TL;DR – This is a fun film, anchored by a charismatic cast, but you could also feel it was a bit of missed opportunity.

Post-Credit Scene – There are mid-credit scenes and end credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this film.

Jackpot! Review –

There are a lot of ways you can anchor a film, and one of those ways is through an interesting narrative hook. Today we wonder: what would happen if a government authorised a state-wide Hunger Games that was completely opt-in? When you have a good premise, its very existence invokes questions that you want answered, which is what we will do today.


So to set the scene, during the Great Depression of 2026, governments were desperately looking for a way to make money. Enter The California Grand Lottery©. You can be the winner of the jackpot, that is if you can survive until sundown. Until then, you are free game from anyone, and if they kill you, they take your winnings. Just no guns. It is Los Angeles in 2030, and a winner just got taken out by a grandma. But as the jackpot hits $3.6 Billion, child actor Katie (Awkwafina) has just arrived back in town on Lottery Day to try and get back into the business. But when Katie accidentally touches a lottery ticket and wins, then all of Los Angeles turns against her, bar maybe Noel (John Cena) who is protecting her … for money.

The real strength of this film comes from the casting of its two leads. I know people have different takes on John Cena and Awkwafina, but I have always liked their energy and commitment. Here they show that but always bringing their all to the moment. Paul Feig has a way to bring the best out of their comedic actors, and you see it here. There is a fun playful banter that permeates the film that would have come off as trite if handled differently. Also, Simu Liu plays a very convincing slime bag.  

It is also that joy that helps make the actions scenes work as well as they did. The opening moments when the lottery is announced, and we fight through an audition, a dojo, and a yoga studio in five minutes might be the highlight for the film. With some creative use of a martail arts belt, and some wonderful work from the stunt team. I liked the small reference that Katie did theatre fighting to give her a reasonable chance of surviving those first five minutes. There was a good juxtaposition between the two leads, and that always gave the battles a good visual style. I did love the more comedic moments with Noel making sure everyone was okay before they moved on.

While I generally had a good time with the film, there were several issues that held it back. The first is that this film was clearly conceived when America was going through large inflationary pressure. So, unfortunately, it already kind of feels dated in a way it wouldn’t have six months ago. This is amplified by the movie cramming in as many pop-culture references as it can, references that would be out of date today, let alone in 2030. All of this is then compounded by a film that never found its sweet spot when it came to tone, wanting to be out there but still trying to be tame.       

In the end, do we recommend Jackpot!? Look, I think there is fun to be had here, but I am not sure if this is a film that I would go watch a second time. If you liked Jackpot!, we would recommend to you Anyone But You.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Jackpot!?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Jackpot!
Directed by – Paul Feig
Written by – Rob Yescombe
Music by – Theodore Shapiro
Cinematography by – John Schwartzman
Edited by – Brent White
Production/Distribution Companies – Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, Feigco Entertainment, Amazon MGM Studios & Amazon Prime
Starring – Awkwafina, John Cena, Ayden Mayeri, Donald Elise Watkins, Sam Asghari, Colson Baker, Simu Liu, Seann William Scott with Marian Green, Rosanna Scotto, Dolly de Leon, Murray Hill, Becky Ann Bake, Adam Ray, Monique Ganderton & Bobby Lee
Rating – Australia: MA15+;