Jackpot! (film)

Last updated

Jackpot!
Jackpot 2024 film poster.jpg
Release poster
Directed by Paul Feig
Written byRob Yescombe
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography John Schwartzman
Edited by Brent White
Music by Theodore Shapiro
Production
companies
Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios
Release date
  • August 15, 2024 (2024-08-15)
Running time
106 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Jackpot! is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by Paul Feig and written by Rob Yescombe. It stars Awkwafina as Katie, a former child actor who wins a $3.6 billion lottery and must fend off people trying to kill her in a future version of California. John Cena, Ayden Mayeri, Donald Elise Watkins, Sam Asghari, and Simu Liu co-star.

Contents

Amazon Studios began developing the film under the title Grand Death Lotto in March 2023. Awkwafina, Cena, and the rest of the cast was announced, and filming began the same month. Jackpot! was released through Prime Video on August 15, 2024, and received mixed reviews.

Plot

By 2030, the financially desperate government of California creates the deadly Grand Lottery: each Lottery Day, the randomly selected winner must survive until sundown; anyone with a losing ticket can kill the winner to claim the multi-million dollar prize instead, but no one may use guns.

Former child actor Katie Kim arrives in Los Angeles with hopes of reentering show business, unaware of the Lottery and its record $3.6 billion jackpot. Renting an Airbnb room from money-hungry Shadi and her boyfriend DJ, Katie attends a disappointing audition, and inadvertently enters and wins the Lottery.

Attacked on sight by everyone around her, Katie is soon found by Noel Cassidy, a freelance Lottery protection agent who offers his services in exchange for ten percent of her winnings. Fighting off dozens of Katie's murderous "fans" using non-lethal means, Noel and Katie escape in his car, and he explains that a drone tracking Katie will post her location every 14 minutes, but she can officially quit the Lottery by reaching the Grapevine on the outskirts of the city.

Unwilling to trust Noel, Katie realizes that even the police want to kill her and flees on foot. A sympathetic security guard lets her hide inside a wax museum, but a phone call from Shadi leads her and DJ to Katie’s location. She escapes and is rescued by Noel, pursued by Shadi, DJ, and a sightseeing bus full of tourists.

Driving to MGK’s mansion, they commandeer his panic room, shooting him with tranquilizer darts, and Noel assures Katie of his commitment to helping her. Shadi coerces MGK to give up the panic room’s passcode, forcing Noel to call in a favor with the Lewis Protection Agency. Before the mob can break in, the LPA short-circuits their phones and drives Katie and Noel to safety.

At LPA’s high-tech facility, Katie meets Louis Lewis, the head of the agency, who agrees to protect her in exchange for the LPA and Noel each receiving thirty percent of the prize money. Noel reveals that he and Louis are the sole survivors of a team of mercenaries, and Noel uses his protection earnings to support the families of their fallen comrades.

Katie is given an elaborate prosthetic disguise and prepares to be driven to safety, but Noel suspects that the LPA has been murdering their clients, keeping the winners anonymous and claiming their winnings. He allows the crowd of “fans” into the facility, allowing Katie to drive away alone, and is captured by Louis.

Before Katie can reach the Grapevine, Louis calls, threatening to kill Noel unless she surrenders. Louis brings Noel to an abandoned theater, admitting that he killed their fellow mercenaries to keep a stash of gold for himself. Katie arrives and forces Louis to spare Noel by threatening to kill herself and forfeit the jackpot, livestreaming on her phone as proof.

The livestream summons Katie’s “fans”, and she and Noel fight off the mob and the LPA. Cornered by Louis high above the stage, Katie manages to kill him with his own grenades, but falls from the scaffolding. However, she is caught by a crowd of genuine fans who have arrived to help, just as the Lottery deadline runs out. She and Noel celebrate her victory.

Six months later, Katie and Noel have used her prize money to open a variety of businesses and non-profits, including their own protection agency that guards Lottery winners for free. Mid-credits scenes reveal that they have bought a superyacht, acknowledging that money has changed them, while MGK orders an improved panic room and more darts, and the Grand Lottery prepares to expand across the country.

Cast

Production

In March 2023, it was announced that an action comedy film titled Grand Death Lotto was in development at Amazon Studios. Paul Feig had been hired to direct, written by Rob Yescombe, and produced by Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Feig, and Laura Fischer. John Cena, Zack Roth and Yescombe served as executive producers. Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu were cast in the main roles. [2] Ayden Mayeri, Seann William Scott, Dolly de Leon and Donald Elise Watkins joined the cast later in the month. [3] Principal photography began in March 2023 at Shadowbox Studios [4] in Atlanta, Georgia. [3] Jackpot! was released through Prime Video on August 15, 2024. [5]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 30% of 73 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.7/10.The website's consensus reads: "Despite having a cast and crew of comedy all-stars on hand, Jackpot! provides little payout thanks to a puerile script and erratic pacing." [6] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 41 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Kline</span> American actor (born 1947)

Kevin Delaney Kline is an American actor. In a career spanning over five decades, he has become a prominent leading man across both stage and screen. His accolades include an Academy Award and three Tony Awards, along with nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seann William Scott</span> American actor (born 1976)

Seann William Scott is an American actor. Films in which Scott has starred have earned $4.91 billion at the global box office as of 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Holmes</span> American actress (born 1978)

Kate Noelle Holmes is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series Dawson's Creek (1998–2003).

<i>Rio Rita</i> (musical) 1927 stage musical

Rio Rita is a 1927 stage musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, music by Harry Tierney, lyrics by Joseph McCarthy, and produced by Florenz Ziegfeld. This musical united Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey as a comedy team and made them famous.

<i>Burn After Reading</i> 2008 film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

Burn After Reading is a 2008 black comedy film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It follows a recently jobless CIA analyst, Osborne Cox, whose misplaced memoirs are found by a pair of dimwitted gym employees. When they mistake the memoirs for classified government documents, they undergo a series of misadventures in an attempt to profit from their find. The film also stars George Clooney as a womanizing U.S. Marshal; Tilda Swinton as Katie Cox, the wife of Osborne Cox; Richard Jenkins as the gym manager; and J. K. Simmons as a CIA supervisor.

<i>The Vagabond King</i> 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml

The Vagabond King is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play If I Were King. The story is a fictionalized episode in the life of the 15th-century poet and thief François Villon, centering on his wooing of Katherine De Vaucelles, and relating how he becomes “king for a day” and defends France against the invading forces of the Duke of Burgundy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Sinden</span> English actor and filmmaker (born 1954)

Marcus Andrew Sinden is an English actor, director and producer.

<i>Taken</i> (film) 2008 film by Pierre Morel

Taken is a 2008 English-language French action-thriller film directed by Pierre Morel and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Katie Cassidy, Holly Valance and Famke Janssen. In the film, Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA officer, sets to track down his teenage daughter Kim and her best friend Amanda after they are kidnapped by Albanian terrorist human traffickers while travelling in France during a vacation.

<i>Movie 43</i> 2013 American anthology comedy film

Movie 43 is a 2013 American anthology comedy film conceived by producer Charles B. Wessler. Featuring fourteen different storylines, each by a different director, including Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill, Steve Carr, Rusty Cundieff, James Duffy, Griffin Dunne, Patrik Forsberg, James Gunn, Bob Odenkirk, Brett Ratner, Will Graham, and Jonathan van Tulleken, the film stars an ensemble cast led by Banks, Kristen Bell, Halle Berry, Gerard Butler, Leslie Bibb, Kate Bosworth, Kieran Culkin, Josh Duhamel, Anna Faris, Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Knoxville, Justin Long, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz, Chris Pratt, Liev Schreiber, Seann William Scott, Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, Uma Thurman, Naomi Watts, Jeremy Allen White and Kate Winslet. Julianne Moore, Tony Shalhoub, Bob Odenkirk, Anton Yelchin and Shane Jacobson appear in storylines not included in the film's theatrical release.

<i>Hiling</i> 1998 Filipino family fantasy film

Hiling is a 1998 Filipino fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Jose Javier Reyes. It stars Camille Prats, Shaina Magdayao and Serena Dalrymple, Gina Pareño, Nida Blanca, Tirso Cruz III, Cherry Pie Picache, Paolo Contis, and Carlo Aquino, with the supporting cast includes Dexter Doria, Rez Cortez, Mely Tagasa, Menggie Cobarrubias, and Joy Viado.

<i>The Heat</i> (film) 2013 American buddy cop action comedy film by Paul Feig

The Heat is a 2013 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Paul Feig and written by Katie Dippold. It stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, with Demián Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, and Jane Curtin in supporting roles. The film centers on FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn and Boston Detective Shannon Mullins, who must take down a mobster in Boston.

<i>Oceans 8</i> 2018 heist film by Gary Ross

Ocean's Eight is a 2018 American heist comedy film directed by Gary Ross and written by Ross and Olivia Milch. The film is both a spin-off from Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's series, and the fourth installment thereof. The film features an ensemble cast including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter. The film follows a group of women led by Debbie Ocean, the sister of Danny Ocean, who plan a sophisticated heist at the annual Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

<i>Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings</i> 2021 Marvel Studios film

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, and stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi alongside Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Yuen Wah, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. In the film, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his past when his father Wenwu (Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization, draws Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing (Zhang) into a search for a mythical village.

The Afterparty is an American comedy murder mystery anthology television series created by Christopher Miller that premiered on Apple TV+ on January 28, 2022. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 12, 2023. In October 2023, it was announced that the series would not return for a third season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shang-Chi (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Xu Shang-Chi is a fictional character portrayed by Simu Liu in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) multimedia franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. In the franchise, Shang-Chi is the son of Ying Li, the guardian of the mystical village of Ta Lo and Wenwu, the founder and first leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization. Trained to be a highly skilled martial artist and assassin by his father, alongside his sister Xialing, Shang-Chi left the Ten Rings for a normal life in San Francisco, only to be drawn back into the world he left behind when Wenwu seeks him out. After traveling to his mother's home of Ta Lo and confronting his father, Shang-Chi is bequeathed Wenwu's ten rings and together with the Great Protector, the dragon and guardian of Ta Lo, they join forces to face a great demon known as the Dweller-in-Darkness.

<i>Argylle</i> 2024 film by Matthew Vaughn

Argylle is a 2024 spy action comedy film directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, and written by Jason Fuchs. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson. Its plot centers on a reclusive author who is drawn into the world of spies and espionage after she realizes that a new spy novel she is writing mirrors real-world events.

<i>Emergency</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Carey Williams

Emergency is a 2022 American thriller comedy-drama film directed by Carey Williams and written by K.D. Dávila, based on their 2018 short film of the same name. It stars RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, and Sebastian Chacon as three college students who must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an unexpected situation.

<i>What! The Heist</i> 2023 Malaysian-Singaporean action comedy film

What! The Heist is a 2023 Malaysian-Singaporean action comedy film. The film revolves around a team of con artists completing a lottery heist mission, as they aims to manipulate the national lottery and win the $100 million jackpot prize.

Ayden Mayeri is an Iranian-American actress, comedian, and writer, known for her work in both television and film. She is best known for her role as Shadi in the Amazon MGM Studios film Jackpot! (2024) and for starring in the Peacock comedy series Mr. Throwback. Mayeri has also appeared in the films Somebody I Used to Know (2023), Confess, Fletch (2022), and I Love That for You (2022). She portrayed Blythe in Killing It (2022) and played a leading role in Cora Bora (2023). she had a recurring role in the television series Homecoming (2018).

References

  1. "Jackpot! (15)". British Board of Film Classification . August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  2. Grobar, Matt (March 2, 2023). "John Cena, Awkwafina & Simu Liu Set For 'Grand Death Lotto' Action-Comedy From Amazon; Paul Feig Directing". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (March 22, 2023). "Grand Death Lotto: Ayden Mayeri, Seann William Scott, Dolly De Leon & Donald Elise Watkins Join Amazon Action-Comedy". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  4. Per film's end credits.
  5. "Paul Feig hopes to hit the 'Jackpot' with new action comedy". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  6. "Jackpot!". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved August 22, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  7. "Jackpot!". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 22, 2024.