John Cena and Awkwafina in a scene from ‘Jackpot’ | Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video
The convenience of watching a crappy movie from the comfort of your couch, without a few dozen commercials or expensive popcorn, often softens the blow of poor cinema. But even the most forgiving streaming audiences can’t stand Amazon Prime’s latest action-comedy effort, Jackpot!which appears to have emerged fully formed from the smoldering rubble of thousands of better ideas.
The latest addition to the digital wasteland of forgettable streaming content, Jackpot! attempts to revive the action-comedy genre with its nostalgic slapstick dystopia. Directed by Paul Feig, who guaranteed a certain level of comic ingenuity in his earlier work, this refreshing venture is a shoddy affair from start to finish, seemingly built together from rubble The Purge And Squid GameUnfortunately, even Bridesmaids Nostalgia isn’t enough to salvage this mess.
Jackpot! (Hindi)
Director: Paul Feig
Mould: Awkwafina, John Cena, Simu Liu, Ayden Mayeri, Seann William Scott
Runtime: 106 minutes
Plot: In the near future, a new ‘Grand Lottery’ is launched in California. The trick is to kill the winner before sunset so he can legally claim his multi-billion dollar jackpot
There’s a sad irony in this Jackpot! The film is about the dangers of making easy money, and it seems the script was written with that very purpose in mind. While the film is not an amazing story, it certainly has the potential to provide some raunchy entertainment.
The film is set in a grim Los Angeles where the economy has gone the way of the dodo, and the only hope for the downtrodden is the “Grand Lottery,” a multimillion-dollar jackpot that comes with a sinister catch: the winner must survive until sunset while the rest of the city is given free rein to find them. If the winner survives the day, he or she wins the jackpot. If not, the person who kills them takes home the prize.
John Cena and Awkwafina in a scene from ‘Jackpot’ | Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video
Enter Katie (Awkwafina), a faded child star returning to Hollywood after caring for her ailing mother. A series of increasingly improbable accidents lands her a winning lottery ticket, and suddenly, she’s the target of every money-hungry resident in town. Her only hope? Noel (John Cena), a musclebound “security agent” who offers his services in exchange for a share of the winnings. The pair navigate increasingly absurd situations, from dodging deranged yoga instructors to wandering through Madame Tussaud’s wax maze and, perhaps most dangerous of all, the script’s constant barrage of absurd jokes.
Awkwafina’s Katie is an odd mix of naïve and smart, a character made charming in her helplessness but ultimately irritating in her lack of common sense. Watching her stumble from one dangerous situation to another – rarely without a misplaced advice or pop-culture reference – makes her journey all the more frustrating. Awkwafina has proven her comedic talents, but here, her talents are wasted on a character that lacks any kind of real agency or depth. In the midst of the chaos, you find yourself not rooting for her to escape, but hoping that she’ll find a quiet corner to hide in, where we can all escape her absurd pranks.
Cena fares slightly better, but even his natural charisma and ability for physical comedy fail to carry him forward. Jackpot! Its above average screenplay. Cena’s Noel could have been a genuinely enjoyable character, but the writing constantly lets him down. The jokes rarely land, and moments of genuine tension are undermined by poorly timed jokes and an over-reliance on Cena’s impressive physicality. In a more competently made film, his role could have been a saving grace, while here, it’s nothing but another missed opportunity.
The supporting cast, which includes Simu Liu as a shady corporate security CEO, doesn’t do much to improve matters. Try as he might, Liu’s character is a one-dimensional villain. And then of course there’s Machine Gun Kelly, whose gratuitous cameo serves only to create some disturbing anal imagery and remind us just how B-grade the production really is. The less said about it, the better.
Simu Liu, Joh Cena and Awkwafina in a scene from ‘Jackpot’ | Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video
Perhaps the film’s biggest flaw is that Feig’s direction swings erratically between chaotic action sequences and poorly timed, forced humor, creating an inconsistent viewing experience. The action is edited haphazardly, with fight scenes feeling like a flurry of limbs, making it hard to understand who’s fighting whom or what’s at stake. Meanwhile, the film’s attempts at satire are clumsy and superficial, giving us nothing more than a collection of shallow jabs at consumer culture.
By the time the credits roll, along with the obligatory blooper reel (which turns out to be pretty amusing), Jackpot! It ends up being another forgettable streaming entry, destined to get lost in the shuffle of algorithms. If you’re looking for a mindless way to kill a few hours, there are worse ways to spend your time – but that’s it.
Jackpot! is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video
