Plot: What’s it about?
Lidda (Kirsten Dunst) has taken more than she can handle from her irresponsible mother, so she heads off to Las Vegas, to start over again. She also plans to locate her estranged father while she’s there, as he has kept in contact over the years, even if not in person. So she packs up some stuff and storms out of the house, prepared to take on the world and whatever it takes, make it to Las Vegas. As she stops to invite along her boyfriend (Vincent Kartheiser), the two become harassed by a punk to whom he owes money, but the two manage to escape unharmed. The trip starts off a little rough, but soon the two arrive in Las Vegas and of course, end up taking different approaches to their new home. Lidda wants to track down her father, gain some employment, and start anew, but her man seeks to live the good life, not worrying about much at all. At the same time, Lidda’s father Charlie (James Caan) is involved with some gangsters and when things turn sour, the mobsters decide to make it a family problem, which could turn things even more sour…
I was unsure of how well this movie would pan out, but the cast looked awesome, so I figured it was worth a shot. I mean, Kirsten Dunst as a rebellious young girl who ends up as a stripper, that’s reason enough, if you ask me. But even the ever beautiful Dunst is unable to pull this one up much, as Luckytown turns to be another middle of the road movie. The writing is mediocre and not that original, the writing is bland, but the performances are quite good, which is the sole reason this flick is even worth a rental. Dunst is fun to watch as usual, while James Caan and Luis Guzman provide ample supporting work, to be sure. Paul Nicholas supplies television level direction here, which means poor visual sense and no real style approach, just your basic task and that’s about it. We’ve seen this kind of movie many times before and in much better form, to be sure. Even so, fans of Dunst, Caan, and Guzman will want to give this a rental, just to check out the performances. Studio has given this a weak overall treatment also, which means even fans will settle for a rental.
Oh, that Kirsten Dunst. She is so perky and gorgeous, you simply can’t pry your eyes from her, which is always a good movie star trait. We’ve seen her in perky, gorgeous roles for the most part also, but in Luckytown, she has a little bit of a dark side, which is cool. Dunst seems to have fun with the bad girl role, though she is often out of place with the language and attitude, I have to admit. But she delivers a more than solid performance and of course, she never fails to look stunning and that is always welcome. I am unsure why she took a role in this direct to video effort however, but perhaps she needed some cash or owed someone a favor, who knows? You can also see Dunst in such films as Bring It On, The Crow: Salvation, The Virgin Suicides, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and Small Soldiers. The cast also includes Luis Guzman (Traffic, Boogie Nights), Vincent Kartheiser (Masterminds, Bad Seed), and James Caan (Rollerball, The Yards).
Video: How does it look?
Luckytown is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This is a decent looking presentation, but the lack of added resolution is obvious, to be sure. The image just lacks the sharpness we’re used to, while some edge enhancement also emerges, not good news either. But the picture is stable and looks good enough to watch, even though it should be anamorphic, of course. The colors look bright and bold, but don’t always seem too sharp, while contrast is smooth and stable at all times. This is by no means unwatchable, but let’s hope Studio returns to consistent anamorphic transfers soon.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby stereo track doesn’t have a deep punch, but it sounds as good as you can expect, I suppose. The music seems to provide the most range, but still comes off as limited, due to the limitations of stereo, of course. No problems with sound effects either, although some scenes could use some surround presence, to be sure. The dialogue remains clean and consistent also, with no real complaints to report. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s trailer, but no other supplements can be found.
