MOVIE TITLE: The Luckiest Man in America

This quirky film based on a true story releases in theaters on April 4, 2025, as well as on Fandango at Home.

RATING: R due to several F-bombs

LENGTH: 1 hour 30 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The movie was inspired by true events that occurred in 1984 when a man named Michael Larson competed for cash on a popular game show called “Press Your Luck.” I was alive in the 1980s but never watched this show. I don’t even remember hearing about it in the news.

The quirky film was directed by Samir Oliveros, who also wrote the screenplay with Constanza Munoz.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored.
Some profanity, including F-bombs
Some inappropriate humor

THEMES:

Hope
Dreams
Greed
Family
TV game show politics
Second chances

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast is really terrific and includes Paul Walter Hauser, Walton Goggins, David Strathairn, Maisie Williams, and Shamier Anderson. They all did a fantastic job with the script they were given.
Paul Walter Hauser gives us a fascinating character that we just can’t figure out in the beginning. The film has been labeled as a mystery because the protagonist’s character is slowly revealed.
It’s interesting to see the behind-the-scenes action of creating a TV game show.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Sadly, the ending doesn’t give the viewer the satisfaction and closure they’re hoping for.
The story promises something bigger and better, even a reveal that will surprise us, but it never quite delivers.
I wanted to see photos or footage of the real people involved in the events illustrated in the movie. Considering it’s based on a real event, I wonder why they didn’t include that. I found out that you can watch the Game Show Network 2003 documentary on Vimeo to learn more details about what really happened.
If the film is meant to be a biography of sorts, we definitely don’t learn that much about the main character. You can watch the Game Show Network, a 2003 documentary on Vimeo about the real people this feature film depicts but with a lot more detail.