Overrated and overhyped

Don't Believe the Hype

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Lucky Star (1929)*** (out of 4)Entertaining silent drama has Timothy (Charles Farrell) and poor farm girl Mary (Janet Gaynor) meeting under bad circumstances before the start of WWI. After the war Timothy returns home as a cripple and soon he and Mary strike up a strong friendship, which doesn't sit too well with people in town or Mary's mother due to their prejudice against him being cripple. LUCKY STAR should have been a complete disaster but director Frank Borzage and the two stars do a remarkable job at building up the drama and there's no question that the message really packs a punch. The film is incredibly dark and this is especially true when it comes to the message of how people were pretty much throwing cripples into a lonely shack and forgetting about them. The message of this not being right is certainly well told here and especially because there's no melodrama preaching but instead it's perfectly built into the story. I was really surprised to see how dark this part of the story was told and it's pretty darn grim. Some of the best moments in the film deal with the blossoming relationship between the two stars. They made several films together and it's easy to see why because their chemistry just jumps right off the screen. The romance here is quite good and manages to keep a smile on your face throughout. Gaynor, as you'd expect, has no trouble playing the charming farm girl and Farrell is just as great and especially during his more dramatic scenes dealing with not being able to walk. Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams is excellent as the rival for Gaynor's attention and Hedwiga Reicher makes for a great villain as her mother. The ending is incredibly far-fetched but it's so perfectly executed that you can't help but get caught up in the drama.

I noticed that one reviewer referred to this as a 'perfect film'. Well, there are some serious problems with the plot towards the very end that, to me, make it less than perfect. But, aside from this, the film abounds with charm and is among the better silents I have seen--and I've seen a lot.A couple notes before I go on with the review. First, while this film originally was a part-talking picture with sound effects, the sound has been lost. However, I don't think this was a bad thing, as many such hybrid films aren't that great due to poor sound and integration of this. And, frankly, had you just assumed it was always a silent, you'd never notice the difference thanks to the excellent restoration. Second, if you get the film from Netflix, you'll find that their summary of the film's plot is very wrong.The film begins in a small town just before the US gets directly involved in WWI. Charles Farrell is a nice guy who decides to enlist. But, before he does this, he has a run-in with a tom-boyish girl (Janet Gaynor). There is no hint of love on either of their parts and Gaynor appears to be way too young anyway.In the war, Farrell is badly injured and his legs are paralyzed. He returns home after two years and is relatively upbeat considering everything--but he's also quite lonely. Gaynor begins to visit him and he assumes she's just a girl. But, slowly they both help each other--he gets the needed companionship and he cleans her up and reveals her to be a pretty young lady--a lady of almost 18. At this point, it's obvious both are starting to fall in love, but he's afraid to allow his feelings to show, as he sees himself as a cripple.Later, a horrible person (Guinn Williams) returns to town from the war--the same guy who may have contributed to Farrell's injury and the same guy who has no compunction about getting a girl to sleep with him by promising to marry them! When Williams starts to show the now prettified Gaynor attentions, Farrell cannot sit back in his wheelchair and acts. Now this action on Farrell's part was fun to watch but 100% ridiculous--no man can make a recovery THAT fast! His hopping out of his wheelchair and going on crutches for the first time--and in the snow--is ridiculous. Yes, it made for a fun finale...but one that makes no logical sense. It's a shame, actually, as up until then it WAS the perfect film. Still, the ending does not ruin the film and is well worth seeing even with its flaws.

"Lucky Star" boasts an exceptional performance by Charles Farrell as the handicapped Tim, who falls in love with a pathetic waif, "Baa-Baa", played by the sweet and petite Janet Gaynor. Whereas in "7th Heaven", Janet Gaynor gives the performance of a lifetime, here in this film it is Charlie Farrell who wows you with his believable, dynamic acting as Tim, a good man maimed in World War One, who comes home in a wheelchair and has to cope with being lame. One can easily see Charles was much more than your typical Hollywood "pretty boy", so it is kind of bizarre that the studios quickly forgot his excellent silent film performances, and put him in vehicles like musicals once sound came in, thereby destroying what should have been a continued dramatic career throughout the coming decades. Frank Borzage was a sentimental director whose work I have always enjoyed. He continued to make some excellent sound films as the years went on, but his silent films are his most memorable, for he had a knack of drawing excellent and subtle pantomime performances from his actors which communicated emotions far more profoundly without words than with them. I would like to see this film restored and placed on DVD so that future generations can see it. Keeping it locked up - and forcing people to watch poor bootlegs - does not do honor to this film, or to Borzage, Farrell, and Gaynor. They deserve the best showcase for this moving film. I do feel the ending - which I won't reveal - is a cop-out, but other than that "Lucky Star" is a film well worth seeing.

This film was the last silent film Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor made as a team, and their soulful chemistry is more evident in this film than any other they made together. Is this movie so poignant because it marked the end of their silent career together, or because they had really reached the peak of their artistry together? This was also their last film with director Borzage, who also reached the peak of his art with this film.To me, LUCKY STAR also demonstrates what made Farrell great as an actor. Although he is often unfavorably compared to Gaynor, he is restrained, elegant, and utterly believable as the handicapped Timothy Osborne. The scene in which he bathes Janet, or later when they embrace before she heads off to the party, is masterful. His expression tears your heart out.If you have a chance to see this film, please do--you won't be sorry. This is the kind of film that makes you realize how truly great the art of silent cinema was (and remains). 10 stars.