Lucky You

"Lucky You" is a romance drama that accomplishes a difficult narrative demand – that of telling characters’ intentions, emotions and shared history via the way they play their poker hands. Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) is a cool Las Vegas poker table fixture who learned everything he knows from his card master father L.C. Cheever (Robert Duvall). Huck carries around his deceased mother’s wedding ring as a constant reminder of the way L.C. duped her and abandoned their family. His anger toward L.C. is Huck’s "tell" that Las Vegas newcomer Billie (Drew Barrymore) sees as a window into the soul of a dead-end compulsive gambler with a heart of gold. A World Series of Poker championship provides an unexpectedly fertile opportunity for reconciliation and recovery for the emotionally torn father and son. Robert Duvall, Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore all give persuasive performances that add up to a royal flush.

Rated PG-13. 123 mins. (B)