After the Battlefield, Three’s Company is Lucky

The Lucky Ones, directed by Neil Burger (The Illusionist), is a story of three soldiers who take a road trip across America to return to their lives after being away at war. Unfortunately, things are not exactly as they left them, and so the trio form a bond that no one but the three of them could share.

Most of the comedy stems from Colee (Rachel McAdams), a feisty girl who is the impetuous child of the trio. Disinherited by her mother at 16, she clings to the hope that her dead ex-boyfriend’s family will take her into their home. Colee wants to stop in every state and get into a fight with college girls at every bar. Her tagline is “I’m just glad I didn’t have my weapon.”

TK (Michael Peña) takes a piece of shrapnel to the upper thigh while on tour, wounding his penis as well as his confidence. He’s on a mission to Las Vegas, in order to find a recommended “professional” who can help him get it up before he sees his fiancée. Nonetheless, TK represents the epitome of the American man: confident, macho, and sure that he is going to make it to the top.

At the end of his tour of his duty, Cheever (Tim Robbins) just wants to return home and see his wife and son. When he shows up, though, he finds that his wife wants a divorce and his son needs $20,000 to ensure his place at Stanford. The oldest of the bunch (if not the most responsible), Cheever passes on advice to his two new friends.

While about a quarter of The Lucky Ones films these characters in a minivan, the script is never monotonous. Though the story lacks any real discussion about what each soldier experienced in war aside from their injuries (a rather odd omission), the story successfully focuses on the bond between the three as they come together.

The seasoned cast shows off their skills throughout. McAdams does a fabulous job brightening up the screen and bringing TK a little bit closer to earth, but Robbins’ thoughtful portrayal of Cheever steals the show. At the very end of the film, the script makes a poignant statement on family—both the biological family and its counterpoint, the army—leaving the viewers with the idea that in the end, the three soldiers truly are the lucky ones.