The titles declare ‘Harry Dean Stanton IS Lucky,’ an aged ex-cowboy in a small desert town going about his daily business (smoking, yoga, TV game shows, more smoking); a role tailored to Stanton’s creased, fiercely unsentimental charms.

When a fall jolts Lucky from his comfort zone, actor-turned-director John Carroll Lynch stealthily widens his scope to present a gentle, wise and graceful reflection on loss and acceptance. There are wonderful supporting turns from David Lynch and Stanton’s Alien cohort Tom Skerritt, but it’s Stanton who shines here, giving his greatest lead performance since 1984’s Paris, Texas. Lucky us. 

- Leigh Singer, journalist