Not since Baxter (or maybe Family Guy) have I had so much fun watching a talking dog! Lucky, in that film's tradition, is similarly morbid and perverse, taking the "cute talking pet" movie stereotypes and playing with them in a variety of sick and twisted manners. Throw some murder, sexual perversion / fetishism, and necrophilia into the mix, and you've one hell of an evening's entertainment. In other words, you've got Lucky.

When we first meet Millard Mudd (Michael Emanuel, star of those god-awful "I lowered my cholesterol" Honey Nut Cheerios commercials), he is surrounded by beer cans and sitting in front of his computer, its cursor blinking angrily at him. He is a cartoon writer, you see, and not a very good one. Unable to clear his writer's block, he sets out to the liquor store for more beer, and, on his way back after buying some, he runs over a dog.

Upset, he takes the dog home, names it Lucky, and nurses it back to health while we get more glimpses of his home life. He's constantly being hounded (ignore the potential pun) by a caustic little messenger girl who picks up his scripts from him, as well as a meter-reader and a door-to-door missionary. Bored, depressed, and alone, he tries to write and fails, and so he drinks and sleeps. In his dreams, he creates a girl named Misty to be his friend...and lover.

Eventually, Lucky gains his health, and is soon back on his feet, as good as new. It is also at this point that he begins talking telepathically to Mudd (in a deep, Laurence Fishburne-esque voice). And he doesn't stop there; Lucky even begins to help Mudd write scripts, telling him exactly what to type. The problem, though, is that little wide-eyed Lucky is also a terrifically hateful creature, berating Mudd at any opportunity. For all his cruelty, though, Lucky helps Mudd, not only by writing for him, but also by leading him to meet Misty (turns out she really exists) one day on a walk.

Mudd is now on top of the world: his writing career has taken off and he finally has a female companion. Still, all good things must come to an end, and it's not long before Millard accidentally commits his first murder. Things go south rather quickly at this point: his girlfriend disappears, Lucky becomes increasingly sadistic, and his dreams are flooded with sexual fantasies of torture and sadism. Not long after, Lucky begins to order him to kill. Finally, Millard realizes that something must be done...

If all of this doesn't bring the word "comedy" to your mind, I can't imagine what will. Still, despite how unlikely it may seem, Lucky is indeed a comedy, and a pretty good one at that. (I can't really imagine a serious film about a talking dog, anyway). The movie's whole story reeks of ridiculousness, and it capitalizes on this for splendid comic effect. The movie wallows in its surrealism, from Millard's increasingly bizarre relationship with his dog to the film's comic highlight - a fantasy in which Mudd describes to Misty how he is going to torture her, and she responds to his descriptions in a hysterically chipper manner.

I had a lot of fun with Lucky. While being quite amusing throughout, it was also morbid and, yes, even depraved enough to provide some interest on the shock front as well. Any film that can mix these qualities effectively is okay in my book, and the irony of events like little Lucky forcing Millard to get on his knees and bark like a dog only sweetens the deal further. What a fun film! MTI's release looks like it's going to be a pretty good showcase for the movie, too...

Picture is really the only portion of my disk that I could find fault with, but this is due to source problems rather than transfer ones. It's obvious that Lucky was shot on video, and most of it takes place at night and in dim quarters. As a result, there's a little more grain to the picture than usual, and some of the scenes are a little under-lit as well. Still, all in all, I could always tell what was going on, and the faults with the picture weren't really distracting in any way.

As for extras, it looks like there's going to be a trailer, some biographies and a commentary on the retail disk. Having received a movie-only review copy, I can't really rate any of this (besides the trailer, and what's there to say?), but, judging by how delightfully bizarre the film is, I can only imagine that a commentary would be a fun listen.

What with all the formulaic nonsense being peddled to audiences today, it's nice to see a neat little feature like Lucky that reminds us that there are still interesting ideas out there in the world of cinema. Lucky is truly a creative, funny, twisted, and, above all, unique experience (imagine Beethoven Meets Visitor Q). If you enjoy black comedies or are just looking for something twisted with which to occupy your evening, I'd definitely recommend taking Lucky home. I think you'll like him.