jss-12433 I was used as an extra in the movie as a soldier in the Army Reserve, many Soldiers from my unit were used for the movie during shooting at Lambert Airport in St Louis. It was very interesting to see what goes on into the making of a film. Between takes and such, I was able to chat with Robbins, Pena, and McAdams....yummy :). I would say that the filming went pretty well, but all things take time with that many players in the room. Staff and even the director were very down to earth and did not see any snobbyness from Hollywood types you would expect. Hell, I even made a suggestion to the director and the did a reshoot because of it. Couple funny moments: After seeing many extras that were not military with their patches and such on their uniforms all screwed up, I got to talk with the wardrobe director and they put me on "fix the uniforms" detail, Pena and I running into each other during a shoot and laughing our butts off about it, asking Pena if he was going to shave off his goatee before shooting a scene in uniform...he laughed it off, Robbins ribbed him a bit and we all waited while he went and shaved.Overall, a really interesting experience and kind of creepy to see yourself and others you know on a big screen movie theater. I am quite visible during 2 scenes

juneebuggy This was a great "slice-of-life" movie which joins three very different U.S. soldiers who find themselves on an unplanned road trip together. Michael Peña, Rachel McAdams and Tim Robbins arrive in New York from Germany only to find their connecting flights cancelled due to a power outage. Anxious to get to their destinations, they agree to share a rented minivan, subsequently forming a deep bond that may be the closest thing any of them has to real family.A bit slow moving but gets better as you slowly find out details about the characters lives. Some of the situations they find themselves in are a bit contrived but I still found myself invested in all three characters and laughed many times. I appreciated the immediate friendship and camaraderie they found together. Rachel McAdams was very good here.At the end I wanted more, and had the thought; and then what happened? Which to me is the sign of a good story. 02.13

kosmasp It's not about where you go ... it's about the way/road and how you are going to cross that, to get there. In other words, it's about the journey. It's about the fact, that while you are on your way, things (and maybe you) will change. It's about your flaws, about your personality and how you that will mix up with other people. It's about a story written in a great way and played by some great actors.Rachel McAdams has the looks, but she also has the talent. You might not agree with the political statements Tim Robbins makes, but you can't fault his acting abilities. I forgot the name of the third lead, but I have seen him in a quite a few movies and he does deliver here too. A story more about the people, than any political statement. And that might be something, that some people will miss out in this. Like "what is the point?".But that's exactly it. How can you explain life? How can you explain fully what you (or the characters in this case) are doing? You just can't. So the director (and screenwriter) stay true to just tell the story. And this works very fine.

BernardoLima The Lucky ones concerns three Iraq War soldiers who have just returned to the States: Fred Cheever (Tim Robbins) is out for good, and can't wait to reunite with his wife and son in St. Louis; T.K. Poole (Michael Pena) has suffered an embarrassing injury and is on his way to reconnecting with his fiancée before heading back overseas; and the also-injured Colee Dunn (Rachel McAdams) is on a mission to deliver a precious guitar to her deceased boyfriend's parents in Las Vegas. These strangers are brought together when JFK Airport is shut down indefinitely. Deciding that renting a car is a better option than twiddling their thumbs and waiting for the planes to fly, they hit the road on an eventful journey that will bring them closer together than they ever would have expected... The Lucky Ones is a film that doesn't really make any statements about the war. Instead it's a character study of these 3 soldiers and it shows how the return from war can be weird and bizarre. The film handles some very dramatic subjects but, always in a light way. As in every road trip film, the character's journey is full of chance encounters and misadventures, and each one of the soldiers ends up fighting some of their own demons or coming to certain realizations. Granted, some of the events feel a bit contrived, but this is a dramedy, not a realistic war drama. The film was very well acted starting with Michael Pena, who despite doing mostly small roles, was a pleasant surprise as a central character. The veteran Tim Robbins delivered a good, even if subtle, performance as the older soldier who's life becomes upside down. However the film belongs to the gorgeous Rachel McAdams; she was feisty, charismatic and overall, just great, as she usually is. One cannot help but to fall a little bit in love with her every time she does a film. At the end of the day, The Lucky Ones is a quirky little film with a certain gentleness that works mainly, because it focuses on the characters and their emotions and not on the war and it's motives. Definitely a nice watch.7/10