Jackpot! – Movie Review
Director: Paul Feig
Writer: Rob Yescombe (Screenplay)
Cast
- John Cena (12 Rounds)
- Awkwafina (The Farewell)
- Simu Liu (Shang-Chi)
- Seann William Scott (American Pie)
- Ayden Mayeri (Confess, Fletch)
- Marian Green (Constantine)
Plot: In the near future, a ‘Grand Lottery’ has been newly established in California – the catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot.
Runtime: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Jackpot! Starts in the near future when America has created a ‘Grand Lottery’ where the idea is to hunt down the winner to become the winner. It has become a popular pastime as society slowly falls apart. Elsewhere, former actress Katie (Awkwafina) returns to LA on the eve of the latest jackpot.
When Katie attends her first audition, she unwittingly learns she has been selected as the winner and that everyone is trying to kill her. However, Noel (Cena) arrives to protect her with an agreement to protect Katie for a percentage of her jackpot. The pair must put their difference aside if they are going to make it through the day and get the jackpot.
Verdict on Jackpot!
Jackpot! Is an action comedy following an actress who discovers she has won the Grand Lottery and learns she must fight to survive the day to claim the jackpot. She is joined by a protector who asks for a small fee to keep her safe as the whole city is hunting her down.
This movie takes the idea of The Purge and mixes it with The Running Man. It uses the idea one person has won a Billion Dollar jackpot but people can hunt them down and kill them to win the jackpot. This has enough comedy to let John Cena and Awkwafina shine, it also lets John Cena bring his action chops to the game. The pair have fun chemistry and the idea clicks without holding back. It feels like we could easily return to this idea in the future with other pairings too.
Where to Watch
Jackpot! is available on Amazon Prime now.
Final Thoughts –Jackpot! Is an entertaining, funny and action-packed adventure.