Directed by: Samir Oliveros
Written by: Samir Oliveros and Maggie Briggs
Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Of late, the big screen has increasingly been looking to the small screen for inspiration. Awkwafina-led comedy Quiz Lady (2023) saw a gameshow-obsessed woman become a contestant on her beloved show, while horror Late Night With the Devil (2023) gave us the Halloween special from hell. Women of the Hour (2023) kept things sinister with its true crime tale of the serial killer who appeared on The Dating Game, while most recently Saturday Night (2024) gave audiences a peak behind the curtain of the very first SNL. Sticking with TV stories that actually happened, it’s Samir Oliveros’ The Luckiest Man in America that’s the latest film to try its luck tuning into all things televisual.
Based on the 1984 Press Your Luck scandal, Oliveros’ film follows ice cream truck driver Michael Larson (Paul Walter Hauser), as he competes as a contestant on the popular trivia gameshow. It’s not long before he amasses an impressive winning streak, however his enormous luck begins to arouse suspicions backstage, sending the show’s executives into a mad panic as they try to work out just how Michael is doing so well.
It feels fitting that a film about a gameshow should be so much fun, as watching the cat and mouse routine unfold between Michael and the show’s executives – an increasingly stressed David Strathairn and comparatively calm Shamier Anderson – is actually quite thrilling. The back and forth between the two parties mostly plays out in plain sight while the cameras are still rolling, only heightening the film’s palpable sense of excitement. Coupled with the genuine delight gleaned from watching Michael continually add to his winnings – in turn bolstered by the film’s energetic 80s score – The Luckiest Man in America, if nothing else, is an undeniably entertaining watch.
Paul Walter Hauser – of I, Tonya (2017) and Richard Jewell (2019) fame – excels as the unlikely everyman who seemingly happens to strike it lucky. He deftly tackles the role by both evoking sympathy from his audience while also making them ever so slightly wary of him. This delicate impression that Hauser carefully crafts makes Michael a protagonist that’s so easy to take an interest in, inviting audiences to try and work him out, just as the gameshow executives try to do the same.
He’s given slightly more depth by way of the screenplay’s exploration of his personal life too. This more intimate angle reveals some of Michael’s family circumstances and certainly gives the audiences more insight, but it could have been explored that little bit more thoroughly. At a mere ninety minutes there was definite scope to expand on this element, because The Luckiest Man in America doesn’t quite land its intended emotional ending just as effectively as it perhaps could have. Instead, it finds itself somewhere in-between a more straightforward and factual retelling of the real-life events, and a more involved and elaborate family drama with something really profound to say.
Nonetheless, its star-studded supporting cast, which includes Maisie Williams, Johnny Knoxville and most notably, Walton Goggins as tacky Press Your Luck host Peter Tomarken, keep the proceedings very watchable throughout. Goggins acts as the mediator between Michael and the execs, trying to keep that sparkle of TV magic from dimming. But despite his best efforts (cheesy grin included) the more cruel and exploitative side of television starts to smudge that perfect glossy sheen. Although, never quite enough to make any particularly astute assertions about the past treatment of gameshow contestants like Michael.
Ultimately, Oliveros’ film remains reliably good, rather than developing into something especially great. Both the entertaining ensemble cast and the compelling account of TV history will give audiences adequate returns on their viewing gamble, but The Luckiest Man in America plays it a little too safe to really hit the jackpot.
Star Rating: ★ ★ ★
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