Just My Luck
Encyclopedia
Just My Luck is a 2006 American romantic comedy film
directed by Donald Petrie
and written by I. Marlene King and Amy B. Harris
. The film stars Lindsay Lohan
and Chris Pine
as the main characters. Lohan stars as Ashley, the luckiest girl in Manhattan
, New York
. She loses her luck after kissing Jake, portrayed by Pine, at a masquerade bash. After six years in development hell
, the film was released in the United States
on May 12, 2006.
The film was released under Twentieth Century Fox, The Cheyenne Company
and Regency Pictures
and features supporting roles by Samaire Armstrong
, Faizon Love
, Missi Pyle
, and McFly, the British
band who Jake discovers and tries to help them find a producer.
) who has an extremely fortunate life and is always experiencing remarkable strokes of luck in contrast to Jake Hardin (Chris Pine
), manager of McFly
, who is followed by bad luck wherever he goes.
Persistent in her efforts to hold onto a client, Ashley manages to sell Damon Phillips (Faizon Love
) on the idea of a masquerade party. When Ashley's boss, Peggy, learns of the plan, she is, to Ashley's surprise, impressed with the idea, leaving her with the task of organizing the party independently. Jake, hearing of the party and of the number of possible sponsors who could be there, hatches a plan to attend, in order to meet a very famous man (Phillips) who could publicise his band. He poses as a dancer for the masquerade party and gains entry.
During the party, Ashley is confronted by a fortune teller who warns her she will soon be struck by bad luck. As Jake wanders around the party, he is struck by Ashley's beauty and asks her to join him in a dance, during which they kiss. Neither can see the other's face, as they are both wearing masks. During the kiss, their luck is switched: Jake gets Ashley's good luck and Ashley gets Jake's bad luck. Jake spots Phillips and saves him from a taxi cab that nearly hit him. As a way of thanking him, Phillips, who is in charge of a major record company, signs up McFly. Meanwhile, Ashley's bad luck kicks in and she goes to jail (the guy she set her boss up with for the party turns out to be a prostitute).
Desperate to regain her luck, Ashley revisits the fortune teller, who explains that, in order for her life to return to what it was before, she must again kiss the person she kissed at the party. Ashley begins hunting down all the dancers from the company who had supplied the dancers at the party. While on her search, Ashley tries to get some food from a cafe but is rejected because she doesn't have enough money. She creates mass chaos (due to bad luck) and makes a mad dash out of the cafe with the help of Jake, who offers Ashley his previous job as a janitor/food delivery person at the bowling alley. Ashley, desperate for a job, accepts immediately.
Later, Jake takes Ashley to the place where McFly is practicing. She discovers that Jake is the one who has stolen her luck. Seizing her chance, she kisses him, whereupon he gets his bad luck back; Ashley's luck has returned. That night, she thinks hard about her life and about how Jake had put his (her) good fortune to use. She decides that her life was more enjoyable without luck and goes to Jake's first concert for McFly, during which things aren't running smoothly.
Ashley kisses Jake, given luck again, and the concert is saved. Ashley decides to end contact with Jake, as she doesn't want their luck to be switched again; she believes Jake put the good luck to better use than she ever did. She goes to the railway station, where Jake finds her and tries to convince her that she was all he wanted since the party. They then kiss each other relentlessly, causing their luck to swap so quickly that they no longer know who has the good luck and who has the bad. When they see Jake's little cousin Katy and both of them kiss her at the same time, she gets all the luck and wins a scratch card lottery of forty-five dollars. Later, when they find a quarter, they decide that they still have some luck left. But only seconds later, they are drenched by a broken water line.
giving it a 13% rating with a very long consensus: "Just My Luck is a screwball rom-com that fails to take advantage of Lindsay Lohan's considerable charm. The film (along with Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion) marks the end of Lohan's teen queen phase as she begins playing characters that are older, but not necessarily wiser. Lohan's character is supposedly cursed with bad luck, though the movie confuses misfortune with plain stupidity, leading Lohan into a long series of silly and senseless physical gags."
Lohan earned a Razzie Award nomination as Worst Actress for her performance in the film.
and Wonderland
. It also includes brand new track "Just My Luck", which was recorded especially for the film. Though released as the film's soundtrack, a selection of songs were not in the film. A newly recorded version of "Five Colours In Her Hair" and a reworked version of "Unsaid Things" appear on the album in the place of their originals.
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
directed by Donald Petrie
Donald Petrie
Donald Mark Petrie is an American film director.Petrie was born in New York City, New York, the son of Dorothea , a television producer, actor, and novelist, and Daniel Petrie, a director. Petrie has acted and guest-starred on television programs. His first directorial job was on the set of The...
and written by I. Marlene King and Amy B. Harris
Amy B. Harris
Amy B. Harris is an American producer and writer for television and film. She is also referred to as Amy Harris.Harris was a co-producer for the television series Sex and the City, for which she also wrote two episodes. She was also a producer for the television series The Comeback and wrote one...
. The film stars Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
and Chris Pine
Chris Pine
Christopher Whitelaw "Chris" Pine is an American actor. He has appeared in the romantic comedies The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and Just My Luck , as well as the action films Smokin' Aces and Unstoppable . In 2009, he portrayed James T...
as the main characters. Lohan stars as Ashley, the luckiest girl in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She loses her luck after kissing Jake, portrayed by Pine, at a masquerade bash. After six years in development hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
, the film was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on May 12, 2006.
The film was released under Twentieth Century Fox, The Cheyenne Company
Cheyenne Enterprises
Cheyenne Enterprises is a television and film production company privately owned by Bruce Willis and Arnold Rifkin.-Motion Pictures Produced:* Your Perfect Angel * Charlie Irish * Dolly Dimple * The Lowenfish Party...
and Regency Pictures
Regency Enterprises
Regency Enterprises is a Los Angeles-based film and television production company formed by Arnon Milchan and Joseph P. Grace. It was founded in 1982 as Embassy International Pictures, but the company name changed to avoid confusion with Norman Lear's Embassy Pictures . Its most successful film is...
and features supporting roles by Samaire Armstrong
Samaire Armstrong
Samaire Rhys Armstrong is an American actress, fashion designer and model. She is best known for her roles in Stay Alive, The O.C. and It's a Boy Girl Thing. Her best known role to date is portraying the role of Juliet Darling in the ABC television series Dirty Sexy Money...
, Faizon Love
Faizon Love
Faizon Andre Love is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for roles in the films Friday, Elf, Made, and Couples Retreat.-Life and career:...
, Missi Pyle
Missi Pyle
Andrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
, and McFly, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band who Jake discovers and tries to help them find a producer.
Plot
The film follows the life of lucky and popular Ashley Albright (Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
) who has an extremely fortunate life and is always experiencing remarkable strokes of luck in contrast to Jake Hardin (Chris Pine
Chris Pine
Christopher Whitelaw "Chris" Pine is an American actor. He has appeared in the romantic comedies The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and Just My Luck , as well as the action films Smokin' Aces and Unstoppable . In 2009, he portrayed James T...
), manager of McFly
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
, who is followed by bad luck wherever he goes.
Persistent in her efforts to hold onto a client, Ashley manages to sell Damon Phillips (Faizon Love
Faizon Love
Faizon Andre Love is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for roles in the films Friday, Elf, Made, and Couples Retreat.-Life and career:...
) on the idea of a masquerade party. When Ashley's boss, Peggy, learns of the plan, she is, to Ashley's surprise, impressed with the idea, leaving her with the task of organizing the party independently. Jake, hearing of the party and of the number of possible sponsors who could be there, hatches a plan to attend, in order to meet a very famous man (Phillips) who could publicise his band. He poses as a dancer for the masquerade party and gains entry.
During the party, Ashley is confronted by a fortune teller who warns her she will soon be struck by bad luck. As Jake wanders around the party, he is struck by Ashley's beauty and asks her to join him in a dance, during which they kiss. Neither can see the other's face, as they are both wearing masks. During the kiss, their luck is switched: Jake gets Ashley's good luck and Ashley gets Jake's bad luck. Jake spots Phillips and saves him from a taxi cab that nearly hit him. As a way of thanking him, Phillips, who is in charge of a major record company, signs up McFly. Meanwhile, Ashley's bad luck kicks in and she goes to jail (the guy she set her boss up with for the party turns out to be a prostitute).
Desperate to regain her luck, Ashley revisits the fortune teller, who explains that, in order for her life to return to what it was before, she must again kiss the person she kissed at the party. Ashley begins hunting down all the dancers from the company who had supplied the dancers at the party. While on her search, Ashley tries to get some food from a cafe but is rejected because she doesn't have enough money. She creates mass chaos (due to bad luck) and makes a mad dash out of the cafe with the help of Jake, who offers Ashley his previous job as a janitor/food delivery person at the bowling alley. Ashley, desperate for a job, accepts immediately.
Later, Jake takes Ashley to the place where McFly is practicing. She discovers that Jake is the one who has stolen her luck. Seizing her chance, she kisses him, whereupon he gets his bad luck back; Ashley's luck has returned. That night, she thinks hard about her life and about how Jake had put his (her) good fortune to use. She decides that her life was more enjoyable without luck and goes to Jake's first concert for McFly, during which things aren't running smoothly.
Ashley kisses Jake, given luck again, and the concert is saved. Ashley decides to end contact with Jake, as she doesn't want their luck to be switched again; she believes Jake put the good luck to better use than she ever did. She goes to the railway station, where Jake finds her and tries to convince her that she was all he wanted since the party. They then kiss each other relentlessly, causing their luck to swap so quickly that they no longer know who has the good luck and who has the bad. When they see Jake's little cousin Katy and both of them kiss her at the same time, she gets all the luck and wins a scratch card lottery of forty-five dollars. Later, when they find a quarter, they decide that they still have some luck left. But only seconds later, they are drenched by a broken water line.
Cast
- Lindsay LohanLindsay LohanLindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
as Ashley Albright - Chris PineChris PineChristopher Whitelaw "Chris" Pine is an American actor. He has appeared in the romantic comedies The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and Just My Luck , as well as the action films Smokin' Aces and Unstoppable . In 2009, he portrayed James T...
as Jake Hardin - Samaire ArmstrongSamaire ArmstrongSamaire Rhys Armstrong is an American actress, fashion designer and model. She is best known for her roles in Stay Alive, The O.C. and It's a Boy Girl Thing. Her best known role to date is portraying the role of Juliet Darling in the ABC television series Dirty Sexy Money...
as Maggie - Bree TurnerBree Turner-Childhood and family:Turner was born in Palo Alto, California. Her father is a former pro-football player for the Washington Redskins. In 1995, Bree graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville, California, where she was voted 1994 Homecoming Queen, class of 1995...
as Dana - Faizon LoveFaizon LoveFaizon Andre Love is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for roles in the films Friday, Elf, Made, and Couples Retreat.-Life and career:...
as Damon Phillips - Missi PyleMissi PyleAndrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
as Peggy Braden - Makenzie VegaMakenzie Vega-Personal life:Vega was born in Los Angeles, California to a Colombian father and an American mother. She is the younger sister of actress Alexa Vega. Vega currently lives in New York with her mother Gina Rue , and three siblings...
as Katy Applee - Carlos PonceCarlos PonceCarlos Armando Ponce, Jr. is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer and television personality. Ponce began his acting career by participating in Spanish language soap operas for Televisa and Telemundo. Ponce continued to expand his acting career by participating in various American television...
as Antonio - Tovah FeldshuhTovah FeldshuhTovah Feldshuh is an American actress, singer and playwright.-Early life:Terri Sue Feldshuh was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the daughter of Lillian and Sidney Feldshuh, who was a lawyer. She was raised in Scarsdale, New York, an affluent community in Westchester County and graduated...
as Madame Z - Jaqueline FlemingJaqueline FlemingJaqueline Fleming is a Danish-born American actress. Fleming has appeared in Enemies Among Us, Red, and the upcoming film Contraband.-External links:...
as Tiffany - McFlyMcFlyMcFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
as Themselves - Dane Rhodes as Mac
- Mikki Val as Tough Jailbird
- Chris CarmackChris CarmackJames Christopher "Chris" Carmack is an American actor and former fashion model.-Early life:Carmack was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Derwood, Maryland. He has two siblings, a brother and sister. As a young boy, he enjoyed participating in all types of sports: baseball, basketball,...
as David Pennington (uncredited)
Reception
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, with Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
giving it a 13% rating with a very long consensus: "Just My Luck is a screwball rom-com that fails to take advantage of Lindsay Lohan's considerable charm. The film (along with Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion) marks the end of Lohan's teen queen phase as she begins playing characters that are older, but not necessarily wiser. Lohan's character is supposedly cursed with bad luck, though the movie confuses misfortune with plain stupidity, leading Lohan into a long series of silly and senseless physical gags."
Lohan earned a Razzie Award nomination as Worst Actress for her performance in the film.
Box office
Just My Luck opened at #4 at the North American box office with $5,692,285 in its opening weekend, May 14, 2006. In the US, it grossed $17,324,744 after showing for 12 weeks. The film has grossed over $38 million worldwide.Soundtrack
The album is made up entirely of songs from McFly's first two UK albums, Room on the 3rd FloorRoom on the 3rd Floor
-Release history:-Chart performance:-Year-end charts:-Awards:The Room on the 3rd Floor Album won Best Album at the 2004 Smash Hits Awards-External links:*...
and Wonderland
Wonderland
-Literature:*Wonderland , the setting of Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland*Wonderland , a 1971 novel by Joyce Carol Oates...
. It also includes brand new track "Just My Luck", which was recorded especially for the film. Though released as the film's soundtrack, a selection of songs were not in the film. A newly recorded version of "Five Colours In Her Hair" and a reworked version of "Unsaid Things" appear on the album in the place of their originals.
- I Wanna Hold You
- I've Got You
- Obviously
- Ultraviolet
- Five Colours in Her Hair (U.S. version)
- Too Close for Comfort
- All About You
- That Girl
- Unsaid Things
- I'll Be OK
- Just My Luck
- Memory Lane
External links
- NowPublic: Lindsay Lohan's "Just My Luck" takes over the West Village (including set photos and a video)