Logan Lucky

RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS: After his ex-wife, Bobbie Jo Chapman, announces that she and his daughter, Sadie, will be moving far away, unemployed Jimmy Logan decides to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway with the aide of his siblings, Clyde and Mellie, and prison inmate, Joe Bang, in hopes of getting the money to move.

EXPECTATION:

Similarities with the Ocean’s Eleven franchise – K
A lot of explosions – B
Humor – K
Long driving sequences – B

REALITY:

Country version of Ocean’s Eleven
Few but unique explosions
A bunch of humor
There are driving sequences! ♥

LET US EXPLAIN OURSELVES:

K: Yes, this one is almost a no-brainer: Ocean’s Eleven and Logan Lucky have the same director, so they share many similarities. Not only does this film share his trademarks (montages, multiple storylines, flashbacks, atmospheric soundtracks). It follows a similar plot: a man with a history of crime decides that he wants to rob a big business; he gets his right-hand man to join him; the two get the help of the man who has knowledge of the place they are going to rob; this man is reluctant to join but does because he learns that he will only get what he lost by robbing this business; the trio gather more recruits; the newly assembled team learn as much about the place (s) they are robbing; they rob the business (s) and part of this is shown to the viewer; any questions the viewer may have about the heist are answered in a flashback towards the end of the film.

See? Same plot.

The difference is that this film takes place in North Carolina, not Las Vegas. It’s basically The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to Ocean’s Eleven’s The Real Housewives of New York. Ocean’s Eleven is classier–that is, as classy as robbing casinos gets.

All comparisons aside, this film has a lot of heart. Jimmy’s relationships with his siblings, especially his brother, and his daughter really give the movie some depth beyond just a well-executed heist film.

B: SPOILER ALERT! There are three explosions throughout the entire film, and two of the explosions are some what unique. The first explosion is put into action by Jimmy, who blows up a car with a Molotov cocktail. Explosion two: Sam and Fish Bang throw an explosive into the main generator causing all of the vendors to only accept cash. Explosion three–my personal favorite–is created by Joe Bang, his last name most likely hinting to his extensive knowledge of explosive creations…

The formula consisting of gummy bears, fake salt (Yes, fake salt), and bleach pens which are combined in a plastic bag. The combination will explode when heated up. Although the “Gummy Bear Bang” is practically a simple science project, the execution is absolutely brilliant and hilarious!

K: This film has much more humor than the trailers let on. Actually, the first half was so funny that my mom, who went to this with me, could hardly get a breath in. I never felt that the humor was at the expense of these characters, at least, not the main characters. Soderbergh doesn’t use their southern accents or clothing choices as humorous bits.

B: Although the film is about a heist at the Coca-Cola 600, nearly all of the driving sequences are outside of the race track. In fact, there is really only one race track scene with actual racing. Otherwise, the camera will occasionally show parts of the car race on different TVs that different characters are closely monitoring. With that said, Mellie Logan is the one who does the most driving as she is the getaway driver. Most of the driving scenes are more about what is happening inside of the car than the quick maneuvering around other vehicles.