My review was written in February 1989 after watching the movie in a Times Square screening room.
"The Luckiest Man in the World" is a Capraesque film from playwright Frank D. Gilroy. Like his previous indie pic "The Gig", it should find an appreciative following a modest theatrical run.
Philip Bosco toplines as a mean-spirited N. Y. garment center businessman who decides to make amends to everyone in his life after narrowly missing death in a plane crash. Money is the bribe he offers them all, starting with the chauffeur (Arthur French, delightful in a deadpan role). Bosco browbeats the driver into rushing him to the airport, only to arrive too late to catch the doomed aircraft. Rewarded with the gift of Bosco's Rolls-Royce, French immediately boots out his boss/benefactor.
Bosco's uncharacteristic kindliness brings ironic results throughout: both wife and mistress can't bear Mr. Nice Guy rocking the boat. His gay son feels cheated by loss of a solid icon to hate, and even a bum begging for a buck for a drink responds to Bosco's proffering a $20 bill: "What ya tryin' to do, kill me?".
Moses Gunn is fun as an unseen (except for shoes and trouser cuffs) presence in a bathroom stall who serves as comical deus ex machina for Bosco.
Gilroy nimbly extracts black humor out of the situation, notably when Bosco visits a dying partner in the hospital and at the climax when he visits the widow of the standby passenger who took his seat on the death plane. It all adds up to a slight but entertaining picture.
Bosco is excellent in staying true to the central character, ably fleshing out the kind of broad role once a screen staple for George Arliss. Supporting cast, several of whom appeared in "The Gig", is fine. Technical credits are strictly functional as Gilroy emphasizes performance and dialog rather than cinematic effects.
"The Luckiest Man in the World" is a Capraesque film from playwright Frank D. Gilroy. Like his previous indie pic "The Gig", it should find an appreciative following a modest theatrical run.
Philip Bosco toplines as a mean-spirited N. Y. garment center businessman who decides to make amends to everyone in his life after narrowly missing death in a plane crash. Money is the bribe he offers them all, starting with the chauffeur (Arthur French, delightful in a deadpan role). Bosco browbeats the driver into rushing him to the airport, only to arrive too late to catch the doomed aircraft. Rewarded with the gift of Bosco's Rolls-Royce, French immediately boots out his boss/benefactor.
Bosco's uncharacteristic kindliness brings ironic results throughout: both wife and mistress can't bear Mr. Nice Guy rocking the boat. His gay son feels cheated by loss of a solid icon to hate, and even a bum begging for a buck for a drink responds to Bosco's proffering a $20 bill: "What ya tryin' to do, kill me?".
Moses Gunn is fun as an unseen (except for shoes and trouser cuffs) presence in a bathroom stall who serves as comical deus ex machina for Bosco.
Gilroy nimbly extracts black humor out of the situation, notably when Bosco visits a dying partner in the hospital and at the climax when he visits the widow of the standby passenger who took his seat on the death plane. It all adds up to a slight but entertaining picture.
Bosco is excellent in staying true to the central character, ably fleshing out the kind of broad role once a screen staple for George Arliss. Supporting cast, several of whom appeared in "The Gig", is fine. Technical credits are strictly functional as Gilroy emphasizes performance and dialog rather than cinematic effects.
