Kristin Reviews Logan Lucky

I love a good heist movie.

Unfortunately, Logan Lucky is not one.

Steven Soderbergh, who did make a good heist movie in 2001 with Ocean's Eleven, directed Logan Lucky from a script written by a mysterious – and possibly nonexistent – screenwriter named Rebecca Blunt. Neither the directing nor the script are worthy of much excitement.

To be fair, Logan Lucky does have a heist in it ... always a good start when one sets out to make a heist movie. Unfortunately, a heist movie needs more than just a heist to be good.

Here’s what Logan Lucky has:

• One heist
• A collection of quirky characters we want to like a lot more than we actually do
• Efforts to create suspense that never really feel suspenseful because we never really feel invested in the characters’ success
• A poorly defined twist with no emotional resonance attached to it at all
• A ridiculously long, drawn-out third act that feels like it’s never, ever ... ever going to end

I assume this movie was on a lot of Oscar prediction radars because Steven Soderbergh received a screenwriting nomination (plus Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or Award and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director) for Sex, Lies, and Videotape when he was still in his 20s.

Or maybe because he was nominated for two directing Oscars in one year (for Erin Brockovich and Traffic in 2000).

Or possibly because he got Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey to dance around in his undies in 2012's Magic Mike.

I don't know. But I can say that Logan Lucky has no diversity going for it, so it will be evaluated solely based upon its merits. In other words, it is unlikely to earn any nominations.

Frankly, I’m glad I didn’t pay to see it in a theater and wouldn’t mind having those two hours back.

Final Grade: C-

-Kristin
1.3.2018