Adapted from the debut novel of Jessica Knoll and, although fictional, Luckiest Girl Alive is infused with elements and experiences in the writer’s personal life.
As an adult, Ani FaNelli (Mila Kunis – Black Swan, Bad Moms) seems to have it all – a dream job at a glossy New York magazine, an extensive wardrobe and a planned Nantucket wedding to Luke Harrison (Finn Wittrock – Judy, TV’s Ratched). But in having refused to speak publicly as a victim of a school shooting spree years earlier, Ani has long bottled her emotions of events in the lead up to the tragedy. With the publication of a book and the making of a documentary, things are about to change.
Director Mike Barker (TV’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Hit & Run) chooses breezy gloss to tell the story, veering away from the true grit of a narrative of privilege, bullying and sexual abuse. Notwithstanding, it’s the performances – and Mila Kundis in particular – that carry a film that remains engaging in its well-intentioned telling.
Rating: 58%
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