Prime Video’s new hit film comes from the director of Bridesmaids and Spy, but Jackpot! is currently Paul Feig’s worst-reviewed film in a decade.
But let’s start with the JackPot! introduction. This is an extremely sophisticated comedy. It is set in a future version of America where a new type of lottery is introduced.
A winner is chosen. That person wins billions of dollars, but is also fair game for murder until sundown.
If they survive, they get the money. If someone kills them, that person gets the money.
Awkwafina plays Katie, a struggling actress who wins the lottery. John Cena also plays an agent who tries to keep these “winners” alive and has to take 10% of the prize money. And with $3.6 billion up for grabs, that’s a lot of money.
With everyone out to kill Katie, you can imagine Jackpot! has a recipe for plenty of murderous action. Check out the trailer:
Reviews for Jackpot! are mixed at best. Further up on the positive end, we find a handful of reviews around the 3/5 mark that paint it as a silly and entertaining experience.
Empire’s 3/5 review states, “Paul Feig is mostly back on form with a likable, wild, murderous, madcap money-grab of a high-concept comedy. It could be funnier, but it barely stops for air.”
IGN’s 6/10 rating is a little shrugging. “It lacks all the things that could make it great. Even the title, which has been changed from the charmingly intrusive Grand Death Lotto, suggests it’s happy with it. Technically it’s not bad, but it’s not particularly good either,” says IGN.
JoBlo also gave it a 6/10, but the review is more positive. “Jackpot! is a good diversion and way to pass the time if you like low-stakes movies that make you laugh while you watch people get screwed in creative ways,” it says.
The Guardian’s 2/5 rating, however, is less generous, saying: “The cast’s enthusiastic grimacing and grimacing cannot disguise a weak, helpless script that clings to its single idea like a life preserver.”
Director Paul Feig has already stated that he would like to make a sequel to the film, although he has never made a sequel to more popular projects such as Bridesmaids and Spy.
“We would LOVE to do a sequel. This one was just too much fun and there’s so much more fun to be had. Just saying, @PrimeVideo,” Feig posted on X.
Feig is also working on a sequel to A Simple Favor. “I can’t speak for Amazon, but we did our first (test screening). I’m seven weeks into my director’s cut now – but I always try to do a test screening… and we’ve gone through the roof. We’ve had really good results,” Feig told Deadline.
Filming for A Simple Favor 2 was completed in April and the film is scheduled to be released in 2025.
