Parents' Guide to Logan Lucky

Steven Soderbergh returns to the big screen after a self-imposed "retirement" with a movie that's very much in the vein of his Ocean's trilogy but pulpier and quirkier -- and tons of fun. Whereas the Ocean's movies were slick and sophisticated, with a big-city sheen, Logan Lucky offers a "country cousin" side of the coin, focusing on members of a more close-knit, laid-back rural community, whose lives follow an entirely different rhythm. The characters' Southern drawl recalls some of the Coen brothers' funniest films (Raising Arizona, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, etc.), and their criminal cleverness is reminiscent of some of Quentin Tarantino's work.

The screenplay by Rebecca Blunt -- her first -- cooks up a sharp, air-tight, surprising heist plan, as well as many hilarious, offbeat lines of dialogue. But, like so many writers who pen movies of this type, Blunt fails to consistently balance both elements. The first half of the movie is funnier, and the second half is more thrilling, but the mixing of the two tones doesn't happen as easily as it could have. Still, Logan Lucky is packed with so many sparkling moments, so many belly laughs, and so many truly clever ploys, that it'll be worth several viewings.