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Ever since the moment he met his neighbor, Abbey (Lauren Graham), Zach (Brad Hunt) has been in love with her. But, time and time again, he’s missed his chance to tell her. Through the years, he’s watched other guys make their moves while he’s always remained her neighbor and buddy.
When Abbey announces that she’s decided to move to New York, Zach realizes that she’s about to slip through his fingers for good. So he finally gets up the nerve to ask her out. She agrees, but, since she and Zach have been “just friends” since childhood, she doesn’t really see it as an actual date.
Zach will be the first to admit that he’s never really had a way with women. His former relationships (all twelve of them) went horribly wrong. But he’s convinced that Abbey is (and always has been) The One—and he wants to get it right this time. Realizing that his other best friend, Bleckman (Harland Williams), a creepy womanizer-wannabe who tends to repulse women, isn’t going to be much help, Zach decides to look elsewhere for advice. So he starts looking up all twelve of his exes to ask them what went wrong—and how he can do better.
So Zach hunts down his twelve exes—a grocery cashier with a speech problem, an obsessive waitress who still wants him back, and even (sadly and disturbingly enough) the babysitter who molested him. Then he compiles a list of their advice, which he hangs on his bedroom wall. He learns that he doesn’t listen. He’s not sexy enough. He’s not stylish enough. He’s not forceful enough. He fears commitment. He’s cheap and dirty. So he gets a haircut, buys some new clothes, and prepares for the big date.
I know, I know. It sounds like High Fidelity, doesn’t it? A man who’s unlucky in love goes back through a long line of exes to figure out what he keeps doing wrong. Add a funny sidekick or two (Williams in 13, Jack Black and Todd Louiso in High Fidelity), and you’re getting even closer. But Lucky 13 just doesn’t have the same chick-flick charm.
The idea behind Lucky 13 is a good one (after all, it worked for High Fidelity), but it fails in execution. The humor is forced and often unfittingly over-the-top—which would be just fine if this were supposed to be an outrageous, over-the-top comedy (something more like American Pie). But the lovable (and generally bland) leading man ends up getting lost in a movie full of flamboyant (and generally irritating) characters. Actually, they make him seem even more bland—so bland, in fact, that it keeps getting harder and harder to like him. You may even find yourself hoping that Abbey goes to New York and finds herself someone more interesting.
Great idea, not-so-great execution. Lucky 13 has its moments—but not enough of them to make the movie worth your time.
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