:
Summary: horrible black comedy, with sleazy characters.
Review: my main problem with this movie is john travolta. he is big and creepy looking in this movie! no one would ever believe that this guy would is weather reporter/game show host, or even a likeable person for that matter! he looks and acts soooo creepy in this movie, he just gives me the creeps! his haircut is also extremely strange for someone who is supposed to be in the public eye. i originally saw this film because michael moore and tim roth were in it. not only are their parts not very big, but both are extremely out of place. why would a tv weatherman (travolta) be friends with a sleazy bar owner (roth)? and michael moore's character was horribly unfunny! also give us a break with the denny's product placement! i didn't like this film at all! see travolta in get shorty instead.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: Nora Ephron's latest movies have been terrible, so I was bracing myself when seeing this. But it's a hilarious movie. It takes some dark turns that don't fit the rest of the movie, but that is not a fatal flaw. This movie was released at the same time as MEET THE PARENTS, which was an awful movie that was a big hit, while this was a great movie that was a flop. Go figure. I'll never lay an eye on a single frame from of MEET THE PARENTS again, but I'll be sure and see this one again.
Rating:
Summary: Just saw it on TV for the first time
Review: Not only was the movie set in Harrisburg, most of it was filmed in Harrisburg, as well as the suburbs(Palmyra, Hampden Township and Wormleysburg) and is loosely based on the Real Lottery scam in Pennsylvania on April 24, 1980 when the Daily Pick 3 game was rigged by the station announcer in Pittsburgh (the Late Nick Perry, who I had the pleasure of growing up watching do various bowling programs. In Pittsburgh, "Bowling for dollars aired immediately after the drawing on Channel 4, WTAE.) Just like in the movies all but the #4 and #6 balls were injected with paint, and 6-6-6 came up. The drawings were moved to WHP-TV (channel 21) the next day, where State Officials kept a better eye on things. Nick and the stage hands at channel 4 went to Jail (here in Camp Hill). So the story was as advertised, amusing, not great; and it was great to see big time celebreties visit town. Especially Ed O'neill. Those of us who lived in Harrisburg for a long time will get the inside jokes, and geographic references. My wife yelled at me, when I was over-commenting, finding bloopers, and trying to pick out the local scenery, most of which had buildings remodeled, and again shot outside of Harrisburg in the suburbs. So some of the local bloopers showed Russ trying to drive the truck down Route 22 and Devonshire Road (in Downtown Colonial Park, where I live), and it wrecked. Was he trying to get to I-81 or I-83? Not the way to get to Colorado from Harrisburg. Eighteen wheelers don't go down Devonshire Road (winding and hilly and two-laned)too well, and Rt. 22 at that intersection is a 6-lane divided highway. There is actually an auto dealer at that corner, but was not used in the filming. Like I said us locals caught some of the inside jokes (like the Perry County School Teacher who locked the student in the broom closet, and the mobster from Linglestown), which made the movie more enjoyable than the critics gave it credit for. For those who don't know although there is no channel 6 in Harrisburg, there is (sort of) well, was really WTPA-TV. WTPA-Radio is still on the air. New owners years ago changed the call letters to WHTM, and is actually channel 27. Keeping that in mind, Al Bundy, er, Dick Simmons comments on real-life then WTPA now WHTM weatherman Chuck Rhoades, who has a breif cameo in the movie, and on whom Travolta's character is loosely based (Actually Bill Murray's wheaterman in Groundhog Day is closer to the real Chuck Rhoades, a thirty year fixture on local TV). To me, Chuck is the big star in the movie, even though he is eeen from a distance for a few seconds. Chuck's best acting job to date. And he wasn't acting! That clip is from 1988 when the movie was set, when Harrisburg had one of its biggest heatwaves ever. Anothe Harrisburg weatherman, Don Rooney has a cameo scene at the TV station. When the movie was filmed out here, it was the biggest deal to hit Harrisburg , since the Three Mile Island accident. Yes, Harrisburg is really like that-- and Denny's is the Classiest Bistro in Town, at least the one in Hampden Township (US Rte. 11--where JT is seen jaywalking to the Evergreen (actually Hampden) Diner. All in all an enjoyable movie for us in Harrisburg.
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