"Jackpot!" Movie Review.

 "Jackpot!" 

Movie Review.

Jackpot!, is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by Paul Feig and written by Rob Yescombe. The film stars Awkwafina, John Cena, Ayden Mayeri, Donald Elise Watkins, Sam Asghari, and Simu Liu. The film follows Katie played by (Awkwafina), 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.

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 by Amazon MGM Studios through Prime Video on August 15, 2024. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics.

In 2030, the state of California, facing financial desperation, introduces a controversial and deadly solution: the Grand Lottery. Unlike traditional lotteries, where the winner simply claims a financial prize, this lottery is a fight for survival. On Lottery Day, one randomly selected individual is chosen as the "winner." However, instead of instant wealth, this person becomes the target of every other participant, as anyone holding a losing ticket has the legal right to kill the winner and claim the multi-million-dollar prize for themselves. To make things even more brutal, no one is allowed to use guns, forcing the hunt to be even more savage and unpredictable.

In this dystopian world, we meet Katie Kim, a former child actor trying to rebuild her life and career. She arrives in Los Angeles with high hopes of making a comeback in show business. Completely unaware of the Grand Lottery and the chaos it brings, Katie rents an Airbnb from a scheming couple, Shadi and her boyfriend DJ. Both are desperate for money, and the idea of easy cash constantly lurks in their minds. Katie heads to an audition in hopes of reviving her acting career, but things don’t go as planned. The audition is a disappointment, but Katie’s day takes a far worse turn when she unknowingly enters the Grand Lottery—and wins.

The Grand Lottery jackpot is an unprecedented $3.6 billion, but winning is far from a blessing. Katie soon finds herself attacked on sight by everyone around her, from strangers in the street to former acquaintances. The Lottery's grim rule is simple: if you’re the winner, you’re also the hunted. Desperate to survive, Katie is offered help by Noel Cassidy, a seasoned freelance Lottery protection agent. Noel proposes a deal—he will help her survive until sundown in exchange for ten percent of her winnings.

As Katie and Noel team up, they fend off a horde of would-be killers using non-lethal tactics. Noel explains the full horror of the Lottery: a drone constantly tracks Katie’s every move and updates her location to the public every 14 minutes. This means there’s nowhere to hide for long. But there is one way out—if Katie can make it to the Grapevine, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, she can officially quit the Lottery and escape the deadly pursuit.

However, Katie is reluctant to fully trust Noel. She decides to go her own way, only to discover that even the police are trying to kill her. Alone and terrified, Katie finds temporary refuge with a sympathetic security guard at a wax museum. But her relief is short-lived when a phone call from Shadi, her Airbnb host, reveals her location. Shadi and DJ track Katie down, but she narrowly escapes once again, thanks to Noel’s timely intervention. The chase becomes even more chaotic as they are pursued by Shadi, DJ, and a bus full of curious tourists eager to cash in on the Lottery.

In a bold move, Noel and Katie head to the mansion of rapper MGK, who has a well-fortified panic room. After tranquilizing MGK, they take refuge inside the panic room. For a moment, it seems like they may have found a safe haven. However, Shadi and DJ manage to coerce MGK into revealing the panic room’s passcode, putting Katie and Noel in immediate danger. To escape this predicament, Noel calls in a favor from the powerful Lewis Protection Agency (LPA).

The LPA swoops in just in time, disabling the phones of the attackers and whisking Katie and Noel away to their high-tech headquarters. At the LPA facility, Katie meets the head of the agency, Louis Lewis, who strikes a deal to protect her in exchange for a hefty 30 percent of her winnings. Noel also agrees to take a similar cut, explaining that he uses his protection money to support the families of fallen comrades from his past as a mercenary.

With Katie disguised in elaborate prosthetics, the plan is for her to be driven to safety. However, Noel grows suspicious. He uncovers a dark secret about the LPA—they’ve been killing their Lottery-winning clients and keeping the prize money for themselves, all while ensuring the winners' anonymity. Realizing the danger Katie is in, Noel makes a risky move: he allows the mob of "fans" into the facility, causing chaos while Katie escapes in a car.

Before Katie can reach the Grapevine and officially quit the Lottery, Louis contacts her with a chilling ultimatum. He’s captured Noel and threatens to kill him unless Katie surrenders herself. With no other option, Katie heads to an abandoned theater, where she confronts Louis. Louis reveals that he killed his own team of mercenaries to hoard a secret stash of gold, further showcasing his greed and ruthlessness.

In a dramatic showdown, Katie uses her wits to force Louis into sparing Noel’s life. She threatens to kill herself, which would automatically forfeit the jackpot. Knowing that losing the prize is not an option, Louis hesitates, allowing Katie to livestream the standoff on her phone as proof. Her livestream attracts a swarm of her “fans,” turning the tides in her favor.

Katie and Noel engage in a final battle against Louis, his mercenaries, and the frenzied mob of "fans." In a tense and dangerous fight above the stage of the theater, Katie ultimately kills Louis using his own grenades. However, she falls from the scaffolding in the process. In a surprising twist, she is caught by a crowd of genuine fans who have come to support her just as the Lottery deadline passes. Katie has survived the day.

Six months later, Katie and Noel are living a vastly different life. They have used Katie’s massive winnings to fund a variety of businesses and non-profits, including a protection agency that offers free services to future Lottery winners. In a mid-credits scene, we see that wealth has undoubtedly changed them, as they enjoy the luxury of a superyacht. Meanwhile, MGK is shown ordering a better panic room and more tranquilizer darts, while the Grand Lottery prepares to expand its deadly game across the entire country.