Lucky is also Stanton’s final film; he died on September 15,
just a couple weeks before the picture’s opening. Appropriately for a swan song, it’s testament
to his brilliance as an actor. Stanton appeared in nearly 200 movies during a
career spanning over fifty years, most notably as the star of Wim Wenders’ Paris,
Texas in 1984 and Repo Man that same year, but also Alien
(1979), Wild At Heart (1990), The Green Mile (1999) and scores of
others. Most recently, he was featured in the 2017 edition of the TV series Twin
Peaks and a few years ago in the series Big Love. I can’t claim
to be a Harry Dean Stanton expert, having seen him in only a handful of his
many roles, but many who have followed his career more closely are saying that Lucky
is one of his best performances.
Harry Dean Stanton rarely played the lead, but he was memorable
in a multitude of supporting roles, whether playing an outsider, a villain, a
companion, or whatever. A lot of this
had to do with his visage – a long, narrow face, with a tight-set mouth, a
significant beak of a nose, and deep-set
eyes seemingly haunted by experience. Another writer noted that no matter your
age (or his), Stanton always seemed older than you. As he grew chronologically
older, wrinkles and sagging skin only added to this impression. But it wasn’t
just his appearance. Stanton could flat out act. He inhabits his characters so
completely that there is never a sense, watching him, that here is an actor
acting. A rare skill even among the great ones, this talent is on full display
in Lucky. Stanton is in every frame and carries the film effortlessly.
The picture opens with morning rituals: washing his face, brushing
teeth, floor exercises, a cigarette or two, glass of milk, dressing, and so forth. Then, as Lucky
walks out the door of his humble house he’s swallowed up by the bright desert
light. It’s a stunning image, the first of several in this movie, which may
signify the beginning of another day in the sun - or perhaps something else. An
unwavering routine rules the day: working the crossword with coffee at the café,
a stop at the bodega for milk or cigarettes, game shows and more crossword work
back at home, and maybe a stop later on at Elaine’s tavern for a drink and some
chat. It’s a small beat-up old town, and Lucky walks everywhere. Everybody is
acquainted.
Lucky’s not a fan of small talk, so when he does speak he
gets straight to the point. Often the point has to do with the profundity of
language, kindled by his beloved crosswords. Early on, he asks, Is “reality” a
thing? When someone suggests he must get
lonely living by himself, Lucky points out the distinction between being alone
and being lonely, explains the derivation of the word ‘alone’, and implies that
for him it’s a virtue. Proud of his self-sufficiency, he’s somewhat aloof
around other people, believing that he doesn’t need anybody else.
Then a mysterious fall and a trip to his doctor (Ed Begley,
Jr.) - who bluntly tells him he’s just getting old - finally gets Lucky
thinking about an aspect of that ‘thing’ called reality which he has been
avoiding: the void of mortality. His
carefully arranged routines no longer insulate him. He doesn’t believe in an
afterlife - just the scary prospect of “un
gots”, darkness, nothingness. Contemplating this new reality is unsettling,
and his thoughts turn toward the morbid. Lucky vividly recalls the saddest day
of his life and a childhood fear of being all alone.
Then, an unexpected visit and a warm embrace sets off a
series of encounters (which are better experienced than described) and a path toward connection, solace and some sort of
grace.
The film starts as a character study and evolves into a sort
of parable of transformation or, as the publicists would have it, a spiritual
journey. It is a personal journey
certainly, but to the extent the term “spiritual” suggests religious
transcendence or a belief in an incorporeal “soul”, rest assured that in this
case there’s no theology attached. I’d
call it a contemplation of meaning. Stanton’s ability to portray Lucky’s
psychic metamorphosis is delightful to watch. As the credits suggest at the
outset of the film, Stanton IS Lucky.
The story is enriched by a series of characters that
ultimately inform and enrich his understanding. Among them are Loretta (Yvonne
Huff) the waitress who reminds Lucky that people care for him, Howard (David
Lynch) the friend whose attachment to a runaway tortoise is funny, touching and
instructive, Paulie (James Darren) the bar denizen whose apparently oft-repeated
tale explicating the meaning of un gots
is not only funny but ultimately helpful to Lucky’s growing understanding, Bibi
(Bertila Damas) the warm-hearted bodega lady, and Fred (Tom Skerritt) a fellow
WWII vet whose story becomes a zen-like inspiration for Lucky.
The cinematography by veteran Tim Suhrstedt (Noises Off
[1992], Little Miss Sunshine [ 2006]) is pretty remarkable. The interior shots
of Lucky’s home manage to convey comfort and warmth on the one hand and
isolation on the other. The long scenes at Elaine’s bar have the immediacy and
conviviality of the tavern in the 80’s TV series Cheers. His desert photography
is beautiful and evocative.
Lucky was ably helmed by long-time actor, first-time director
John Carroll Lynch; and it was co-written by first-time screenwriters Logan
Sparks and Drago Sumonja, both of whom have bounced around the film industry
for many years in various capacities. The team’s relative inexperience shows in a few rough spots here
and there, but nothing that detracts from the sincerity of the project or the
ultimate sweetness of the message.
This is a good little movie that offers beauty, insight, and
food for thought. And a terrific final
performance by Harry Dean Stanton that will likely stay with you for some time.
For this we can consider ourselves lucky.
88 minutes
Grade: A-
In limited release in
select theaters around the US.
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