This promises to be anything other than a lengthy and insightful review. The 2011 Hallmark picture “Lucky Christmas” stars Elizabeth Berkley as a struggling single mom whose million dollar lottery ticket is inadvertently stolen. If that’s not enough to make you want to watch, stop reading and go rethink your life.
Yes it’s predictable and loaded with seasonal tropes. Holly (of course) struggles to support her son, Max. She works not one, not two, but three jobs. A chef by trade, Holly’s dream is to open her own café. Holly goes to the same store and plays the same lottery numbers every day. We’ll overlook that she somehow is unaware that there are Christmas themed tickets. Her car is stolen. With the ticket in the glove box. The next day, she wins a million dollars. But Oops. No ticket! You think I’m fuckin’ stupid, Hans?
I liked how the film is divided between two different sets of characters. We have Holly (Berkley) and Max (Mitchell Kummen) going about their humble lives. We are also introduced to Mike (Jason Gray-Stanford) and Joe (Mike Bell) who work in the construction biz. Mike actually runs the family operation with his older brother, and Joe is his lifelong slacker of a best friend.
Joe swipes Holly’s car in a completely innocent way. The ensuing story is exactly as you expect it to play out. Mike woos Holly in some silly attempt to get her to pay ransom for the ticket. He of course becomes a father figure to Max and they fall in lone after one date. But the chemistry between Holly and Mike somehow works. Watching the awkwardness of their interactions seems like a real life scenario. Joe is such a bungling criminal you’ll laugh at his schemes. Holly interacts with her adorable friend (Julia Arkos) and it works. The biggest miss to me is the actor playing Max. He seems two years too old to be playing the kid. But oh well.
I won’t watch “Lucky Christmas” ever again. But I’m glad I saw it once. You should do the same this Christmas week.
