Last year, Awkwafina (Ocean’s Eight, Crazy Rich Asians) played against type in the charming comedy Quiz Lady. Now, she fulfills the lead role of Prime Video’s Jackpot!, channeling her undeniable charms for an action-heavy comedy extravaganza. From one potential grand prize winner to the next, Awkwafina proves her comedic prowess with ease. Director Paul Feig (A Simple Favor, The Heat) is no stranger to blending genres. Here, he has perfected the duo teamup, wonderfully conjoining Awkwafina’s manic persona against John Cena’s suave buffoonery. Between the two of them plus an impressive ensemble that includes Simu Lui (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Barbie), Seann William Scott (American Pie, Final Destination), and Ayden Mayari (Spin Me Round, The Afterparty), Jackpot! wisely lets its performers improvise and riff along with gleeful abandon—all as a bulk of the population try to literally murder the lottery winner by any means necessary!
The year is 2030, and in this slightly dystopian version of Los Angeles, the world now has a special twisted brand of lottery. Since the Great Depression of 2026, the California Grand Lottery has promised big winnings, provided the winner can survive the next twenty-four hours. Whoever kills them claims their entire jackpot. New to L.A., Katie Kim (Awkwafina) has zero familiarity with the Grand Lottery, or its celebrity figurehead, Johnny Grand (Murray Hill, Shortbus, Drag Me to Dinner). Following her dreams of being an actress, Katie holes up in a crusty catfish Airbnb featuring dripping poop sludge. As the jackpot booms to a record 3.6 billion dollars, the population readies for “lottery day.”
Unbeknownst to Katie, in the middle of an overpriced audition, she accidentally enters the lottery drawing. Before she can leave the building, Katie has been proclaimed the Grand Lottery’s jackpot winner! The only problem now is that every single person she comes across wants to murder her. Her only hope may lie in charismatic Noel Cassidy (Cena, The Suicide Squad, Ricky Stanicky), who vows to “get you to sundown” for just ten percent of the lottery earnings. Noel and Katie must team up on a relentless quest for survival. When a potential way to forfeit being a winner emerges, Katie weighs the pros and cons of sticking it out. Does Noel truly view her as more than an ATM? Over the course of one batshit day, Noel and Katie develop trust and understanding, all while Noel tries to help Katie hone her inner turtle power.
Cena and Awkwafina embrace the increasingly outlandish scenarios they find themselves trapped in, from being trapped in a wax museum overstuffed with purposely atrocious celebrity figures to dodging pursuit by a tour bus of crazed sightseers out for blood and Katie’s psychotic airbnb hosts. The whole affair lovingly embraces the ridiculousness of its premise. Any adult one can imagine desperately tries to get to Katie and murder her. Cena acts as the muscle to Katie’s frantic mess, although she does surprisingly hold her own before he shows up. My sole complaint is that Feig could have pushed the envelope even further by leaning into uber-violent kills and bone-crunching action. As it stands, Jackpot! still manages to house several of the year’s most exciting action set pieces and memorable cameos. The best of the bunch? Tied to a chair and jamming along to “Turtle Power,” Noel goes into full badass mode.
The sharp writing ensures Feig’s entire ensemble has been utilized. Most surprising here is Simu Liu, playing against type as wealthy hot rich Asian, Louis Lewis, leader of “the biggest lottery protection agency.” Simu relishes in the campy dialogue. Many other stars delight in small doses, including Seann William Scott, Michael Hitchcock, Becky Ann Baker, and Machine Gun Kelly. Still, the key players are John Cena and Awkwafina—the beautiful friendship formed between Katie and Noel over the course of the frantic runtime gives the feature that much more depth. We actually care about these characters, especially Katie, whose mother recently passed. Noel, on the other hand, appears to be only in it for the pleasure of helping others. Cena plays up his physicality as Noel to bruise and batter all who come close to Katie; he hilariously goes out of his way to avoid leaving any permanent damage.
Feig’s most thematically similar action/comedy, Spy, mostly flew under the radar in theaters, and has still yet to earn a sequel. Jackpot! definitely holds a near-identical potential for follow-ups, focusing on different contest winners each and every time until perhaps someone sets their sights on destroying the broken system. If a second Jackpot! ever materializes, Awkwafina and Cena simply must return, as the obvious MVPs. Don’t forget to stick around during the credits for some laugh-out-loud funny bloopers and alternate takes of memorable scenes. Jackpot! isn’t just a fun diversion—this fast-paced romp is one of the best comedies of the year.
Hit the Jackpot, then try to survive! Drawing the next winner globally exclusively to Prime Video subscribers on August 15th.
