Lucky You is Lucky for Poker: Poker on the Big Screen
Poker seems to be everywhere these days. There are television shows on the Travel Channel, GSN, NBC, CBS, Fox Sports, and ESPN - even entire channels devoted to gaming in various countries throughout the world. New online gaming websites pop up on a regular basis, books and instructional dvd’s are printed faster than people can read them, and the biggest World Series of Poker ever just wrapped up in Las Vegas.
Poker on film is unmistakably absent from the list. Sure, there was The Cincinnati Kid and The Sting, and who could forget Rounders? But since the poker boom, no filmmaker has attempted to wrap cameras around the popularity of the game, grab poker by the chips, and bring it to the big screen.
Until now.
Lucky You is a feature-length Warner Bros. film that is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide this fall. Not only did Academy Award winning director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys, 8 Mile) direct the movie, but it was produced by acclaimed producer Carol Fenelon (In Her Shoes, 8 Mile).
The cast of Lucky You consists of very well-known actors as well: Robert Duvall (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Sling Blade), Eric Bana (Munich, Troy, Hulk), Drew Barrymore (Charlie’s Angels, The Wedding Singer, E.T.), and Jean Smart (TV’s 24, Frasier, Designing Women).
In addition, the cast includes many of today's most well-known poker players. Many of them played themselves in the movie, while others had walk-on roles but also consulted on the film to ensure its authenticity. The list of players includes - just to name a few - Jennifer Harman, Doyle Brunson, Jason Lester, Sam Farha, Barry Greenstein, Chau Giang, Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson, Karina Jett, Johnny Chan, Marsha Waggoner, and Jack Binion.
Vision and Passion Hanson has his own history with poker. "Like many, I am a long-time poker player," he explains. "I learned at the kitchen tale with my grandfather and the rest of my family. I was always fascinated by the game." This affection for the subject matter was combined with his acute ability to seek out quality scripts, and Lucky You was put into motion. Adding Carol Fenelon to the project as a producer was a given, as they had successfully collaborated on a number of films in the past.
"The World Series of Poker was a supporting player in this movie for the simple reason that when Carol and I first got involved in this project in 2002, and we came to Las Vegas to do research, we became very aware that we were witnessing a changing of the world as those people that were part of the poker world historically knew it," says Hanson. "The changing was caused by three events: one was the introduction of the hole card camera that made television poker so much more popular, [two] was the explosion of internet poker, and the third thing was that the tournament in 2003 was won by a player [Chris Moneymaker] who was virtually unknown."
As Hanson and Fenelon delved into the world of professional poker, they met many poker pros who were subsequently invited to participate in the film. The introduction to the World Series of Poker was important, but the eye-opening acquaintance with the world of high stakes cash games turned out to be pivotal. This was to be the backdrop for Lucky You.
Hanson acknowledges his process. "The first thing that we did was look for a guide into that world, and the first call we made was to a character who is almost legendary in the world of poker, Doyle Brunson. The call to Doyle was a simple one. I was requesting that he open the window of his world to me, and he was so generous that he allowed Carol and I to literally sit behind his chair at the 'Big Game' at the Bellagio... He ended up being a poker consultant on the movie."
There was also an element of the movie that Hanson and Fenelon knew was vital - authenticity. Only so much of the movie was able to be filmed in actual casinos in Las Vegas, due to time and financial constraints.
So, when Hanson heard that the Bellagio was preparing to remodel their poker room, he arranged to purchase all of the furnishings, paintings, chairs, and tables, from the Bellagio. A faux poker room was then arranged in a Los Angeles studio to be an exact replica of the Bellagio as it looked in 2003, and similar stellar efforts were put into the recreation of Binion's Horseshoe, and this was accomplished with stunning accuracy. Acting Like Pros
The stars of the film had to prepare quite extensively for their roles in Lucky You. Eric Bana, whose character, Huck Seed, is a professional poker player, started preparing for his role with very little knowledge of Texas no limit hold'em.
"I was pretty much starting from scratch," Bana remarks. "The first thing I did was much prep as I could from back home (Australia). I saw some of it being played there, but I found it more useful to sit down and go through hundreds of hours of videos and dvd's. What's good about that was it not only taught me about the basics of the game, but I felt as though I had gotten to know the poker players. And when I was in L.A. for about six weeks before we started shooting, I played everyday with some pros. I did as much as I could."
One of the most significant things that Bana learned through his poker education is that the players are the primary focus of the game - not the cards. "It showed me how important the individual people, the players, were – their likeability, their characters, and so forth – and how different they all were from each other."
And on set, Bana befriended some of the players while continuously learning more and more about poker and being surprised at the depths of the game. "I felt like I had gotten to a point where I could tell that I was a much better player than at the beginning," he says, "but I could also see how quickly that level drops off. I remember talking to John Hennigan about what it's like to plug in and out of the circuit, and how work-fit you have to be to be at your best. It’s pretty interesting."
Drew Barrymore also has a feature role in the film as Bana's love interest, a struggling singer from Bakersfield, California. Her take on the world of poker was similar to Bana's, as she expressed during a press conference for Lucky You.
"[Poker] is a game that I watch on TV obsessively and play a lot with my friends on weekends," Barrymore reveals. But since her role in the film is of a non-player, she didn't play on set with the others. "While everyone was a poker camp, I was in a room with a piano. I didn't get to play poker, and I wanted to stay away from it so I would remain innocent like my character. But now that the film is coming out, I intend to make the most of it by asking every champion here for some tips so that I can kick my friends' butts!"
Barrymore adds, "I'm honored to talk about this film because although it is set in the world of poker, which is such an exciting and stimulating high stakes world, I feel that this is a story about human relationships."
What Barrymore and Bana learned about the game of poker through their characters mirrored life in more ways than they anticipated. The film focuses on the romantic relationship between Barrymore and Bana, as well as the father-son relationship between Bana and Duvall, which ends up playing out on the green felt. What the actors realized, though, was how similar poker is to life - with all of the internal and external struggles that are such an integral part of the gaming world and the players in it.
Pros Like Acting The professional poker players who were asked to take part in
Lucky You as extras, actors, and consultants were happy to oblige. Most of them had never been on a movie set; their only exposure to lights and cameras had been interviews at various tournaments that were taped for television. This was different, and most players were very affected by their experiences.
Doyle Brunson, who took Hanson and Fenelon under his wing at their request, enjoyed his time in show biz. "This was the first time I had ever been around a movie set," Brunson recalls. "I went down to do the read-through – I didn't actually know what a read-through was – and [Barrymore] was giving the most amazing performance that I'd ever seen. We had a lot of fun with it."
Another poker pro caught the eye of Hanson and Fenelon while in the company of Brunson. "While watching Doyle at the 'Big Game,' we also watched the other players, and one of them who we noticed immediately, because she was the only woman, was Jennifer Harman," explains Hanson. "Jennifer actually plays a fictional character in the movie, and the actress Jean Smart plays a character in the movie who is inspired by the real Jennifer Harman."
When asked about her role in
Lucky You, Harman was typically shy and soft-spoken. "I had never acted in a movie before, and watching everything involved in it was quite interesting. I think Curtis and Carol did an amazing job to portray poker the way that it is played today."
Furthermore, Harman had a bit of an unexpected reaction to her time on the set. "I think that I would love to get involved behind the scenes and on the scenes," she says, with her characteristic smile.
Jason Lester was another one of the pros that was asked to consult on and participate in the film, and he was taken with the process, especially the attention to detail. "Lucky You made a big effort for the poker scenes to be authentic, to use real players, and to do some research and really the lay the hands out realistically. I think the movie’s going to be fantastic!"
Marsha Waggoner, long-time professional poker player but first-time actress, felt privileged to not only be in the film but to have a speaking role. "I had to sit beside the star of the movie, Eric Bana, and chat with him all day. So tough, sitting next to this gorgeous movie star. (Smile) We had something in common; we are both Australians, and in the movie, we were both poker players. It was a fun four days."
Would Waggoner, like Harman, want to explore work in the film business? "I don't think I would like to become an actress," she replies. "They get up way too early for me."
Too many other poker pros have yet to comment on their parts in the movie, but one who was excited to talk about it was Karina Jett. "In L.A., it was confusing at times because it felt like you were at the Horseshoe, but you were really on a movie set," she says. Nevertheless, "I felt comfortable because I felt like I was at work, except for the fact that I had a dressing room."
Though Jett was first asked to simply perform the role of an extra at the poker tables, Hanson approached her during filming and asked her if she would say a line. "So, am I going to be in the film?" she asked, and Hanson replied, "Only if you don’t screw it up!"
Life and Love (and Poker) While the poker community is abuzz over the significance of poker in Lucky You, there is much more to the storyline. The many-faceted relationships in the movie – mainly between the father and son, and the son and his love interest – make it a thoughtful look into the complexity of human interaction.
Bana shares his thoughts. "Hanson is brilliant at having a consistency in his films that kind of creeps up on you. The characters are interesting, but there’s something about them that grabs hold of you. The themes are usually very much about people trying to find connections with each other."
Hanson expounds on the idea. "I had always wanted to tell a story – a relationship story – set against the world of poker because the skills that every poker player tries to develop – namely the ability to hide your emotions, to bluff, to lie, to be aggressive, to play without sympathy and without regard for whether your opponent can afford to lose or not – would be hateful away from the table. The skills that we all try to develop to have successful human relationships are almost the opposite."
All in all, the writer, filmmakers, and actors seem to do an incredible job of genuinely portraying the world of high stakes poker, how people in that world live their lives in it, and the profoundness of personal relationships alongside but notwithstanding poker.
Lucky You is scheduled to hit theaters on October 27, thought that date is subject to change. The film will be of interest to many movie-goers, but it's a must-see for poker fans. Watch for it in a theater near you!
Written by Jennifer Newell.
Printed with permission from American Poker Player Magazine.
Lucky You is Lucky for Poker : Poker Player
