Bill Pullman, Chris Kattan, Daryl Mitchell

John Travolta plays Russ Richards, a small-town weatherman who is such a local celebrity that he even has his own table at the local Denny's. He obviously sees himself as a big deal about town, and he...( read more  read more... )'s got the spending habits to prove it, including payments on a big house and a fancy Jaguar. His unstable life is further complicated by the fling he's having with the station's lotto girl (Lisa Kudrow), who is also having an affair with the married station manager (Ed O'Neill). On the verge of bankruptcy, Russ asks the advice of his good friend and strip club owner Gig (Tim Roth), who cooks up a plan to fix the lottery. The hardest part of the whole scheme turns out to be finding a trustworthy person to cash in the ticket. This is a mean-spirited comedy, which is to be expected from writer Adam Resnick (Cabin Boy, TV's Get a Life), but not from director Nora Ephron (You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle). Then again, maybe she always has patronized the characters in her movies. Clearly, the casting needed to tap into the oddball surrealism of someone like Chris Elliott, whereas Travolta is just playing a dumb, self-deluded guy, and Kudrow, in her most unlikable role yet, is playing not just a ditz but a ditsy sociopath. The movie is not a total waste, thanks mostly to some stunning supporting performances by Tim Roth, Ed O'Neill, and especially Bill Pullman as the lazy cop. Overall, a mixed bag. --Andy Spletzer

Flixster Users

23% liked it

8,778 ratings

Critics

23% liked it

93 critics

R, 105 min.

Directed by: Nora Ephron

Release Date: October 27, 2000

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DVD Release Date: March 20, 2001

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Stats: 199 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (199)


  • July 11, 2007
    Ok, first off, how fucking terrible is John Travolta? The only thing he could do in his youth was dance. And Jesus, he doesn't even look good anymore!

    Oki doki, plot synopsis time. Guy starts losing money (don't they always?), guy has affair with girl who spins lottery balls, th...( read more)e two of them make a plan to cheat the lotto machine. Sound simple? You betcha.

    Lisa Kudrow's pperformance is terribly disappointing compared to other roles (remember Phoebe from Friends?). Travolta, as aforementioned, is frightening. And the supporting cast, er, does it's supporting.

    The problem with 'Lucky Numbers', you see, is that the story always seems to go absolutely nowhere. There are some other minor faults, but let's ignore those completely.

    Basically, Travlota is awful and the plot is stretched like bubblegum over an eight - seater dining table. There, I said it.
  • April 12, 2009
    Such a silly movie but really funny.
  • May 30, 2008
    Not very good.
  • March 28, 2008
    A movie that's so forgettable you may need to rewind it to remember what's going on. Still, it's as harmless as Goldilock's porridge.
  • October 19, 2006
    Okay, I went into this movie thinking it was going to be utter crap, but since I love Roth, I decided to see it anyway. And I must say I was quite surprised. It had a nice flow to it, and a great cast that portrayed nicely eccentric characters, especially John Travolta. I'm so us...( read more)ed to seeing him be a hardened criminal that when he's floundering around and squeeling in this I just couldn't help but laugh out loud. Lisa Kudrow was also great and played a real crazy bitch, which was nice considering the usual ditzes she plays. Roth was great as usual, and was strangely charming despite his character's immoral personality. Oh, and Pullman was great too; he was actually probably the funniest as a the laziest police officer you'll ever see. So all in all it had a few laughs and some witty parts, but it still felt like it was trying a bit too hard. I'd wait to see it on TV or rent it if you're really interested, but I'd only suggest it to Travolta or Roth fans.
  • September 9, 2009
    Although this isn't a great movie, I am surprised at how negative the reviews are. It has some funny moments, the performances are okay, I wasn't ever bored. The ending wasn't satisfactory but I was moderately entertained.
  • February 9, 2009
    Some good songs; fav. quote: "That's good, is that from the Bible?"
  • January 31, 2009
    John Travolta as a weatherman?! Ha ha! Count me out!
  • July 16, 2008
    I guess I had too high of an expectation for this film. It turned out to be less that satisfactory. The story had far too many twists and turns and most of them are very predictable. The only thing that kept me from not watching was to know what would happen to Travolta. I think ...( read more)the ending was pretty well done but it was not good enough to save the entire movie.
  • July 13, 2008
    This was kind of funny, if I remember correctly

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Tells too much story at not enough energy. It should have been cut back and cranked up. full review

January 1, 2000
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

There's something refreshing about the way it invites us to splash around in its little wading pool of amorality. full review

View more Lucky Numbers reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Lucky Numbers Trivia


  • In what movie did Al Bundy(married with children) sleep with Pheobe Buffay (Friends)?   Answer »
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  • How is Russ Richards a celebrity in Lucky Numbers ?  Answer »
  • What type of business does Russ open in Lucky Numbers ?  Answer »

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