The Luckiest Man in America

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!

After watching this I thought had they stayed away from some fantasy elements and just told the guys actual story it would have been a better watch. Game Show Network made their own version of Michael Larsons story and it was better because it was factual.

This film could have even done follow up of how Larson cashed in the money for $1 bills after a radio station had a prize if you matched a serial number. Then when arriving home from a Christmas party he and his wife discovered the money has been stolen. That would have been more interesting than eating time of Larson wandering around the set of CBS and interrupting a talk show. I highly doubt this happened!

This film reminded me of the recent Weird Al biopic which also started straight then turned into a farce.

Saw this at a TIFF screening last night, theatre completely sold out. The film itself is a pretty nice 90-minute film mostly sitting on one set. While the film does have a really strong premise, it most definetly loses its steam in the latter acts due to its lack of understanding of where to go. I really adored Paul Walter Hauser in this, but his character felt severly underwritten- it sorta seemed like he was many things for a long time and yet, he just turned out to be a normal pretty intelligent man. They kept alluding to something big was going to happen at the end with a twist, but it never comes, leaving an odd sour taste in my mouth as the credits rolled. But its still a very enjoyable casual wednesday night watch.

Michael Larson (Paul Walter Hauser) is an out of work ice cream van driver who has entered the popular U. S. quiz show Press Your Luck hosted by Peter Tomarken (Walter Goggins). After a weak start he starts winning and winning and the executives including the boss, Bill Carruthers (David Strathairn) start to assume he is up to something.

This is an interesting, heavily overdramatised true story featuring a good central performance from master of eccentrics Hauser and fine support from Goggins and the ever wonderful Straithairn. What drives this is trying to understand how he's doing it and why, which is hardly difficult to work out. That's fine but the clear dramatic license with the story rather stretches this into territory where it's hard to buy into / believe everything. Good performances though.

We decided to watch The Luckiest Man in America totally out of the blue. None of us had seen a trailer, read a synopsis, or even knew it was based on a true story. All we gathered was that it involved a game show... and a really lucky guy. Naturally, we expected some quirky competition drama. What we got instead was the story of Michael - a down-on-his-luck ice cream man just trying to hold his crumbling life together.

Winny felt for the guy early on. Michael's financial struggles and family breakdowns hit hard, especially as he tried to keep a connection with his daughter. Willow, meanwhile, kept questioning the rules of the game and what kind of stakes were really on the table. How does a man walk into a show and start winning everything? He was genuinely curious the whole way through.

Mimikyu was totally locked into the story, though every now and then she'd comment on how surreal it felt. The people in the show seemed too perfect - big plastic smiles, over-the-top energy - almost creepy in how artificial it got. Amy and Tails just sat back and enjoyed it casually, laughing at the awkward moments and clapping when things got wild. Sweet had a real appreciation for the early '80s look and vibe - the colors, the clothes, even the retro TV lights. He especially loved Paul Walter Hauser's performance and kept calling it "quietly brilliant."

That said, the movie isn't without its flaws. There's a slow middle stretch where the pacing just stalls, and some of the emotional arcs - especially between Michael and the people closest to him - don't go as deep as they could have. A few of us were expecting more weight or a bigger payoff by the end. Instead, it sort of... just ends. Not badly, but not with a bang either.

Still, for a night where none of us expected much, it turned out to be a pretty solid 90-minute watch. Definitely something different - part quirky drama, part character study, and all wrapped in a retro TV glow.

Final Rating from the Crew: 7/10 🎰📺