Lessons from Luck written by the Hobbit and the Ent on August 8th, 2022. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch
Movie: Luck
Rating: G
Genre: Family, Comedy
Length: 105 minutes
Age suggested: 4 and up
Release Date: August 5th, 2022
Streaming Service: Apple +
Warnings: Adoptive parents and/or kids could be triggered as aging out of the foster system is an integral plot line. Check our ‘Is Luck Appropriate?’ section for more information.
Quick Summary of Luck
Sam, who has lots of bad luck, has aged out of the foster care system. Her bad luck changes when she finds a lucky penny. She wants to give it to her young friend Hazel, to help her find her forever family, but she accidentally flushes it down a toilet. She is going to have an adventure and find out about herself as she tries to get the penny back.
Luck Movie Review (Contains Mild Spoilers)
Sam has a lot of bad luck. Flat tires, locking herself in rooms, spilling things….until she gives a cat a piece of her sandwich for dinner and then finds a lucky penny. Sam has just aged out of the foster system, but her friend Hazel has prospective adoptive parents coming to see her, and Sam wants to give her the penny. Unfortunately, she loses the penny.
Afterward, she discovers that the penny was dropped by the cat and also learns he can talk and is named Bob. Bob is from the land of Luck. Sam follows him there and various mishaps occur as they try to get a lucky penny. The characters and plot are well done and held together with lots of physical comedy.
-Is Luck Appropriate?-
Overall, yes. There isn’t a terrible amount of offensive content here. There’s some bathroom humor but it is a generally very safe watch- HOWEVER… With the overlying plot of aging out of foster care, this movie could be hard for kids who are currently or have been in the foster care system. There is also an implied thought that Sam ages out of the foster care system due to being unlucky. As you can imagine, this thought can be particularly painful for kids in the foster care system. We know that this is entirely inaccurate.
Foster Care Representation Concern
Each year about 1,000 kids in Canada and 20,000 + children in the United States age out of foster care. Not because they are unlucky but because of systems that do not prioritize them or the social safety nets their first families needed to thrive- amongst MANY other reasons. So while, overall, Luck is a pretty safe movie to watch with kids I am concerned that it furthers stereotypes.
–Why Watch Luck-
All other things aside, the movie shows us something about the foster care system, aging out of the system, and the importance of forever families. It is a surface look but one that needs to be discussed. You care about the characters, primarily Sam and Bob but also the secondary ones. Both have familiar but well-done character development. The animation, while not breaking any new ground, is very well done. It’s cute but not amazing. A fun watch for the kids though.
The theme, of what is truly really important and how we find it, is a common one but it is well presented and done in a way that makes it easy to discuss. Check our out Luck Discussion Questions below for more information.
Continue Reading for our Lessons from Luck Movie
Lessons from Luck Movie
Origin Doesn’t Determine Destiny
Bob’s story of being a “bad luck black cat” is very important. According to everyone’s expectations, just the fact that Bob is a black cat means he is unlucky. As things get revealed throughout the film, we learn he is in fact unlucky, but he hasn’t let that define him and found a way to change his luck.
Good Luck isn’t Everything
At the climax of the film, Sam and Babe the Dragon have the conversation where they discuss that without bad luck, many of the positive things in their lives wouldn’t have existed. Although a life full of bad luck was difficult, it also led Sam to where she is now.
Preparation is Important
At the end of the film, the group learns that they can live with a balance of good and bad luck as long as they are prepared for the bad luck. Although some of this is shown for comedic effect, there is an important lesson within it. If you can prepare for some disappointment, it is easier to cope with.
Luck Discussion Questions
Themes to Discuss: Friendship, family,
- Who was your favorite character and why?
- Was the land of bad luck bad and the land of good luck good? Were they better together or separate?
- What was the funniest thing that happened?
- What makes a family a family?
- How can bad luck be helpful in our lives?
- What did Bob learn about friendship in the movie?
If your family knows a family with adopted kids, this can also be a discussion starter.
Thanks for reading our Lessons from Luck. Before you go, check out these other posts:
–Lessons from The Bad Guys Movie
–20 Ways to Support Foster Families without Opening Your Home
-Instant Family Movie Discussion Questions
Other Apple TV Reviews
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