Jackpot! (2024, dir. Paul Feig)

by Jack Martin | Aug 15, 2024

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 106 mins

UK Distributor: Prime Video

UK Release Date: 15 August 2024

WHO’S IN JACKPOT!?

Awkwafina, John Cena, Simu Liu, Ayden Mayeri, Seann William Scott, Dolly de Leon, Donald Elise Watkins, MGK

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Paul Feig (director, producer), Rob Yescombe (writer), Laura Fischer, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Joe Roth (producers), Theodore Shapiro (composer), John Schwartzman (cinematographer), Brent White (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

After winning the Los Angeles lottery, a struggling actor (Awkwafina) finds herself legally targeted by killers…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON JACKPOT!?

Despite the occasional dips into strait-laced territory – his first film was the little-seen Jim Caviezel drama I Am David – Paul Feig is primarily known as a filmmaker with a vibrantly playful sense of humour. Looking past his more straightforward comedies like Bridesmaids and Spy, there is always a strong farcical presence in his films of other genres, from suburban thrillers like A Simple Favour to schmaltzy festive romances like Last Christmas, which more often than not help to balance out the severe nature of those other movies and provide a solid experience for the audience.

With Jackpot!, from a script by Rob Yescombe, Feig’s humour is turned up significantly in an action-based setting, and it creates an entertaining enough ride that, while far from perfect, serves as a fine example of how strong the director’s sense of comedy truly is.

The film is set in Los Angeles 2030, where economic depression has led to the introduction of a new lottery system where the randomly selected winner will become an instant millionaire. The only catch is that, until sunset, anyone has the legal right to kill the winner and claim their winnings, using any weapon they choose except for guns or bullets. Before you ask yourself what kind of governing body would ever allow that to become a thing in the first place (unless this takes place in a universe where a certain former President wins this November), we are introduced to the next “lucky” winner: Katie Kim (Awkwafina), an aspiring actor who’s just moved to the city, and apparently has no knowledge about this system that the rest of the world should at least know about.

No matter, for as soon as she’s declared the winner of an unheard-of $3 billion jackpot, every single person in her vicinity is out for blood. It doesn’t matter if it’s cops, old ladies, or even Katie’s new roommate Shadi (Ayden Mayeri): they will stop at nothing to claim the money for their own. Luckily, there are protective services in place for such an occasion, including freelancer Noel (John Cena) who agrees to shield Katie from any and all assailants for 10% of her winnings, and so the two of them must try and survive a day of non-stop attempted murder, all in the name of inconsolable greed.

As soon as the main concept is introduced, via a cold open featuring Seann William Scott – now THAT’s a face I’ve not seen in forever – Jackpot! goes as wild as it can with its blend of stunt-fuelled action and outlandish comedy. Feig brings an energetic pace to both elements, with the largely improvised jokes often coming at you like a feverish stand-up comic on speed, and the rather impressively choreographed fight/chase sequences injected with plenty of robust physicality. In fact, the film often runs the gambit of being too energetic, as there isn’t a lot of room in between all the non-stop action and comedy to simply stop and breathe, which can make some of it rather exhausting to get through. However, the director keeps a decent consistency with his tonal blend of over-the-top Jackie Chan style physical stunts – some of which come equipped with their own invisible wiring – amidst an endless wave of silly and utterly preposterous comedy.

“Preposterous” is the keyword in describing Yescombe’s script, as it leans into its nonsensical premise a bit too hard, to where you might just start asking questions that you won’t necessarily get the answers to, like I did earlier about why something like this deadly lottery would be allowed to thrive, especially in a left-leaning state like California (though again, if a certain former President gets his way, this movie could well be classed as a documentary in a few years’ time). There is also an overwhelming mean-spiritedness throughout the script, with every character – with the exception of our two likeable leads, who are perhaps the only decent people in this universe – being a lying, conniving, untrustworthy excuse of a human being… and that’s before they learn who’s won this lottery. Yescombe inserts a lot of cynicism towards the vapidness and greed among LA types, which isn’t entirely misplaced given how Hollywood is ironically nothing like it is in the movies, but it reaches a point where it’s no longer satirical and just comes off as unnecessarily cruel, even in this twisted world that the writer has created.

Luckily, Feig is a talented enough director to find a way that allows the unpleasant overtones to be comfortably suppressed for an enjoyable enough watch. The filmmaker’s liveliness, accompanied by the warm-hearted charm and formidable comedic chops of both Awkwafina and John Cena, makes it far more watchable than its script might otherwise suggest, with plenty of engaging action and a few funny lines every now and then (presumably from the on-set improv, highlighted in the extended outtakes section of the end credits). Although he sometimes struggles to contain the cynicism in Yescombe’s script, Feig at least knows when to let loose and have fun with it all, which includes bringing in later foils like Simu Liu as a rival protective agent, and popping on some unique soundtrack choices like – of all things – Partners in Kryme’s signature track from the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

While not exactly a jackpot as the title suggests, there is still a decently sized prize to take away from this viewing experience.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Jackpot! sees director Paul Feig liven up an otherwise preposterous and slightly mean-spirited script with a fun mix of over-the-top action and wacky comedy.