Your Lucky Day

Your Lucky Day is one of the last films Angus Cloud filmed prior to his untimely and tragic passing. Discovered for the hit TV show Euphoria, Cloud’s calm, caring demeanor gave his drug dealer character in the show a lot of necessary nuance, a depth that’s rarely achieved in a character such as his.

In writer/director Dan Brown’s debut film, Cloud plays another drug dealer, Sterling, but one down on his luck. With his inventory recently stolen by a couple of punks, when he overhears a man in a convenience store, Mr. Laird (Garrett), announce that he's won the jackpot, Sterling rashly decides to hold him up to steal the winning ticket. After Laird is accidentally shot by a police officer, Cody (Beaumon), the night derails into chaos. Sterling has to convince both the store manager, Amir (Kraish) and a couple that’s expecting, Ana (Garza) and Abraham (Knight), to cover up the shoot-out and split the winnings.

One thing that’s really frustrating is when a thriller of this kind begins with a setup that feels totally unrealistic. It’s difficult to buy into a premise when it starts on wobbly footing, and unfortunately Sterling’s plan never feels realistic. Not that fiction has to be, but it’s difficult to feel the sense of tension and thrill when the plan starts off on bad footing. A little bit of silliness and humor can patch up a poorly thought-out scheme, but Brown’s screenplay is meant to be taken seriously. Sterling convinces the couple and the store owner to go along with his plan, but it’s Ana who takes charge covering up the growing pile of bodies. The story expands beyond the store, piling in more characters to this chamber piece that make it feel overstuffed in its run time that’s just shy of 90 minutes. There are times when this kind of layering creates more depth, but in the case of Your Lucky Day, it just feels like a blender of twists and turns that don’t add to the film’s intensity.

The heart is in the right place for Your Lucky Day, but the execution is a little loose. Brown puts a lot of tenderness in his film, particularly with the film’s central couple, but there’s not enough friction and surprise to create a tight holiday-set thriller.