2 out of 5

Director: Lindsay Anderson

O Lucky Man!, unfortunately, meanders with forced strangeness, the kind of strangeness that would probably come about in the 70s while being a british film-maker and maybe doing some drugs. I think that the film has appeal in a cult sense – with Malcolm McDowell and the musical aspect and – the reason I saw it – with comic-scribe Grant Morrison listing it as a fave – but after a quirky setup of the traveling salesman (played by McDowell), the movie gets bogged down with lingering scenes that are either trying to hard to be non-sequitors or trying to hard to make a point, or both. This tone is difficult to pull off interestingly, and Lucky! does it harm by extending the run-time, for no discernible reason, to 178 minutes. Now its not awful: strung through that are some thought-provoking moments and great performances, it just doesnt hold much weight/interest when strung together. It also, assumedly, would have more impact at the time and place it was produced. But in 2010 America, it just doesnt have the same timeless feeling of other political / weirdy classics. Recommended for dedicated strange-movie seekers, if anything as a good reference point for your tolerance levels.