‘Jackpot!’ Review (Amazon Prime)
Stars: Awkwafina, John Cena, Simu Liu, Ayden Mayeri, Donald Elise Watkins, Murray Hill | Written by Rob Yescombe | Directed by Paul Feig
Awkwafina and John Cena star in this Amazon Prime action comedy, directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy). The plot is flimsy and it lacks a satirical edge, but the two leads have comic chemistry to burn and there’s a steady stream of decent gags.
Set in a mildly dystopian future, Jackpot! takes place in Los Angeles, where a billion-dollar lottery win comes with a catch: if you win, you have to survive until sundown, because people can legally try and kill you to take your prize for themselves. The only other rule is that you’re not allowed to use guns, which is just as well, or the movie would have been one long shoot-out.
Awkwafina plays former child actor Katie Kim, who returns to Los Angeles after having spent years looking after her sick mother in another state. While leaving a failed audition, she accidentally wins the lottery (she activates an electronic ticket she finds in the pocket of the trousers she’s borrowed), and since the ticket broadcasts the winner’s identity, everyone around her suddenly turns homicidal. She’s rescued by Noel Cassidy (Cena), a freelance bodyguard, who promises he’ll protect her for 10% of her three billion dollar jackpot. However, other people have the same idea, and the pair also find themselves pursued by Noel’s arch-rival Louis Lewis (Simu Liu), who’s trying to get Katie to sign with his much larger protection agency.
Plot-wise, this is largely nonsense, as precisely zero work has gone into establishing how a system like this might have come to exist in the first place. At least in The Purge (clearly a strong influence on the set-up), there was an ostensible reason for it, whereas here, it’s just a somewhat lazy excuse for a steady stream of homicidal attackers.
On a similar note, the script doesn’t seem interested in satire, or in offering pointed commentary, which is a shame, as there are several worthy targets here, from the way the internet can make you an instant celebrity to people’s hunger for fame and fortune at any cost. The closest it gets is a throwaway joke about how Katie wanted to be famous, but not that kind of famous, and the fact that the film refers to her would-be killers as her “fans”.
Fortunately, both stars have enough comic charisma to ensure that Jackpot! remains a lot of fun throughout, despite the script’s shortcomings. The out-takes that play during the end credits suggest that much of the material was improvised, which frequently throws up very funny lines like Awkwafina telling Cena he looks “like a bulldog that a witch cast a spell on and turned into a human”.
Both leads stick closely to their established comic screen personas – Akwafina motor-mouthed and bemused, Cena a loveable lunk – and it works. Similarly, Liu is good value as Lewis and there are a number of other enjoyable comic turns in the supporting cast, most notably Ayden Mayeri as Katie’s obnoxious Air BnB host and a very funny extended cameo from Machine Gun Kelly, playing himself, but with a presumably exaggerated appreciation for a decent panic room.
As for the direction, Feig maintains a cracking pace and ensures a steady gag rate throughout, so that even if they don’t all land, there’s another one in a few seconds. Crucially, he also brings something special to the action sequences, not just in several inventive fight scenes (Cena strapping Awkwafina to his back before fighting a roomful of bad guys is a definite highlight), but also in the way the witty dialogue continues while the punch-ups are happening, which lends them an extra element of fun.
In short, the script feels like it dumbs down its own premise, but it delivers a steady stream of chuckles and some very enjoyable fight sequences, which is more than you can say for most action comedies these days. In other words, Jackpot! doesn’t quite hit the jackpot, but it’s close enough to ensure a good time.
*** 3/5
Jackpot! is available to watch now on Amazon Prime.
