Imagine finding an old VHS tape of Press Your Luck from 1984, and being so inspired by this artifact that you decided to make it your American film debut. That’s exactly how Samir Oliveros got to gift us with The Luckiest Man In America. Based on the true story of Michael Larson (Paul Walter Hauser), a mild mannered ice cream truck driver who has a persistent dream of being on press Your Luck. he drives his truck all the way from Ohio to Los Angeles just to try and get on the show. He seems to the executive producer (David Strathairn) to be an Everyman with a relatable story that people can get behind. However, Michael is only presenting as unassuming, because he is far smarter than anyone is willing to truly give him credit for. When Michael starts a rather inexplicable and seemingly never ending streak of winning, the whole team behind the show begins to question how or why Michael got here.
it is a far cry from Woman Of The Hour, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut from last year that also centered around an experience on a game show. Instead of worrying about whether or not our contestant is a serial killer, we see various members of the production team running around trying to solve the biggest question of all. How is Michael winning so much? What anchors the film is Paul Walter Hauser, who has been a steady and rising respected talent, and he’s perfectly cast in this role. He plays the unassuming, but wickedly smart individual rather perfectly, just like his roles in Apple Plus’s Blackbird (for which he won an Emmy, Critics Choice, and golden Globe Award), or as the underdog Stingray in Cobra Kai, who also seemed like someone who would be counted out, only to clearly have benefitted from everything in the end. his career is so interesting, because he balances drama and comedy so well that he might be in the new naked Gun reboot the same year he co-stars in Fantastic Four, and the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic with Jeremy Alyn White. He’s also tapped to play Chris Farley in a biopic about the late comedian. He can do everything, which is a great position to be in as an actor.
I truly have no idea why the only listed genre on IMDb is thriller. it isn’t a thriller, in any conventional sense. This is not Seven, Fatal Attraction, or even last year’s Conclave. This is a bit like Quiz Show, if everyone wasn’t in on it.
Walter Hauser is supported by a train of welcome faces from Strathairn, to Maisie Williams, Walton Goggins, Johnny Knoxville, Haley Bennett, and Brian Geraghty. Aside from Strathairn, who is quite good as the TV veteran, most of the ensemble just passes through as members of the experience. It is about Michael, and about learning whether or not he’s telling the truth, lying, or it is just merely that his perception of the truth allows for his projection to others to be seen as a lie. How is he winning? Is he really that lucky? In less than 90 minutes you will find out. As far as the audio description, it is a pretty simple film limited almost entirely to this production studio, with a few excursions off the lot. I thought the track did a nice job of managing to balance the cast, even if we don’t get a ton of description of every character. this is, after all, Michael’s show, and it is most important that we get an understanding of what is running through his mind the few times the dialog drops out and he is caught up in the moment.
I’m not sure where this will land at the end of the year, but for an early half of the year release, it is worth watching in the release window. It isn’t as flashy as Minecraft, but it might be better.
Fresh: Final Grade: A-, Audio Description: B+
