Review by C.J. Bunce
You can’t win if you don’t… live.
Jackpot! is not the funny, sweet comedy that was Quiz Lady. Neither is it the action-adventure of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. And yet, it’s proof that fans of Awkwafina and John Cena will probably be happy watching two hours of them doing… well, anything. Jackpot! is a goofy mix of The Purge and any bodyguard movie like The Transporter or The Bodyguard or Terminator: Judgment Day. And it’s even science fiction–maybe even the weirdest sci-fi movie you’ve seen yet, as future Los Angeles, which looks a lot like Atlanta, is the same except it has a lottery with a twist. The twist is that a few years from now, once the state lottery winner is chosen, anyone can claim the lottery from the winner by killing said winner–just so long as they don’t use a gun. But it’s really a comedy.
Jackpot! is not a horror movie, despite borrowing the plot of The Purge movies, which, by the way, it surpasses in every way. Most significantly the movie is a vehicle for star Awkwafina’s brand of humor. Awkwafina plays Katie Kim, a former kid actor who returns to Los Angeles years later, where she encounters a crappy roomie thanks to a lying Airbnb ad. As she’s trying to audition for an acting gig, she learns she has not only won the California lottery, now at $3.6 billion, but also the rules about her impending demise. That’s thanks to every citizen of California in the future, who is ready, willing, and anxious to kill for the winnings.
Enter John Cena as Noel, a man who runs an independent company where, for only 10 percent, he will protect the winner i.e. get Katie Kim through the day until sundown, unscathed, when the money vests in her and everyone must stop pursuing her. Cena, in probably his best role yet, plays a mix of superhero, ambulance chaser, and dorky Dudley Do-Right, as he defends Katie while trying not to get anyone else killed.
The premise is goofy, but then again so is the premise in all The Purge movies. So this is a good enough parody of all that–an excuse for Awkwafina to get a lot of laughs at the expense of Cena as straight man. It works in a similar way as the Ryan Reynolds comedy Free Guy. If you climb on and stick around for the ride you’re probably going to have some fun.
It’s a reunion of sorts for Awkwafina and Simu Liu, who starred together in the Disney-Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Liu plays Louis Lewis, who runs his own lotto winner-saving business. Noel must call in Louis when he gets into a jam trying to keep Katie safe.
The movie has some good cameos, especially with Seann William Scott (Dude, Where’s My Car?, The Dukes of Hazzard) as the previous lotto winner, and that’s Magnum PI’s Bobby Lee as Katie Kim fan Bobby Lee.
Rob Yescombe’s script could not be thinner–it’s an excuse for what seems to be plenty of improv by Awkwafina. And director Paul Feig makes no effort to make Los Angeles look anything like a future L.A., or Atlanta, where the movie was filmed. It’s Demolition Man stripped down.
Who is the target of this movie? The goofy plot would normally be something for kids, yet the over-the-top language nixes that demographic. No, this is for fans of Awkwafina and Cena. Stick around for the funniest bits as outtakes during the closing credits.
It’s good for some laughs. Jackpot! is now streaming on Prime Video.
