The Luckiest Man in America

The Luckiest Man in America was a fascinating watch for me, especially because it's based on a true story I hadn't heard before. It follows a man who managed to con his way onto a game show and ended up getting incredibly lucky while on it. I was completely unfamiliar with the real-life event or the man at the center of it, which made the film all the more intriguing.

What really grabbed my attention was how quickly the story pulled me in. It's one of those movies where, as soon as it ends, you immediately want to Google the real events to find out what actually happened. And in this case, there's a surprising amount of additional bizarre and fascinating information about the guy that didn't make it into the film.

As for the movie itself, I'd call it a solid one-time watch. It presents an unusual slice of 1980s history in an entertaining way. It's not necessarily a film you'd revisit, but it succeeds in shining a light on a quirky, forgotten moment in pop culture. You watch it, think "Well, that was interesting," and move on-now I'm a little more informed about one of the oddest stories to come out of the game show world.

This film is a dramatization of a game show scandal from the 70s.

A con artist, played by Paul Walter Hauser, appears on the game show Press Your Luck and shocks the audience and producers with his winning streak. This ultimately leads to backstage turmoil and cheating revelations.

We've seen this before in the gold standard "Quiz Show" and more recently "Perfect Bid." This failed to keep me as interested as those two compelling films did.

I think the problem lies in Hauser's portrayal. The character's affect is so odd and off putting that it's a wonder he was chosen for the show to begin with let alone have an entire audience rooting for him. To be fair, I don't know what the real man was like, but I expected a professional con man to be more smooth. The relationship with his daughter and ex wife was also underdeveloped and gave little insight into the man behind the madness.

It's mildly entertaining at best. I saw it at my local theater at the one showing they had but this is an absolute wait for streaming kind of film.

The Luckiest Man In America is apparently based on a true person although I never heard of him. The movie is categorized as a thriller but it isn't, it's basically a drama which is normally not my favourite genre but this one was actually a good movie. The cast was very well chosen. Paul Walter Hauser has one of those faces to play a weirdo, like he did before in the excellent movie Richard Jewell and the great series Black Bird. This time he plays the contestant in a game show, again a character that can be qualified as weird. Good acting from the entire cast and an easy and pleasant story to follow.

Let me take you back to 1984. Michael Larson, an AC repair man and ice cream truck driver, ends up on the game show Press Your Luck. THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA tells this true story. Michael (Paul Walter Hauser) keeps winning, with no end in sight. This causes everybody at CBS to panic in their own ways, including the host Peter Tomarken (Walton Goggins), the producer Bill Carruthers (David Strathairn), his assistant Chuck (Shamier Anderson), and the show's assistant Sylvia (Maisie Williams). This movie is entertaining from start to finish. Hauser is amazing yet again as a character who is socially awkward. When you look at him, you can't shake the feeling that something's off. Goggins is always great in everything he does, no surprise there. The tension builds as the movie goes on, highlighted by the score and by Hauser's body language. Not knowing what actually happened back then, I had no idea where it was going. My one problem was the ending. It seemed abrupt and I'm not sure if it's because of the low budget, but I would've liked to have a little more finality to it. I do recommend staying during the credits though. Overall, THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA is a very entertaining historical moment brought back into the light of day with a great ensemble cast, seemingly accurate enough to what actually happened at the time. I recommend it wherever you can find it!

Film: "The Luckiest Man in America" 🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷 had its moments piglets!

(6/10 me) (6/10 Marilee)

Another one that looked really good. I have to admit, I did not know the true story and the events that surrounded it. Great idea for a movie. Groggins and Hauser were fantastic. I am a huge fan of both of those actors.

It's one of those movies where the audience, at times, cannot tell what is being presented as reality or what is a fantasy in some characters head. It makes it all the more confusing.

We rented it. I suggest you wait till it comes to a streaming outlet to watch it for free.

Just average.