Jackpot! - Review

Rating: 3 out of 5

PAUL Feig, on form, is one of the best comedy directors around, thanks to the likes of Spy, Bridesmaids and - yes, I'm going to include it - the all-female Ghostbusters reboot.

Sadly, Jackpot! doesn't hit the heights of any of those films but gets by on its relentless energy and the winning double-act of its central pairing, Awkwafina and John Cena.

The film takes place in a futuristic LA/Hollywood (circa 2030, following a Great Depression), where its citizens are gripped with lottery fever - a monthly draw that involves one person winning a massive cash prize, only to get pursued for a day by everyone else, who can claim the money by killing them.

The only catch for the chasing pack is that they can't use guns!

When former child actor Katie (Awkwafina) unwittingly becomes the latest 'winner', she finds herself relentlessly pursued across the city until self-appointed 'lottery protector' Noel (Cena) persuades her to allow him to be her protector (for 10% of the winnings).

The ensuing action-comedy is a shrill, breathlessly paced affair that plays out like a mix between a zombie chase movie, The Purge movie series and a full-on gaming experience.

It's loud, often crude, foul-mouthed and relentlessly over the top, seldom pausing long enough to give any of the characters much depth. And therein lines its biggest failing - whereas A-game Feig efforts such as Bridesmaids and Spy invest as much time in getting to know the characters, this one just comes at you from the outset - with most of the blame being attached to Rob Yescombe's flimsy script.

Incredibly, Yescombe was picked out as one of the screenwriters to watch by Variety last year - but here fails to make good on that potential, squandering any of the screenplay's potential to make any biting social commentary, or add any real complexity to its characters.

Indeed, very little of what helps the film to actually work on any level has anything to do with Yescombe - but rather Feig's energetic and occasionally inventive direction (the set pieces are often amusing and nicely staged) and the chemistry between Cena and Awkwafina, which is further enhanced by their improv-heavy dialogue.

There is the odd moment of calm in which back-story and motivation are allowed to intrude - but such moments, while certainly effective, merely serve to highlight how much better Jackpot! may have been if it had been allowed to breathe a little more.

As things stand, it's a wild ride that feels zany enough to keep you watching. Cena and Awkwafina, meanwhile, are winning enough to make you want to root for their characters. It's a tribute to their skills as performers that they are able to offer so much, with so little.

The final third of the movie, which brings in Simu Liu for a nifty reunion with his Shang-Chi co-star Awkwafina, also adds an extra kick and a heightened sense of peril, which helps the film build towards a more dynamic climax.

Hence, while Feig's film struggles to offer its own viewing jackpot, it still manages to make buying a ticket in the first place feel worthwhile.