The movie’s visuals never reach extraordinary heights, and the narrative isn’t quite as compelling as what was acclaimed about Knoll’s book when it was written.
When Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive made its debut in 2015, the book was favourably contrasted with Paula Hawkins’ The Girl On The Train and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Both books were ultimately made into movies, with Gone Girl being a huge success. Due to Gone Girl’s box office success and favourable reviews, Flynn rose to the top ranks of screenwriters, and a slew of books and movies that focused on difficult women were produced as a result. The Girl On The Train, which was adapted into a movie and released a year after the novel’s publication, served as a reminder that not all works with identical qualities can be successfully adapted into movies. Luckiest Girl Alive and Knoll are now having their moment on Netflix after years of Hollywood trying to emulate the popularity of Gone Girl and the desire for female-led stories that explore the depravity of mankind.
The story of Ani (Mila Kunis), a successful magazine writer who is 28 years old and about to start a new adventure—marriage—is told in Luckiest Girl Alive. Ani is keeping a secret, though, concerning her time in high school, when she overcame a string of horrific incidents, including a sexual assault and a school shooting. Being on the cusp of a new chapter forces Ani to reflect on the past and consider whether or not she is actually content with the person she has become, or if her horrific past has been completely and honestly put behind her.
The beginning of the movie doesn’t nearly imply audiences will receive another great work of art like Gone Girl because it neither establishes a distinctive cinematic style nor entices viewers with Kunis’ narration. Ani is a woman who has cultivated a persona of the stylish, edgy girl with certain modifications. Ani explains that while she is not some blonde and has worked her way up the corporate ladder, she is not the conventional lady her fiancé would be engaged to. Because she is anything but, she made up a fake persona of herself that radiates success, confidence, and money. The protagonist of the movie struggles to rebuild her self-worth and image after suffering a serious trauma. Because Knoll was able to clearly express her own experience in her writing, the novel succeeds in relaying that story, but the film, which was also written by Knoll, is unable to do the same.
The success of a movie depends on numerous components all performing at a high level. Despite Mila Kunis doing most of the work, Luckiest Girl Alive falls short of its potential. Because of the film’s sterile, almost mechanical presentation, it is difficult to judge how well she performs as Ani because it falls short of the goals it sets for itself. The script is of poor quality; it simply and straightforwardly describes the book’s events. The heartbreaking tale of Ani’s background of sexual assault and survival of a school massacre isn’t nearly as effective as it should be since there isn’t much depth or artistic flair. The information is up to date and distressing. When it hits its conclusion, though, the delivery falls flat in terms of hitting the right emotional chords. Despite its claims to the contrary, Luckiest Girl Alive’s storytelling style is neither edgy nor surprising. Even if the tale does revolve on an intriguing character study, the movie falls flat and coasts by on that fact.
Although the character articulates how her anger has guided her in life, the movie doesn’t deal with Ani’s anger in a compelling way. Ani’s narration expresses her actual emotions, and Kunis portrays Ani’s range of emotions effectively. However, the picture falls short of fully expressing the depth of her feelings; they are just hinted at but never felt. Both the writing and the technical execution by director Mike Barker are at fault for this. The film’s lacklustre technique also detracts from the segment of the narrative that follows younger Ani, who encounters the terrible incidents that will change her life. Although it attempts to show the harshness of the reality of her predicament, her story is crucial, and the movie ultimately falls flat. It is unable to satisfactorily connect the two narratives. Although viewers’ perceptions of the movie’s success will differ, many may concur that both parts of Ani’s story are not fully fulfilled.
The audience for Luckiest Girl Alive will definitely identify with flawed women who are coping with society’s unjust expectations. Mila Kunis also has an unmistakable draw, regardless of how well the movie she stars in is made. This film proves that simply replicating events from a novel — about a very impactful story about sexual assault and trauma — won’t translate without consideration of the barriers between literature and cinema. The movie’s visuals never reach extraordinary heights, and the narrative isn’t quite as compelling as what was acclaimed about Knoll’s book when it was written.
