Lucky Bastard!: A Family Film

CHARLIE SINCLAIR is a motherless autistic girl who hasn't spoken a word since she was born. Her only interest in the world is Chaplin's "The Little Tramp" which she watches faithfully day and night. Although born with a silver spoon in her mouth, a normal life seems hopelessly unrealistic despite everything her wealthy father TOM has done for her. That is until one day when a "loser" greyhound comes into her life. Despite not liking dogs, Tom owns a greyhound racing facility. Once a week, JENNIFER DIAZ, his lovely personal assistant who lives on the estate, takes Charlie to the track to see the dogs. On this one occasion, Charlie is attracted to one dog that, unbeknownst to Jennifer, is literally headed for the compost heap because it can't win a race for its evil breeders BO and BOB. Jennifer gets the dog for Charlie because she notices how it made the child come alive. Hiding it from Tom becomes a comedy of errors. When Tom discovers the dog for the first time licking his toes in the middle of the night, he chases it through the house until he is intercepted by Jennifer. As she tries to explain and calm him down, Charlie walks out of the bedroom holding the greyhound and repeating the words she heard her dad yelling at the dog: lucky bastard (which becomes a running gag as Tom tries to make his daughter use another word). This breakthrough is short lived when Charlie is kidnapped by the same ruthless breeders Bob and Bo. The drop off is to take place in the middle of the annual "Hound Dog Derby" at the dog track. Although there are undercover agents everywhere, Bob and Bo manage to create a diversion by releasing a large number of Rottweilers on the crowd. Two of the dogs snatch the money but Lucky chases them and finds Bob and Bo escaping in a kennel truck with Charlie tied up in the back. A chase ensues through the streets with Tom and Jennifer joining Lucky. An accident makes the desperate bad guys commandeer an elevated commuter train. Lucky outruns the train, jumps on the track and makes it stop over a river. Bo jumps from the train and tries to escape but Lucky forces him to jump off the bridge saving Charlie and the money. At the end of the story, Lucky is compelled to go on and Charlie, reaching out to stop him, sees Lucky walking with Charlie Chaplin. Tears fill her eyes as she says her first sentence: Lucky come back. For a multimedia peek at the last pages in the script, please click http://bit.ly/2qsWd0W