Lu ain’t Lucky. Let’s get that right out of the way. Both failed and aspiring restauranteur Lu is an immigrant to New York City … and over the next 103 minutes, he is going to discover what many immigrants to America discover: that dreams perish as easily as the flourish.
I think the timeline is either off or unrealistic or both. In short, Lu (Chang Chen) is an immigrant working as a delivery boy in Manhattan’s Chinatown. His wife and daughter are coming to live with him; they’re on a plane already. He has that amount of time to secure steady employment and an apartment worthy of his family. We have no idea how picky they are. I suppose it depends what part of China they’re from, but it’s possible they won’t be impressed with the respectable 2BR he found. Yeah, they’re going to be even less impressed when they realize Lu has made the deal with a scam artist.
Oh, and Lu has no back-up funds; he invested everything in the apartment, which, again, makes me wonder about timeline. How did you expect to feed, clothe, entertain, heat your family when there’s nothing left after the deposit? Well, I suppose the delivery job is a job, at least. It doesn’t pay well, and there’s no way you can support a family in Manhattan indefinitely on the salary of a delivery guy, but I suppose if he works longs hours, he can keep the dream afloat for the time being.
Well, so long as his bike doesn’t get stolen.
Uh oh.
If this sounds familiar, it should; Lucky Lu is a quasi-remake of the Italian classic Bicycle Thieves. The 
original is, of course, a study in misery and the endless cycle of poverty. Lucky Lu is similar and just as hard-hitting in its own way. I belittle the plan, but not the planner. I don’t think any bit of Lu’s dream is realistic, but his NYC adventures are nothing but realistic. And we know this story has a sad ending. It cannot end any other way. There just isn’t enough love among three people to support themselves on zero dollars. Not in NYC. Not, I daresay, most anywhere.
This film feels even tougher in the wake of a Trump regime that is dead-set on kicking non-whites out of the country. In the imaginary sequel, I imagine the family fleeing ICE as if their very lives were on the line … and they might be. As is, this is a film made with care about a society that does not.
There once was an immigrant named Lu
Who had to make more way for two
His stratagem failed
When luck up and bailed
Culminating in the second dropping of shoe
Not Rated, 103 Minutes
Director: Lloyd Lee Choi
Writer: Lloyd Lee Choi
Genre: The immigrant experience
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Fans of Bicycle Thieves
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Pollyannas
