Sermon Illustrations
"Lucky You": A Lesson in Integrity
In the movie Lucky You, Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) plays a hotshot poker player who is trying to raise enough money, $10,000, to enter a poker tournament in Las Vegas. In an attempt to raise the money he makes a bet with Ready Eddie (Horatio Sanz). Huck has to run five miles and shoot 18 holes of golf in 78 strokes or under in three hours. The ball has to be in the cup before the time expires—and the wager is $10,000.
Huck is falling for a young lady, Billie (Drew Barrymore), and he asks her to come along for moral support, insisting that she hold the stopwatch.
As Huck approaches the 18th hole, he is shooting out of the sand. The ball lands on the green, but he now has a very long putt.
"It's not an impossible putt," Eddie remarks. "I think Jack Nicklaus made it once."
Billie begins counting down the time, "Two hours, fifty-nine minutes and forty-six seconds.
"Forty-seven; forty-eight; forty-nine; fifty; fifty-one; fifty-two; fifty-three; fifty-four; fifty-five; fifty-six; fifty-seven; fifty-eight…."
Huck putts, and the ball rolls toward the cup and falls in.
"Yes!" Huck shouts as he drops to his knees in relief.
Billie's joy begins to change, however, as she takes a closer look at the stopwatch.
"Three hours and two seconds. You lost," Billie says sadly.
Eddie shouts, "Yes! Yes! I win. I win. I win. Yes!"
Huck gathers his stuff and heads to the cart, and Billie follows. As they drive away, Huck expresses his frustration to Billie.
"How come you couldn't have helped me out a little?" Huck asks.
"Helped you out?" Billie responds.
"Yeah, a couple of seconds."
"You mean cheated," replies Billie. "Is that what you mean by moral support?"
"I'm stuck $20,000, and I've still got no entry fee," Huck replies.
"I don't lie, cheat, or steal—for anything or anyone," Billie insists.
"All you had to do was give me a little edge."
"Call it what you like, it was cheating," Billie responds.
"It was two seconds! Anybody would have done that," Huck insists.
"I don't believe that," replies Billie.
"That's the way it is."
"You always have the hard answers, don't you?" Billie asks. "How do you live with yourself?"
"You mean the easy answers, Billie," replies Huck.
"No, I mean the hard ones."
Rating: PG-13
Elapsed Time: DVD, scene 18; 01:12:27–01:14:35.