Liza Minnelli plays such a selfish harpy in "Lucky Lady" that it's easy to see why this film won her no new admirers. Fans of 1972's "Cabaret" were already softened to love Minnelli no matter what, but here director Stanley Donen seems intent on making Liza's character Claire as brittle and abrasive as possible. The lumbering plot, about a trio of rum-runners in the 1930s who outsmart the competition and fall into an oddly casual three-way love affair, isn't worked out cohesively in terms of the narrative (and the overlapping scenes of raunch, comedy, and mobster melodrama eventually cause impatience and resentment). At first it's a bit shocking to see Liza in bed between Gene Hackman and Burt Reynolds, however the movie isn't all about after-hours fun under-the-sheets; Donen turns the third act into a violent extravaganza (with a slapstick bent), including boats blowing up, guns going off, and dead bodies everywhere. The picture walks a shaky line between nostalgia and bloodshed, with echoes of "Bonnie & Clyde"'s jangly tone. Little of it jells, though the attempt is certainly a curious one. **1/2 from ****
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moonspinner5523 December 2007
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While this is considered one of Liza Minnelli's film career flops, the evidence points out otherwise. It definitely was not the box office hit that 20th Century Fox anticipated it would be coming off as her first acting role since winning the Oscar for "Cabaret". However, box office receipts show that it didn't do as badly as rumor would have it. In fact, Liza received a Golden Globe nomination for the film, and was still one of the year's top box office stars (among very few women listed) in spite of poor reviews that the film received. What really tanked that year for Fox was "At Long Last Love", their big musical spoof which starred Liza's co-star here, Burt Reynolds.
This is a prohibition era story of rum running, and Liza plays a Clara Bow lookalike who sings Kander and Ebb songs in a border-town saloon. She convinces sometimes lover Reynolds to run rum for her, and has both the border patrol and coast guard on their trail. On the way, they pick up grizzled Gene Hackman who was ripped off by Reynolds, and pretty soon, the three are engaged in a menage-a-tois, although it is clear that manly men Hackman and Reynolds only share Minnelli, not each other.
"Gangsters?" a San Francisco hotel clerk asks his manager. "No", he responds. "Hollywood trash". There's tons of lines like this, but the all time classic is Minnelli's "It's so quiet here, you can hear a fish fart!" Network TV years ago cut out the line altogether while a cable channel simply silenced the offensive word, even though it was clear through Liza's mouthing what she had said. Young Robby Benson plays Reynolds' shy shipmate and quickly moved onto leads in such popular teen films as "Ode to Billy Joe", "One on One", and "Ice Castles".
The film is no better or worse than many fluffy comedies of the 1970's, probably a tad higher budgeted than most. Liza was the epitome of the wild '70's lifestyle of the rich and famous, and with the Studio 54 days just around the corner, some memorable Broadway appearances and much press, it isn't hard to see why some critics would want to put her down a peg or two, justified or not. She's actually the best thing about the movie, and if her Kander and Ebb songs aren't up there among their best (which includes the same year's Barbra Streisand hit "Funny Lady"), they do reflect the era. Standards of the late 20's such as "All I Do is Dream of You" and "If I Had a Talking Picture of You" are heard in a nightclub sequence. The opening theme, "Too Much Mustard", is best remembered as the Astaire/Rogers "Castle Walk" in "The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle" and snappily gets the film started with some nice artwork over the credits. The title song is one of the highlights of the film, a montage of various situations that is quite humorous. Overall, the humor of the film is very similar to the 1982 Blake Edwards/Julie Andrews classic "Victor/Victoria", which didn't suffer at all at the box office, and a show Liza later did on Broadway.
"Lucky Lady" was part of the '70's nostalgia craze and was obviously influenced by "The Sting" as were such others as "The Fortune" and "Harry and Walter Go to New York". There is apparently an alternative ending that Liza liked better but was re-filmed to be more commercial. I felt satisfied with this conclusion, however (involving rival bootlegger John Hillerman), although the alternate ending sounds more touching. Geoffrey Lewis is amusing as a Coast Guard commander, and Hillerman is droll as always. I think in time that "Lucky Lady" will be like other disappointments of the era and be acknowledged as an entertaining film without pretension that suffered mainly because of the overabundance of attention the three stars were receiving. -
pmtelefon5 March 2020"Lucky Lady" is a pretty bad movie. It has three big stars and doesn't do anything with them. At least not anything worth while. The movie seems confused about what it is. Is it a comedy? Is it a crime drama? It doesn't work as both. The sets and costumes are okay, I guess. But none of that matters. "Lady Lady" is an uninteresting movie. It wears out its welcome after an hour or so.
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ptb-823 September 2004Released in Sydney in 1976 in the beautiful lost Plaza cinerama-screen theatre LL was crazily blown up to 70mm for release here and suffered horrible cropping to make it a rectangle 2.2 ratio pic when it seemed to be shot 1.66-1. Heads were cut off, or in one famous scene with Liza in a chair with Hackman and Reynolds standing behind her (the famous "fish fart" line) all we saw was her eyes on the stage and the men's chins at the top. I saw it again in proper ratio and it was far better, so whoever's idea to blow it up literally only added to the maligned 'bomb' status of this very expensive ($13m) 1975 film. Yes, the washed out image also looks weird, and makes you yearn for better access into the antics on screen. We had one of the 3 reported endings: the silly happy one where they all surface in the water after being blown up. The Butch Cassidy ending where the guys die and she is left would have been much better. Amazing that this film cost $4m more than STAR WARS filmed the next year. I saw a terrific 'making of' featurette at a nearby cinema at the same time which was in focus and offered a witty and attractive lead to the film, so there is plenty for the DVD if we get it. Reynolds other films of the time AT LONG LAST LOVE and NICKELODEON deserve favourable DVD releases too; all 3 are funny and enjoyable and compared to new multiplex releases from the USA, are masterpieces. LL is almost a musical and Reynolds is a hoot. The John Held artwork on the credits will make you rush to buy a book of his delicious 1920s cartoons.
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jrs-820 July 2002Sometimes you just have to scratch your head. All the ingredients are in place for a great movie. In this case you have a cast headed by Burt Reynolds, Gene Hackman, and Liza Minnelli, and a top director in Stanley Donen who made the classic "Singing in the Rain." So what went wrong?
In a word it's the script. When ideas run out an action sequence is implanted to try and throw the viewer off. Nice try fellas but it didn't work.
Even the main story is just brushed over. An often intimated threesome with the main leads is just a tease. It's never explored and only serves to wet our appetite for something that might liven this mess up. Alas, it never comes.
Released at Christmas in 1975 "Lucky Lady" proved to be a major box office flop. It's easy to see why. I'm sure no one connected with the film is too pleased to be reminded of it. -
JasparLamarCrabb27 July 2014There's so much behind the scenes talent that went into making this dog, it's shocking how bad a movie it is. Three rum-runners in the 1920s team up to strike it rich. What was presumably meant to be a frothy comedy is a still-born waste of time and energy. Director Stanley Donen loses his way badly here and he's not helped by the witless script (credited to Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, who just hit pay dirt with American GRAFFITI). There's nary a laugh to be found, unless of course you find such chestnuts as "it's so quiet you can hear a fish fart" to be funny. Liza Minnelli, Burt Reynolds and Gene Hackman are the pricey leads and they don't bring anything the this party. Hackman looks particularly ill-at-ease. The great Geoffrey Unsworth is credited with providing the cinematography, which for some reason appears to be filtered through gauze, giving the entire film a hazy look. Michael Hordern, John Hillerman, Geoffrey Lewis and Anthony Holland are in it too. Robby Benson appears as a sort of junior rum runner.
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ianlouisiana13 March 2006I feel I am triple blessed.Not only did I see this movie with the last two reels shown in reverse order,but the same hapless projectionist also tacked on two different endings just to complete a sublime evening's entertainment.As I stumbled,brain - numbed ,into the foyer ,I spotted the cinema manager cowering behind a pillar.As the theatre emptied I explained what had occurred under his stewardship.He nodded from time to time,glancing around nervously as he did so.By the time I had finished outlining my complaint I was the only patron in sight and his relief was palpable."Well,nobody else has complained",he said,"you must have been the only one that noticed".He offered me a free ticket for the next night's showing but I made my excuses and left. I speak as an unashamed fan of Mr Reynolds and Mr Hackman whose combined talents had led me to abandon my warm fire and labrador to drive 25 miles across Sussex to watch "Lucky Lady".28 years later I'm glad I did because the experience is the nearest I have ever had to spending an evening on LSD.And it was completely legal.I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved from Messrs Hackman and Reynolds to the lady who so happily sold me my ticket.I have absolutely no idea what the film was about and I doubt if Burt or Gene did either.
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Interesting little comedy featuring 3 down on their luck folks who, during the depression, formed a coalition to run booze past the coast guard. Turns out the CG is the least of their woes as a psychotic rumrunner decides to take over the entire area and rub out any who stand in his path. Good shootout as a finale with a multitude of boats gunning it out in a Pacific cove. Good one.
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DKosty12322 January 2012When you talk about wasting a grade A cast, this movie tops the list. When I saw this in the theater, I left absolutely stunned. What I had seen was so bad, I almost wondered if what I had seen were the out takes and the real film was back on the studio floor.
Hackman, Minelli & Reynolds are not too blame. I'm not even sure Stanley Donlan is to blame. The scenes often seem disjointed. The sets are poorly designed and the climax of this movie just does not look or feel right. I am not even sure where to start on what could have been done to fix it. There is one thing that could be done with this, but I think it is too late.
If Mel Brooks were still in his prime, this is the movie he should do a satire of. I know it does not have the greatness of material like Young Frankenstein, or Hitchcock. The thing is, when you find a bomb bigger than "Springtime For Hitler", it cries to get some laughs out of it. -
The_Rook31 March 2006After the popularity of "The Sting" a few other movies surfaced with period themes and involving gangsters. I have to say to me "Lucky Lady" was one of the more entertaining. Acting from Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds, and Liza Minnelli was certainly more than competent and decent from the rest the cast. The costumes, sets, and music were quite good. Overall just a fun movie to watch. Take a group of privateers during Prohibition (law passed making drinking liquor against the law in U.S.) that wants to make a little fast money selling liquor smuggled in from Canada with the mob and the law hot on their heels and you get the theme of the movie. Considering the star power here and the fact that this is certainly much better to watch than a lot of trash out on DVD it surprises me this has never been released on DVD and if it ever was on VHS it is long since OOP. I sure hope some smart studio gets this our on DVD. I can guarantee they will do much better with it than many others they might try to market.
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What could have been a pleasurable romp, LUCKY LADY is, instead, a dismal example of Hollywood think. How Stanley Donen (CHARADE, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS) could have let anyone talk him into the choice of using "flashed" film, is a real mystery. The result looks out of focus and "artsy, schmartsy," destroying what intimacy the cast could evoke, given the skelatal storyline. The editing is a disaster. A scene where Reynolds and Hackman make off with two whores after being abandoned by Minelli is immediately followed by all three in bed together. There's little or no narrative establishing Minelli's relationship with her "legit" boyfriend, nor is there any explanation as to why Reynolds and Hackman would except this complication in their already complex relationship with Minelli. There are a few good lines, ("ANYTHING would be better than singing with a Mariachi band) but the story is not just light, it's almost nonexistant.
It's too bad there is no motivation for Fox to open the vaults to show us what we REALLY missed. There MIGHT be a movie in a re-edited LUCKY LADY. Unfortunately, there simply isn't one on display in the final product. I give it a "5," simply because the story mostly makes sense. -
cemab4y2 June 2010I really enjoyed this film. I saw it in Shreveport, LA in 1975. I enjoyed watching and listening to one man, who laughed like roaring thunder all through the film. I enjoyed him enjoying the film.
The story is a bit choppy and uneven. The editing is smooth and clean. The costumes and props are all first-rate. The acting is good, but not great.
The climactic "battle scene" is a whopper. Sort of like something Yakima Canutt would do, except it is on water. Great Second Unit work, to be sure.
It is not really a love story, and the bedroom scenes are stuffy and over-rehearsed. You are not really sure who is in love with whom, but it does not matter.
Robby Benson has a good little role, he went to some good character work.
I want to get a DVD of this film and soon. -
artzau18 December 2002OK, so the movie pundits slammed this one when it came out. At the time, the three stars, Minelli, Reynolds and Hackman were at their peak. The story involves a slapstick triangle set in the bootlegger days off the coast of California. The film has been kicked for not having a lot of "depth," but somehow, that doesn't really bother me. If I want depth, I'll likely go watch something else. I found this film to be unpretentious, humorous and fun to watch. What more can one ask for from the price of a ticket? I was in Uruguay at the time and enjoyed it thoroughly.
As of this writing, there's no video or DVD, so watch for it on the late show. -
Burt Reynolds, Gene Hackman and Liza Minnelli and Robby Benson are a motley crew who whilst on-board the boat of the title make a killing transporting booze through treacherous waters in 1930's prohibition. Hackman/Reynolds become engaged in a hilarious menage-a-trios with Minnelli who is excellent in her role as Claire who is queen of the rum-runners, the four have to keep one step ahead of the villainous mobster Teague 'John Hillerman' and also avoid Geoffrey Lewis who is a by the book Coast Guard who is out to thwart the lucrative enterprise. The film has lots of laughs and some cracking set pieces most notably the Sea battle climax which in these days of pathetic 'CGI' remains amazing. Directed by Stanley Donen (Charade) 'Lucky Lady' is nothing short of excellent. It's great to finally have it on DVD in 1:85:1 16:9 Widescreen. It's an excellent transfer which was photographed by Geoffrey Unsworth. why this film isn't better known i don't know why? but i liked it:)
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How can you not like a Stanley Donen Musical w/Streisand?
Lucky Lady is a must-see musical despite its many shortcomings. Like 99% of movie sequels, this is a third-rate Funny Girl. But with Streisand reprising her Oscar-winning characterization of Fanny Brice, no serious film buff can miss seeing this movie--especially one directed by Stanley Donen, the director of the greatest Hollywood musical ever made, Singing in the Rain.
Throw in Liza Minnelli and you'll never get to gay heaven if you don't do your duty and see this film.
Enjoy Streisand's magnificent voice and ignore the hopeless plot and James Caan's forgettable performance. -
Capboy22 September 1999I've always had a soft spot for this overly maligned production, the "Ishtar" of its day. It's an oft-kilter mix, to be sure, with some great low comedy bits jarringly interrupted by graphic violence. But it's always fun, and the star trio (especially Reynolds, in a very overlooked performance) seem to be having a ball. Liza Minnelli's production number, "Get While The Gettin' Is Good", is absolutely terrific; she is at her wittiest. Stanley Donen just a few years ago proclaimed he was proud of "Lucky Lady", and I'm hoping eventually this movie will find some type of audience other than Liza Minnelli completists. Hey, Fox, put it on video!
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mibar9 December 2002I saw this many moons ago as a kid on a late night show fell in love with it then and still love it now.
It is a strange mix with some great comedy and then some downright mean moments of violence, but that was one of the films nice little quirks.
Minelli's Fish Fart line has stuck with me for years, and recently the film made it to cable where I was able to get a copy.
With all the dross being rereleased onto DVD it's well overdue a release.
One of those guilty little pleasures we all have. -
Lebowskidoo21 October 2018Burt, Liza and Gene as a trio of rum runners during prohibition in the 1930's who have a menage-a-trois! Liza sings!
Favorite Line: "You ever get tired of having yourself around?" - Claire (Liza Minnelli) (to Kibby) (Gene Hackman)
Stanley Donen directed, he had a very hard time filming on the ocean, and the three main cast members all recall it being one of the hardest films they ever made.
The title refers to the name of the yacht they use to run rum, but I suppose it could apply to Claire who has two men in her life at once!
Another "flop" at the time, but I liked seeing these three interact together on screen, and the movie is good too. Nice to see Burt's frequent costars John Hillerman, Geoffrey Lewis and Robby Benson with him here again. -
I still remember seeing this movie, way back in 1976, at the Fortway theater in Brooklyn, NY. It was a second run theater that showed double features, usually movies that were originally released 6 months earlier, for only $2.00 (ahh those were the days). Lucky Lady played on a double bill with Sky Riders, which starred James Coburn, Susannah York and Robert Culp. I was around 13 at the time, and had a little idea of what Sky Riders was about, no idea of the story to Lucky Lady, though I know it received poor reviews. I have to admit I enjoyed them both, but had a grand time watching Lucky Lady. It seemed a bit episodic, and the humor at times was kinda dumb, but I got to like the characters, even the minor ones like Robbie Benson as their "first mate," Michael Hordern as the old captain, and even Geoffrey Lewis as the zealous but loony Coast Guard captain out to sink any bootleggers he comes across. But the villains really stole the show, especially John Hillerman as the machine-gun toting main villain.
One complaint was that the final boat battle was a rip-off of the James Bond battles. Who cares, as long as it's done well--in fact Mr. Donen should have been approached to do some of the Bonds after this movie.
I may have seen the movie on tv shortly after its release. I don't remember if i liked it as much, seeing it on tv wasn't quite the same. I don't know if I would like it as much now either, but I would certainly be interested in seeing it on video. As another person commented, so much dreck is being released on DVD, I don't see why Lucky Lady shouldn't be made available. At least it tried to be a class act, which is more than you can say for many of today's releases. -
Anthony-Groves-16 October 2007I saw this many movie years ago on British TV and thought it was brilliant. Since then I have been trying to get hold of a copy. VHS came and went but never found a copy, now DVD is here, does any-one know where I can get a copy on Region 2? I have tried ebay and Amazon. I saw this many movie years ago on British TV and thought it was brilliant. Since then I have been trying to get hold of a copy. VHS came and went but never found a copy, now DVD is here, does any-one know where I can get a copy on Region 2? I have tried ebay and Amazon. I saw this many movie years ago on British TV and thought it was brilliant. Since then I have been trying to get hold of a copy. VHS came and went but never found a copy, now DVD is here, does any-one know where I can get a copy on Region 2? I have tried ebay and Amazon. I saw this many movie years ago on British TV and thought it was brilliant. Since then I have been trying to get hold of a copy. VHS came and went but never found a copy, now DVD is here, does any-one know where I can get a copy on Region 2? I have tried ebay and Amazon.
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mission-527 July 2000Might be called "Sally Bowles Comes Home And Runs Liquor." Her character is almost a parody of her "Cabaret" role. Hackman is Buck Barrow with a comedy twist and Reynolds is perfecting that moron-suave character that he took to such heights in "At Long Last Love."
The film has the distinction of having had, if memory serves, three different endings. I saw the first in previews. A real curve ball in which the male leads get killed and Minelli is left bereft. They went back to the drawing board and the movie premiered with a tacked on scene shot much later which involved the three stars, with the tackiest of make-up jobs, rolling around in a bed in their "elderly" years. From what I can tell by watching it recently, they dropped that entirely and simply cut together some outtakes which they ran under the credits which give us the impression that everybody ended up okay.
There was also this mid-70's technique of film "flashing" which involved pre-exposing the stock to give the film a lighter, airier look. Taken to ridiculous extremes here, it almost looks as if someone just scratched up the lens faces with a Brillo pad. -
MovieManNick10 August 2007In original production there was a very different ending to the movie. The studio did not like the down beat ending of it (I won't reveal to those who don't know, in the event of a director's cut we can only hope for)and the ending was re-shot thus changing the entire outcome of the story and inevitably changing the audience perception of characters. Perhaps a double sided disc with the movie in both versions and (we should be so lucky) commentary by everyone today.
I personally don't find the movie as bad as it's been made out to sound. The cast had no drama surrounding them in production and Liza , Burt and Robbie worked together again in "Rent A Cop". -
ohbabyletmebe7 April 2009Check out Nocturnal Pictures online. They sell Lucky Lady on DVD for $14.00 and some change. I have been looking for this movie on VHS or DVD for quite a long, long time, without success. All I have is an LP soundtrack. This may not be the best movie there is, but I collect Liza Minnelli movies, and this is one (of a few) are not available to buy anywhere. Liza Minnelli's musical numbers are a standout in this movie. I came across Nocturnal Pictures online. However, I am afraid this is a bootleg company that sells DVDs made in their kitchen. Some bootlegs copies are fine. However, I want to make sure this DVD is watchable. Nocturnal Pictures is probably the only company that carries it. Just the same I want to make sure it is a good purchase. If you own such a copy will you kindly email me? Thank you very much.
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gw193521 November 2006When I watched "Lucky Lady" something like 30 years ago, I was hit by the name of the leading character -- Kibby Womack, played by Gene Hackman. That probably means very little in California, but in northeastern Kentucky, those are two Greenup County family names that I doubt exist side-by-side anywhere else in the U.S. (I could be wrong.)
I've tried a few times to find out how the names came to be put together but without luck.
The only way I know the two names might have been carried west together is that Roy Rogers (Leonard Slye), who came from Duck Run, Ohio, just across the river from Greenup County, had grandparents by both the names.
If anyone knows, please tell me. It's a simple matter of curiosity for me.
gw1935@yahoo.com -
bluesbear83 October 2007Hey, this is a fun, light weight movie and, of course, i liked it. There are barrels full of the crummiest movies one could ever want to watch that are readily available on DVD. Other movies unavailable on DVD, apparently for a similar reason, like Cannary Row, Yellow Beard and The Last of the Dogmen, do have demand. This is indicated by how much the VHS tapes are now being sold for. The decision maker was probably a movie critic at some point in time and we all know where their heads are at. Movie collectors do not always want the greatest classics, i.e.(Lawrence of Arabia). (They also may be related to the folks who require ten lines of text in a comment format} Have a nice day.