Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'The Lucky Man'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One of the many reasons that people are big fans of cinema as a whole, is the sheer fact that movies serve as a wonderful escape for all of us. Because only in film do people get a happy ending on a regular basis and only on the silver screen do people often find a way to overcome their problems to teach us a lesson as they find their way to a better life. But once in a great while, film takes the opportunity to challenge its own tropes by giving us tales that are as fantastic as they are realistic and one movie that fits that particular vein caught my eye recently; The Lucky Man.
 
Now this film introduces us to a young reverend named Johnny Jones and well, Johnny is about as charming as they come. He knows how to work a crowd, he knows how to invoke a sense of faith and while he’s quite the like-able guy, he’s also an outright fraud. Because the good reverend and his lovely girlfriend Rebecca travel from town to town performing what appear to be healing miracles, wowing the crowds to the point where they fill the collection plate to the brim, and the money in that plate finds its way into Johnny and Rebecca’s pockets. But while on the road, Johnny comes to discover he is actually able to channel the power of God and heal others and this discovery, will change the course of his life, forever.
 
So, I have to straight up admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect when I settled in to watch this film. Because the description seemed to speak to a story about a man who is likely going to find his faith after losing it and enjoy a happy ending in doing so, and while there’s nothing wrong with that kind of plot, it’s simply been done before. However, I did make mention of the fact that film sometimes challenges itself from time to time and thankfully, that’s what this motion picture does through and through because while The Lucky Man is indeed a film about faith and life, it handles what should be an uplifting tale in the grittiest way imaginable. 

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​Take for example Johnny, because not only is he a con man that wears a clerical collar, he’s a coke addict, and quite frankly, abusive toward his girlfriend and really, there’s little that’s redeemable about Johnny and therein lies the genius. Because while we rarely learn anything as an audience from someone who is an anti-hero, Johnny’s inability to get his crap together in life is oddly enough supremely relatable because we’ve known people like him our entire lives, and that changes everything when it comes to this story.
 
Think about it for a moment. We’ve all had a friend, or family member that simply can’t get it together. They’re extremely talented, bright people who have simply lost their way to trauma over the years and now reside in a pattern of bad behavior and by making Johnny that relatable, you find yourself cheering for him, regardless of the fact that he’s a scumbag through and through, and you want this film to now become a redemption parable. As to whether or not that happens, well it’s best you watch the film to find out. 
 
When all is said and done however, The Lucky Man truly serves as a breath of fresh air when it comes to films that focus on faith and what it means to people as a whole because it does its best to present people who are in dire need of it and salvation in the most realistic way possible and really, what I appreciated about this film the most, is the sheer fact that it was a character study through and through, one that allowed for the audience to truly get to know Johnny and Rebecca and understand them on a fundamental level. Either way, this motion picture is a gem and it’s one that I highly recommend you check out as soon as possible.   

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