Just My Luck (2006 film)

Just My Luck
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Donald Petrie
Screenplay by	I. Marlene King Amy B. Harris
Story by	Jonathan Bernstein Mark Blackwell James Greer I. Marlene King
Produced by	Arnon Milchan Arnold Rifkin Donald Petrie
Starring	Lindsay Lohan Chris Pine Faizon Love Missi Pyle McFly
Cinematography	Dean Semler
Edited by	Debra Neil-Fisher
Music by	Teddy Castellucci
Production companies	Regency Enterprises New Regency Cheyenne Enterprises
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	May 12, 2006 (2006-05-12) (United States)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$28 million
Box office	$38.2 million

Just My Luck is a 2006 American romantic comedy film directed by Donald Petrie, based on a screenplay by I. Marlene King and Amy B. Harris. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine, Faizon Love, Missi Pyle, and McFly. The story follows Ashley Albright, a successful and extraordinarily lucky public relations executive in Manhattan, whose fortunes are mysteriously swapped with those of Jake Hardin, a struggling music producer plagued by constant misfortune, after a kiss at a masquerade ball.

Just My Luck was released in the United States on May 12, 2006, by 20th Century Fox. It received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed approximately $38 million worldwide against a production budget of $28 million. The 2019 Thai television series One Night Steal was based on the film.

Plot

In New York City, Ashley Albright is a public relations executive at Braden & Co. who has experienced remarkable good fortune since childhood. In contrast, Jake Hardin, an aspiring music producer working as a janitor, faces daily misfortunes. Jake manages the British band McFly and has been trying unsuccessfully to get their demo to record executive Damon Phillips.

Ashley hosts a masquerade ball for her firm, which Jake sneaks into hoping to meet Phillips. A fortune teller at the event tells Ashley her luck will change. During the ball, Jake and Ashley share a dance and kiss, unknowingly switching their luck.

After the kiss, Jake saves Phillips from an oncoming car. Phillips listens to the demo and agrees to work with McFly. Meanwhile, Ashley is arrested along with her boss, Peggy, when an invited guest turns out to be a prostitute. She loses her job, and her apartment is condemned due to flooding and mold. She moves in with her friends Maggie and Dana.

Ashley contacts the fortune teller, who tells her someone else needed her luck. She realizes the masked stranger she kissed must have it. Jake’s life improves while Ashley tries to reverse the exchange by kissing every male dancer from the ball, without success. At a diner, she has a breakdown, and Jake—who does not recognize her—offers her a job at the bowling alley he has just left.

They become friends, and Ashley introduces Jake to Maggie, a singer-songwriter. He decides to use her song in an upcoming McFly concert at the Hard Rock Cafe. Ashley overhears Jake saying his luck changed after the masquerade. Realizing he was the masked dancer, she kisses him again and regains her luck.

Peggy offers to rehire Ashley if she helps with a client meeting. Ashley learns that Maggie’s song has been removed from the concert. Jake and McFly begin experiencing bad luck again. Ashley skips the meeting and goes to the concert venue, where she kisses Jake and returns the luck to him. The concert proceeds successfully, and Maggie’s song is performed.

Ashley prepares to leave New York. Jake finds her at Grand Central Terminal and realizes she was the woman from the ball. He says he is willing to give up his luck to be with her. They kiss again, and their luck continues to switch. Their friend Katy arrives, and they simultaneously kiss her on the cheeks, transferring the luck to her. She wins a $25 lottery ticket. As Jake and Ashley walk outside, a burst water pipe sprays them.

Cast

• Lindsay Lohan as Ashley Albright
• Chris Pine as Jake Hardin
• McFly as themselves
• Faizon Love as Damon Phillips
• Samaire Armstrong as Maggie Smith
• Bree Turner as Dana Adams
• Missi Pyle as Peggy Braden
• Makenzie Vega as Katy Hardin
• Tovah Feldshuh as Madame Z
• Jaqueline Fleming as Tiffany Richards
• Chris Carmack as David Pennington
• Carlos Ponce as Antonio Cordova
• Dane Rhodes as Mac
• J.C. Sealy as Aunt Marta Hardin

Production

Filming

Principal photography for Just My Luck began in New Orleans, Louisiana, where interior scenes such as Ashley’s and Jake’s apartments were filmed prior to Hurricane Katrina. In March 2005, production moved to New York City for exterior sequences. Notable filming locations in New York included 43 Fifth Avenue—an apartment building designed in 1905 by architect Henry Andersen—Christopher Park in Greenwich Village, the Lotte New York Palace Hotel (455 Madison Avenue), Central Park, Rivera Café (225 West 4th Street), the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, and Grand Central Terminal, where the film's final scene was shot. During production, Lindsay Lohan sustained a sprained ankle, which temporarily hindered her ability to walk and prevented her from wearing heels.

Reception

Box office

Just My Luck opened at number four at the North American box office, earning $5.7 million during its opening weekend of May 12–14, 2006. The film went on to gross $17.3 million in the United States and Canada. Internationally, it performed moderately, contributing to a worldwide total of approximately $38 million.

Critical response

Just My Luck received predominantly negative reviews from critics.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 14% of 111 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "Just My Luck asks little of its leads and less of its audience, adding up to a middling teen rom-com that sorely lacks sparks." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 29 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded Just My Luck 2 stars out of 4, describing it as "safe, competent, and bland," and wrote that while it was not particularly bad, it lacked any notable charm or energy. A. O. Scott of The New York Times criticized the film's premise as underdeveloped and its execution as uninspired, stating that it "lacks the timing, charm, and wit to pull off its screwball ambitions." James Berardinelli of ReelViews described the film as "a forgettable rom-com" that benefits from its brisk pacing and agreeable performances but suffers from a lack of originality or substance.

In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw called Just My Luck "undemanding and predictable" and noted that despite Lindsay Lohan's effort, the screenplay did not provide enough material to elevate the comedy. Time Out referred to the film as a "cookie-cutter teen flick," suggesting it might appeal to Lohan's existing fanbase but offered little else of merit. Slant Magazine criticized the film for being formulaic and unengaging, calling it "an unmagical magical comedy" that squandered its central conceit.

Empire similarly found Just My Luck lacking in imagination, with a review stating that it was "as light as air and just as forgettable." Common Sense Media gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, noting that it contains mild language and suggestive humor, and felt it reinforced stereotypical gender roles despite its light tone.

Accolades

Award	Date of the ceremony	Category	Recipients	Result	Ref.
Teen Choice Awards	20 August 2006	Choice Movie – Romance	Just My Luck	Nominated
		Choice Movie Actress – Comedy	Lindsay Lohan	Nominated
		Choice Hissy Fit		Nominated
Golden Raspberry Awards	24 February 2007	Worst Actress		Nominated
	6 March 2010	Worst Actress of the Decade	Lindsay Lohan (also for Herbie: Fully Loaded & I Know Who Killed Me)	Nominated

Soundtrack

Just My Luck
Soundtrack album by McFly
Released	June 11, 2006
Genre	Pop rock
Length	42:53
Label	Island
Producer	Julian Emery, Hugh Padgham, Jason Perry, Steve Power
McFly chronology
Motion in the Ocean (2006) Just My Luck (2006) All the Greatest Hits (2007)

The film's soundtrack primarily features songs by the British pop rock band McFly and consists largely of material from their first two studio albums, Room on the 3rd Floor (2004) and Wonderland (2005). The album includes reworked versions of "5 Colours in Her Hair," "I've Got You," and "Unsaid Things," along with a censored single version of "I Wanna Hold You," rather than the original album versions. It also features the new track "Just My Luck," which was recorded specifically for the film. Although marketed as the official soundtrack, not all songs included on the album appear in the film. The European edition of the album features a slightly altered track listing and includes the hidden track "Get Over You" in the pre-gap.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Wanna Hold You" (single version)	Tom Fletcher • Danny Jones • Dougie Poynter	2:59
2.	"I've Got You" (U.S. version)	Fletcher • Jones • Graham Gouldman	3:20
3.	"Obviously"	Fletcher • Jones • James Bourne	3:18
4.	"Ultraviolet"	Fletcher • Jones	3:56
5.	"Five Colours in her Hair" (U.S. version)	Fletcher • Jones • Bourne	3:00
6.	"Too Close for Comfort"	Fletcher • Jones • Poynter	4:37
7.	"All About You"	Fletcher	3:06
8.	"That Girl"	Fletcher • Jones • Bourne	3:17
9.	"Unsaid Things" (U.S. version)	Fletcher • Jones • Bourne • Poynter • Harry Judd	3:45
10.	"I'll Be OK"	Fletcher • Jones • Poynter	3:24
11.	"Just My Luck"	Fletcher • Jones	3:15
12.	"Memory Lane"	Fletcher • Bourne	4:40

Alternate version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Five Colours in her Hair" (U.S. version)	Fletcher • Jones • Bourne	3:00
2.	"Obviously"	Fletcher • Jones • Bourne	3:18
3.	"I Wanna Hold You" (single version)	Fletcher • Jones • Poynter	2:59
4.	"I've Got You" (U.S. version)	Fletcher • Jones • Gouldman	3:20
5.	"Ultraviolet"	Fletcher • Jones	3:56
6.	"All About You"	Fletcher • Jones	3:06
7.	"Too Close for Comfort"	Fletcher • Jones • Poynter	4:37
8.	"That Girl"	Fletcher • Jones • Bourne	3:17
9.	"Unsaid Things" (U.S. version)	Fletcher • Jones • Bourne • Poynter • Judd	3:45
10.	"I'll Be OK"	Fletcher • Jones • Poynter	3:24
11.	"Just My Luck"	Fletcher • Jones	3:15
12.	"Memory Lane"	Fletcher • Bourne	4:40

External links

• Just My Luck at IMDb
• Just My Luck at Box Office Mojo
• Just My Luck at Rotten Tomatoes