Movie Review: ‘The Luckiest Man in America’

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Paul Walter Hauser in Samir Oliveros’ ‘The Luckiest Man in America’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

‘The Luckiest Man in America’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.

Opening in theaters on April 4th, ‘The Luckiest Man in America’ takes a real-life event as the basis for a comedy drama about a quiz show champ whose winning ways come into question during one fraught day filming ‘Press Your Luck.’

Paul Walter Hauser leads a considerable cast for the new movie, directed by Samir Oliveros from a script he wrote with Maggie Briggs.

Does ‘The Luckiest Man in America’ avoid the whammy?

Walton Goggins in Samir Oliveros’ ‘The Luckiest Man in America’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

While younger (well, younger-ish, the figures for the likes of Gen Z and Gen Alpha watching a legacy game show are probably not healthy) audiences know ‘Press Your Luck’ as the quiz show hosted by Elizabeth Banks, that version does sometimes call back to the history of the series, which stretches back to 1983.

This new movie charts a real-life event that happened during a taping on the show, when the most unlikely player somehow managed to get on to set as a contestant. It’s certainly a strange story, and Samir Oliveros’ take on does include some invention wrapped around the basic facts. He only had the actual episode recording to go on (which is on YouTube), so there are scenes set in the control room and before Michael Larson gets on the set that are entirely fabricated.

Yet the whole does hang together decently, the tone pretty much consistent and the ticking clock quality of the day on set giving the movie as a whole a propulsive quality. Yet it’s also burdened with a story that doesn’t quite work and despite some impressive work from a talented cast, not everything functions as it should.

Script and Direction

(L to R) Brian Geraghty and Paul Walter Hauser in Samir Oliveros’ ‘The Luckiest Man in America’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

Director Oliveros and his co-writer Briggs (who came up with the story –– at least the fictional chunks), have put plenty of work into figuring out the chaos that must have erupted between executives and other staff when Larson’s winning streak really got moving and the bosses started to suspect that he might have figured out the patterns of the board to make sure he kept winning and not land on the show’s famous “Whammy” characters, the little red cartoons who gleefully take any winnings (and ultimately banish a player from the show if they hit more than four).

All of that is clearly conveyed in the script, and while Michael Larson was obviously a real person, it’s impressive how much detail the writers have filled in about him and those who are both on stage and off it. The issue comes when the story starts to run out of steam and little and even Larson isn’t well served.

Oliveros’ directing style does well mimicking the look of the series back in the day, and segues effectively between an authentic 1980s style and the feel of the behind-the-scenes areas.

Cast and Performances

(L to R) Brian Geraghty, Paul Walter Hauser, and Patti Harrison in Samir Oliveros’ ‘The Luckiest Man in America’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

Paul Walter Hauser is a big part of why the movie succeeds at all. As Larson, he’s a complicated mix of quirky loner and desperate grifter. And he’s excellent as both sides of the character –– at once loveable and weird, but always believable.

It’s a pretty perfect match for the actor’s skillset, since Hauser has bringing people like these to screens for years now, and he’s also had some experience walking the fine line when playing characters based on real-world personalities.

You’ll completely buy him as this oddball, ice cream truck-driving obsessive, whose past life is littered with money making schemes and a marriage that is seriously on the rocks.

Twitchy and nervous when it starts to appear that his appearance on the show might just be his latest scheme, Hauser is great portraying Larson.

He’s matched by David Strathairn (no stranger to a based-on-truth story himself), the veteran actor playing egotistical, calculating executive producer Bill Carruthers. He’s all strutting peacock-disguised-as-homey-man-of-the-people, who makes the decision to override his casting team to invite Larson onto the show after the potential contestant takes someone else’s audition spot.

David Strathairn in Samir Oliveros’ ‘The Luckiest Man in America’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

Strathairn is also great at portraying Carruthers’ flop sweat as Larson’s winning ways continue as he’s forced to justify the decision to those who write his paychecks.

Walton Goggins makes an impact as Peter Tomarken, the host of the show, who becomes increasingly worried for his own job and starts to improvise as Larson’s earnings rack up. Playing one of the few well-known people in the story, he brings his own flair to it, but doesn’t deviate so far from the recognizable version of Tomarken.

Shamier Anderson plays Chuck, the head of casting for the show, who buts heads with Carruthers’ over Larson’s last-minute selection. Anderson does excellent work as the character, fully channeling his frustration while keeping him relatable.

In smaller roles, we have ‘Game of Thrones’ veteran Maisie Williams as Sylvia, a fresh-faced production assistant on the show who wrangles the talent and conducts tours. She’s fine in a more limited scope. Likewise Brian Geraghty and Patti Harrison as Larson’s fellow contestants.

Finally, Haley Bennett doesn’t have too much to do as Larson’s wife, but she brings some healthy, genuine emotion to the proceedings.

Final Thoughts

Johnny Knoxville in Samir Oliveros’ ‘The Luckiest Man in America’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

Given how fascinating the real-life story of the movie is, it’s frustrating at times that it rarely feels like ‘The Luckiest Man in America’ takes full advantage of it.

Yet it’s still a well-considered take on a particular piece of quiz show history.

What is the plot of ‘The Luckiest Man in America’?

1984, Michael Larson (Paul Walter Hauser), an unemployed ice-cream truck driver from Ohio, steps onto the game show “Press Your Luck” harboring a secret: the key to endless amounts of money. But his winning streak gets threatened when the executives in the control room start to uncover his real motivations.