European films with a lottery theme
The lottery has infatuated countless people all across the world for decades now. You won’t struggle to find a person who hasn’t dreamt of striking lucky and winning a lottery jackpot. Most people have had a discussion with their friends and family members about the type of things they would do if they won the lottery, or even better gett all the EuroMillions winning numbers. So, to hear that several movies have stories based around the lottery should come as little surprise. Filmmakers regularly take inspiration from real life, and as we know, playing the lottery and dreaming about winning it is very much part of everyday life for millions of people.
Check out some cool lottery-themed European films below:
Les Tuche (aka The Tuche Family) – 2011
A classic fish out of water premise, Les Tuche explores the idea of a quirky everyday family whose lives are changed forever upon winning €100 million in the lottery.
The Tuche family are the main characters of this film, consisting of ex-comedian father Jeff, his wife Cathy who dreams of grandeur and glamour in Monaco and tires of being a housewife, and the couple’s three children. After winning the massive jackpot, the Tuches move to Monaco in keeping with the dreams of Cathy, but it’s clear they are a far-cry from the norm in an extravagant city such as Monaco. It’s a light-hearted comedy that hits the right notes and takes a funny look at just how much your live can change when winning the lottery.
Le Million (The Million) – 1931
As you may have noticed by the date on this film, this is by no means a new production! Yet it goes to prove how the idea of winning the lottery is by no means a recent fad, and is something that people have been doing for decades. The premise of this musical-comedy is pretty simple yet lots of fun – a man wins a million florins in the Dutch lottery only to find he kept the ticket in his jacket, which his wife just happened to give away.
As with any great musical, a lot of singing and dancing commences on the thrilling adventure of finding the missing ticket. It’s an amazing idea to explore- having the unlikeliest of luck to win the lottery, only to have the worst bad luck imaginable to lose it! We can only imagine how that would feel…
La liste de mes envies (aka The List of My Desires) – 2014
Released in 2014, La liste de mes envies goes to prove that the lottery can still be used as a great plot device. The film is actually based on Grégoire Delacourt’s 2012 best-selling novel of the same name, and is set in the tranquil Arras region of Northern France.
The story is an incredibly powerful one and touches on the idea that winning the lottery isn’t necessarily the greatest thing ever. The main characters are writer Jocelyne and her husband Jocelyn, an employee of their hometowns Haagen-Daz factory. Both their children have flown the nest, leaving Jocelyne with a lot of time spent wondering and day-dreaming about what could have been in her live, which leads her to write a list of her desires in life. She ends up playing the EuroMillions and winning a substantial amount of money – but does it all work out for the best?
We won’t spoil that one for you! Needless to say, the story is a very though-provoking one indeed with regards to how winning the lottery can affect your life.
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