In movie adaptions of true stories, it can be difficult to balance suspense and storytelling when we typically know the character's fates ahead of time. In last year's September 5, the directors and actors helped raise the tension and even gave the viewer hope that the hostages from the Olympic Village might survive. Although, The Luckiest Man in America has much lower stakes and doesn't utilize much suspense in its storytelling, it's still an enjoyable adaption of an incredibly weird true story.
The story follows the 1984 Press Your Luck scandal where Michael Larson won over $100,000 after memorizing the board pattern to ensure he only hit big prizes or won more spins to continue his turn. Larson is played by Paul Walter Hauser who is tremendous in the role and utilizes his quirkiness and acting ability to turn a seemingly bad man into someone we want to cheer for. The performance is even more impactful when you look deeper into the real Larson's story and realize he was basically a con man who was eventually charged with defrauding thousands of people out of their money.
Hauser is clearly the featured player throughout the film, and it reminds us that when he's on the top of his game, his acting can draw us in no matter what story is being told. He tends to play the same character in most of his movies and shows, but he's so incredibly good at it that it doesn't even matter at this point.
Hauser is joined by Ed (Brian Geraghty) and Janie (Patti Harrison) as fellow contestants on the episode, and both play their roles well. The movie begins with Ed viewing Michael as someone lucky to be on the show, but as Michael continues to win more and more money, you can see the shift as Ed starts to cheer for him continuously even though it means he'll lose. Janie takes the opposite approach where she is creeped out by Michael and even tries to screw him over on the final moments of the episode, only for Michael to win even more money.
The cast is also rounded out by Peter Tomarken (Walter Goggins), Bill Caruthers (David Strathairn), Sylvia (Maisie Williams), Chuck (Shamier Anderson), and smaller appearances by Haley Bennett, Johnny Knoxville, and Damian Young. Goggins shines as the host of the show and even begins to fight back against the network as they investigate whether Michael is cheating or not.
Chuck plays a major role in the investigation, and although we're meant to view Hauser as the bad guy in the story for breaking the rules, he becomes even more likable as Chuck continues to push his buttons. Even though Carruthers originally wanted him on the show because of his craziness, he eventually begins to support the idea of Michael winning as much as possible due to his underdog status.
Bennett and Knoxville play very bit parts in the film but their additions are both enjoyable. Knoxville plays Leon Hart, a talk show host whose set Michael accidentially walks onto. Although it's only a four or five minute runtime in the film, it's another example of utilizing time to create more sympathy and build more depth for Michael's character.
Bennett is only seen twice in the film as Michael's wife who's planning to leave him, but even she can't keep her eyes away when the episode airs. It's a small moment in the film that showcases how Michael drew people in even though he wasn't the best husband, father, or person to those around him.
The final stretch of the film is where Hauser shines the most. Paranoia and exhaustion begin to overtake him, and you can see the fear in Michael's eyes that he's either going to get caught or that he's going to screw it all up and lose his money. This could have played out in a cheesy way, but director Samir Oliveros balances the emotional swings perfectly.
As mentioned earlier, Hauser makes Larson out to be a sympathetic character which is an incredible compliment when you consider all the bad things he did to others. He may be goofy and weird in the film, but you never get the sense he's a horrible person or that he has overly bad intentions with any of his actions. That is what makes the film enjoyable and makes it a must see for anyone who enjoys game shows.
The Luckiest Man in America is now playing in theaters.