Review of O'Lucky Man (2003) by Anthony V — 23 Jul 2014
Near-perfect semi-sequel to if.... finds Mick Travis (McDowell again) adrift in the world of adulthood. We trace his beginnings as a fresh-faced young coffee salesman through a series of misadventures, some comic, some surreal, forcing him into some painful realizations about life on the planet Earth.
Based on an idea by McDowell, which David Sherwin turned into a script, O Lucky Man! is every bit the equal of if.... while being a completely different film. The tone here is darker but more overtly humorous, and laden with a subtle anguish which becomes progressively more overbearing, even up to the film's probably-sarcastic finale.
The performances by the cast treat the film like a comedy, bringing a lightness of touch to even the film's grimmer moments. Anderson's dry English sense of the bizarre lends to a disorienting atmosphere ably brought to life once again by Miroslav Ondricek; the film is visually different from if.
... but in its own way quite beautiful. A story of youthful idealism withered by the vagaries of life in a pathologically materialistic world, O Lucky Man is one of the quintessential 70s films.
This review of O'Lucky Man (2003) was written by Anthony V on 23 Jul 2014.
O'Lucky Man has generally received very positive reviews.
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