Ten years ago Matthew Smith was a rock god and Ellie Klug (Toni Collette) was his girlfriend. Everyone was shocked and dismayed when this pop idol disappeared one day and was never seen again. Did he run away from the pressures of stardom or did he commit suicide?

Ellie has never gotten her life back on track since Smith vanished. He was her first-love. Now in a middle-age funk, she drinks a little too much and can’t resist one-night stands with young men who frequent her world of alternative rock in Seattle. She is a rock critic for Stax magazine but is just gliding along, not really putting any passion into her work.

That is why she is not surprised when her editor and boss Giles (Oliver Platt) calls her into his office and tells her that the magazine is in trouble financially, probably headed for a digital format, and her job is on the line. He needs a big story from her, and since Ellie knew more about Matthew Smith than anyone else on the planet, she is ordered to do a 10th anniversary story on him by revisiting his music and disappearance.

Barely escaping the clutches of Lucas (Ryan Eggold), a handsome young singer and songwriter who has a crush on her, Ellie bumps into Charlie (Thomas Haden Church) whom she once dated. Hearing about her quest, this very rich man with plenty of free time on his hands, decides to rent a bus for them and shoot a film about her search for the legendary rock star. On their trip, he has a ball playing amateur documentarian.

Lucky Them shifts gears into a road movie and gives Toni Collette and Thomas Haden Church a playful opportunity to strut their stuff. She is perfect as a somewhat cynical woman who has seen it all and still hasn't realized that it is time for her to let go of the past and what might have been. He makes the most of many comic lines and moments, which remind us of how good he was in Sideways and how he is able to create lovable characters out of oddballs.

For many of us, like Ellie and Charlie, middle age is a time when we discover it's best to put our broken dreams behind us and to forge ahead as best we can. We may even discover that our imperfections fit us well and are as much a part of us as the wrinkles on our faces. Lucky Them reveals that this gentle and soothing kind of acceptance is one of the benefits of this stage of life.


Special features on the Blu-Ray/DVD include behind the scenes and a featurette.