“Pure Luck” is a film about the hilarious misadventures of a bumbling detective and his accident-prone assistant as they search for a missing woman in Mexico. The duo encounter countless obstacles, including deadly snakes and treacherous cliffs, but manage to stumble their way to success. Along the way, they learn valuable lessons about teamwork and trust. The film is a comedic romp filled with pratfalls, puns, and plenty of laughs.
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Review
The Power of Serendipity in “Pure Luck”: How This Classic Comedy Teaches Us About Embracing Chaos and Finding Joy
Have you ever felt like you were living in a comedy of errors, where nothing goes according to plan and every step leads to a stumble? Have you ever wished for a stroke of luck to rescue you from your misfortunes? If so, then “Pure Luck” might be the perfect movie for you.
Directed by Nadia Tass and written by Francis Veber (based on his own French film “La Chèvre”), “Pure Luck” tells the story of two unlikely companions who are thrown together by fate and forced to journey through the jungles of Mexico in search of a missing woman. Martin Short plays Eugene Proctor, an accident-prone accountant who works for a wealthy businessman named Highsmith (Joe Flaherty). When Highsmith’s daughter Valerie (Sheila Kelley) goes missing during a vacation in Mexico, Proctor is sent to find her. However, due to his chronic bad luck and lack of street smarts, Proctor soon gets lost in the wilderness and is rescued by Jack McCall (Danny Glover), a rugged and resourceful guide who has his own reasons for being there.
As Proctor and McCall navigate through dangerous terrain, encounter exotic creatures, and meet eccentric characters (including Tony Plana as an Elvis impersonator), they gradually learn to appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Proctor discovers that he can be more adventurous than he thought, while McCall learns that he can be more patient than he expected. Together, they also uncover clues about Valerie’s fate and confront unexpected obstacles that test their resilience.
At its core, “Pure Luck” is a buddy comedy with heart. Its humor derives not from mocking its characters’ flaws or exaggerating their mistakes beyond belief, but from showing how these quirks can lead to unexpected outcomes that are both funny and poignant. Short and Glover have great chemistry as a double act, with Short’s jittery energy contrasting with Glover’s laid-back coolness. They play off each other’s reactions, gestures, and facial expressions to create a dynamic that feels natural and engaging.
Moreover, “Pure Luck” is a testament to the power of serendipity, which means “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” Throughout the movie, Proctor bemoans his bad luck and wishes for good luck to come his way. However, he often fails to see the opportunities within his setbacks or the blessings in disguise. McCall, on the other hand, embraces the randomness of life and trusts that things will work out if he stays focused on his goals and adapts to his surroundings. He teaches Proctor to let go of control and embrace chaos as a source of adventure.
The title of the movie also reflects its theme of luck as an arbitrary force that can be both positive and negative. By using the word “pure” before “luck”, Veber suggests that luck is unadulterated by human intervention or meritocracy. In other words, anyone can be lucky or unlucky regardless of their skills or virtues. This idea challenges the myth of individual achievement as solely responsible for success or failure. It acknowledges that external factors such as timing, culture, history, and environment can shape our destiny in ways beyond our control.
These philosophical underpinnings elevate “Pure Luck” from a mere slapstick comedy to a thoughtful commentary on life’s unpredictability and complexity. The movie offers nuggets of wisdom about resilience (“You gotta roll with it”), trust (“I got your back”), courage (“Take one step at a time”), and humor (“You gotta laugh about it”). It also celebrates diversity by featuring Mexican characters who speak Spanish (with subtitles) and showcasing the beauty and diversity of Mexican landscapes and traditions.
Despite its modest budget and mixed critical reception, “Pure Luck” has become a cult classic among fans of Martin Short, Danny Glover, and 1990s comedies. Its score, composed by Randy Edelman, is catchy and playful, with a Latin flavor that matches the setting. Its cinematography, shot by Dean Semler, captures the lush greenery, rocky cliffs, and colorful architecture of Mexico with vividness and clarity. Its editing, overseen by David Freeman, keeps the pace brisk without sacrificing coherence or continuity.
If you haven’t watched “Pure Luck” yet or want to revisit it after many years, I highly recommend it as a feel-good movie that can lift your spirits and warm your heart. It’s not perfect (some jokes may feel dated or repetitive), but it’s genuine in its intentions and generous in its humor. It reminds us that life is full of surprises, some good and some bad, but all worth experiencing with curiosity and empathy. As Proctor says to McCall at one point: “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” Who knows? Maybe “Pure Luck” will be the best thing that ever happened to you too.
Technical Data
- Runtime : 96
- Release : 1991-08-09
- Genre : Comedy
- Cast : Martin Short as Eugene Proctor, Danny Glover as Raymond Campanella, Harry Shearer as Monosoff, Sheila Kelley as Valerie Highsmith, Sam Wanamaker as Highsmith
- Crew : Billy Weber as Editor, Sean Daniel as Producer, Nancy Nayor as Casting, Herschel Weingrod as Screenplay, Timothy Harris as Screenplay
- Popularity 9.868
- Budget : $17,010,000
- Revenue : $24,941,969
- Company : Universal Pictures, Sean Daniel Company, Silver Lion Films
- Summary : The daughter of a wealthy businessman has disappeared in Mexico, and all the efforts to find her have been unsuccessful. A psychologist, knowing that the girl has an ultra bad luck, persuades her father to send to Mexico one of his employees, an accountant with super bad luck, to find her. Perhaps he will be lucky, and his bad luck could help to find the unlucky girl.
- Tagline : Somewhere on the Mexican Riviera, a beautiful, rich heiress has gone missing. Only one man can find her. Unfortunately, they sent two
