Our Editor is a master of close up magic. He can take a scratch card and with just a simple rub of a coin across its surface, instantly turns it into a piece of rubbish having, once again, not won anything. The odds of winning big on any lottery are huge but in new film Jackpot! where the year 2030, sees the jackpot runs to billions and the odds of you surviving to claim it in the film are even higher. Because here if you can find and kill the winner before sunset that day then the billions are yours. It’s illustrated in the film’s opening scene with a cameo from Sean William Scott, forever trying to shake his role as Stiffler, running for his life from a marauding horde of tooled up punters and what initially could be a major role for him soon ends up being a cameo.
It’s a different story for Katie (Awkwafina), a jobbing actress just moved to L.A. and renting a pokey room in an AirBnB where flaky actress Shadi (Ayden Mayeri) is landlady. After just one night Katie finds her clothes ruined and having to rent some clean clothes from Shadi which she unknowingly has a lottery ticket in the pocket, a digital card that will show the face of the winner which is also shared with every other lottery ticket holder. So when Katie’s ticket wins she finds every other lottery ticket holder hunting her down and its where John Cena as Noel comes to her rescue as he operates a low rent single employee operation to protect and keep lottery winners alive until sunset for a small percentage of the prize.
What follows is a series of comic action set pieces as the pair are forever on the run in a bid to evade the kill crazy crowds and its further complicated when Simu Liu as Louis Lewis and his corporate company of high level security operatives wangle their way into taking over her protection for a higher percentage.
Directed with the usual aplomb by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) this is his first comic actioner since 2015’s ‘Spy’ and here the rules of the lottery means that firearms can’t be used which makes Jackpot! more about the stunts, set pieces and comic silliness. At the centre of this is a star pairing with Awkwafina and Cena and it is Cena who once again proves himself such a great comic foil. After stealing the show in The Suicide Squad and the recent ‘Ricky Stanicky’ he does the same here and it’s all credit to him that he so willingly becomes the butt of so many jokes – mostly about his appearance.
Playing like an updated version of 1963’s ‘It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world (and there’s a film that’s ripe for a modern day all star remake) Jackpot! hits the jackpot in a daft but enjoyable romp….and for once there’s an end credits blooper reel that has alternate takes on scenes that’s as funny as those used in the final cut.
related feature : How Simu Liu got cast as Shang Chi…..
related feature : The Raid 2 director Gareth Evans reveals how he made those insane action scenes
instagram: Our invite to the star packed Jackpot! premiere (and how Jason Statham became instant hero!)
Here’s director Paul Feig and writer Rob Yescombe chatting about the film, Awkwafina and John Cena….
Here’s the Jackpot! trailer…..
Jackpot! is released on Amazon Prime Video on 15th August 2024
