The people of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” didn’t gather in the square between the post office and the bank around ten o’clock on June 27th just for Awkwafina to bastardize their holy tradition 70 years later. Unfortunately for them, this is exactly what happens in Paul Feig’s Jackpot!, which follows a near-future Los Angeles as they undertake their own deadly ritual. To add insult to injury, the L.A. lottery has actual money on the line—the original villagers only got a good harvest out of it! At least they can rest easy knowing their bloodthirsty gods are still being appeased in the modern world.
The film follows Katie Kim (Awkwafina), a hopeful actor who recently moved to L.A. During an audition, she finds herself the unwitting winner of a multi-billion dollar jackpot. There’s a catch, of course. The instant her name is announced, her fellow audition prospects immediately start trying to murder her. Katie soon learns that California has established a new “Grand Lottery,” during which anyone who kills the winner before sundown can legally claim their prize. Now, she’s the biggest target on the West Coast.
John Cena and Simu Liu also star as rival “lottery protectors,” whose main initiative is to protect Katie at all costs in exchange for some of her commission—that is, of course, if she survives the day.
While there are some moments of humor in the trailer, the funniest part of this movie by far is the fact that its entire conceit rests on the premise that there would be a large-scale sanctioned murder competition in one of the United States’ primary cities, with Awkwafina somehow never learning of its existence. Is there simply no national news left in the country by 2030, when the film is set? Honestly... maybe.
Jackpot! also stars Ayden Mayeri, Donald Elise Watkins, Murray Hill, and Britney Spears’ ex Sam Asghari, who keeps randomly getting cast in things. The film premieres August 15 on Prime Video.