Peter Cattaneo can't exactly be accused of adding to the parade of Full Monty rip-offs. After all, he directed The Full Monty, so he's only stealing from himself. But that doesn't change the fact that his prison comedy, Lucky Break, once again gathers all the standard characters and contrivances of Monty's dogged army of successors, which have surfaced with machine-like regularity since its release. However, it should be noted that Cattaneo has a special talent for the "blokes in a pickle" sub-genre he pioneered, which alleviates some of the familiarity. His casting is especially strong. James Nesbitt, the jovial pig farmer from Waking Ned Devine, matches well with Lennie James, a bumbling diamond thief in Snatch, to form the film's central partnership. The producer/director then fills in the edges with established touches of class: Timothy Spall, Olivia Williams, and Christopher Plummer. The performers lend some credibility to a script that is otherwise by the numbers, relying on its spry tone to earn limited favor. Because the film is permeated by a sense that nothing could ever really go wrong, it makes Cattaneo's few attempts at serious prison commentary seem misplaced and unconvincing. Too bad, because this limits the wonderful Spall's effectiveness in the one truly dramatic role.