Lucky Review: Anya Taylor-Joy’s Daft Thriller is Classic Summer Viewing Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a conwoman on the run, scampering across the US in a fashionably rumpled sateen blouson while evading the FBI and a ruthless crime boss. Her boyfriend has stolen the proceeds of their multimillion-dollar heist, leaving her stranded and pursued by law enforcement and his formidable mob-connected mother, Priscilla (Annette Bening). The Apple TV series, based on Marissa Stapley’s novel, follows her chaotic attempts to survive, relying on her jail-bound father, John (Timothy Olyphant), for advice. John, a gum-chewing recidivist, offers cryptic tips like “read the room” and “trust no one,” which only exacerbate Lucky’s predicaments. The plot unfolds as a relentless chase scene, with Lucky darting through crowds, escaping explosions, and outsmarting criminals. She scams a sobbing gran, sets fire to a goon’s cowboy boots, and dodges agents like Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s world-weary FBI agent Rand. Her father, who calls himself “Jaaaahn,” swans around prison in a tiny vest, dispensing wisdom like “Every person’s got a rhythm. If you can learn to play it, you can make ’em dance.” His advice is as useless as the show’s attempts to balance absurdity with earnest moralizing. The series thrives on its own nonsense—preposterous coincidences, unexplained explosions, and a script that leans into its own chaos. Yet it also tries to grapple with serious themes, like victimhood and societal judgment of women who betray one another. This duality results in a tone that skitters and flails like a baby giraffe on an ice rink. The script is erratic, and the theme music, performed by Fiona Apple, is described as “a blunderbussed elk,” further emphasizing the show’s tonal instability.#anya_taylor_joy #apple_tv #timothy_ophlyant #priscilla #anette_bening
