Colorful, charming animated tale has positive messages.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
Characters do a lot of falling down and getting bonked by things; they appear to be in regular danger of getting hurt, but they always rebound unscathed. Sam has to enter a scary and unknown place by herself. Chase scenes and scary-looking monsters. Children hope and wait to be adopted but are frequently let down.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Drinks called Tangerine Tornados and Lucky Dragons are served in a juice bar/restaurant; they don't appear to be alcoholic, but they look very much like tiki bar drinks.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Sam demonstrates gratitude for what she has in life, which is less than a lot of others her age. She maintains a positive, can-do attitude despite regular setbacks. She shows perseverance and empathy in tirelessly pursuing her goal to help her young friend Hazel, even if it puts her in danger. Bob tries not to form attachments, but he helps Sam despite possible risks to himself. He eventually learns to love her like family. Other characters help Sam and Bob, and even those who seem to be working against them ultimately come around and do the right thing.
Positive Messages
a lot
Family is who you make it. Learning to roll with the punches when they come in life will make you more resilient. Be kind and compassionate to others, and don't judge a book by its cover. Everything that happens to you in life, good or bad, forms part of who you are.
Diverse Representations
some
Animated characters, including humans and leprechauns, represent different races and nationalities. Strong female leaders in the Land of Luck.
Kids can reflect on the value of family and the reality that sometimes bad things happen, an opportunity for learning and growth.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Luck is an animated film about Sam (voiced by Eva Noblezada), the unluckiest person in the world. She accidentally travels to the Land of Luck and learns positive lessons about overcoming challenges and managing disappointments. Characters face dangers and scary-looking monsters, but they always emerge unscathed. They demonstrate empathy and perseverance and discover that family is who you make it. There are some emotional scenes involving young children who are hoping to be adopted and end up disappointed. Characters use very mild taunts ("blabbermouth"), there's a "poop" research center, and a few scenes take place in a (juice) bar. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Great to have another rated G movie for my daughter to enjoy
My 8-year old daughter LOVED the movie, especially the talking cat. So nice to have a real rated G film that's not trying to be so heavy and serious. There's no terrible angst, or buhhahaha villain, just an imaginative story for kids with a positive message. The movie is good, fun, lighthearted and perfect for children.
I kind of hate that I watch any kids movie now fully ready to cringe at whatever political or "social" something someone tries to shovel into it. I didn't have to cringe during this one and I really appreciate it. Well, maybe I cringed at Whoppie Goldberg making money off of it, but it wasn't something I had to explain to kids. Did it drag a little, yes. Are my nine year old twin boys and 6 year old boy watching it again this morning, yes. I hope more non-cringe worthy kids movies keep getting made!
What's the Story?
The star of LUCK, Sam Greenfield (voiced by Eva Noblezada), has always had bad luck. She is about to age out of the latest in a long string of foster homes, none of which ever found her a "forever family." This means that she has to say goodbye to bunkmate Hazel (Adelynn Spoon), a little girl also waiting to be adopted, and move into an apartment on her own. One day Sam finds a lucky penny left behind by a black cat. She plans to give Hazel the penny for luck in finding a family, but, bad luck being what it is, she accidentally flushes the penny down the toilet. When she again spots the black cat -- who can speak and is named Bob (Simon Pegg) -- she chases him and unwittingly follows him through a portal that leads to the Land of Luck. There, Sam's real adventure begins, as she enlists Bob's help in getting a lucky penny for Hazel, poses as a Latvian Leprechaun, and has to elude characters like the Captain (Whoopi Goldberg) and the Dragon (Jane Fonda).
This charming animated film manages to maintain a sweet innocence without compromising its desire to layer in ideas and characters that can be appreciated by more mature audiences. Luck's characters, animated with subtlety, are seemingly tailor-made for the high-profile cast. Bob's calm, cool, standoffish demeanor is captured in his cat poses and almond eyes, and Pegg's accent hilariously changes to fit the storyline. Goldberg infuses her wise-cracking Captain with a soft heart, and Fonda oozes seductive power as the confident dragon lady who recognizes that a lot of creatures are intimidated by "ladies of stature" and who just knows that she would "excel" at running the universe.
The Land of Luck is a magical place imbued with soft colors and made to look like the inside of a watch, constantly in motion and with Jetsons-style platforms transporting characters. There's magic in other scenes as well, particularly a dialogue-free sequence where Sam chases Bob through town. The cat is as suave as Fred Astaire as he glides nonchalantly over the tops of opened umbrellas. The entire film is set to an orchestral score that also has classical Hollywood nuances.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea that bad luck can bring good things, or at least teach us resilience, as it does for Sam in Luck. Has this been your experience? If so, what happened?
The Captain and the Dragon are both female characters in charge of the Land of Luck. Why is it unusual to see female leaders in animated films? What other examples can you think of?
How do Sam and Bob demonstrate empathy? Do other characters show this trait as well? Why is this an important character strength?
How does Sam show perseverance? At what points might she have given up on her plan to help Hazel? Would it have been understandable if she had given up?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
