Don’t Lose That Winning Lottery Ticket!
Although I went into the press screening of Lottery Ticket with zero expectations, I can’t say that I have not been fascinated about this movie’s premise my entire life. My mind is so complicated by the way I process the real world. Instead of thinking how a winning lottery ticket could change my life for the better, my mind instantly drifts off to that dark place in regards to worrying about the safe keeping of that physical ticket until I can cash it. I mean, a lot can happen to a piece of paper, right? Well, my exact way of thinking perfectly fits the bill here as to what we will explore within today’s topic of discussion, Lottery Ticket.
Lottery Ticket is a comedy that stars Bow Wow, Brandon T. Jackson, Naturi Naughton, Ice Cube, Mike Epps the crazy Terry Crews and many more. The theatrical trailers and television spots only made this film look so-so to me. If it were not for the press screening, then this usually would have been a film that I would have completely skipped. So how was it? I know you are all dying to find out so I will just forgo all the suspenseful foreplay and “just do it” already, in regards to getting on with my review that is!
Our story begins with our hero, Kevin Carson (Bow Wow), and his imperfect life. His dream job is to design tennis shoes, hence his job at Foot Locker, but this recent high school graduate is being held back from going away to college because he has to care for his grandmother (Loretta Devine). Honestly, Loretta does not seem old enough to be his grandmother, but that’s a whole separate story. Anyway, the town Kevin inhabits just so happens to be caught up in a media frenzy over the $370 million jackpot drawing that is about to take place. Long story short…Kevin wins! But here’s the deal…he does not realize he won the lottery until Saturday, July 2nd and the lottery offices are closed for the long July 4th holiday weekend until Tuesday, July 5th. All he has to do is keep the good news to himself and lay low for a couple of days. It sounds simple enough, right?
Kevin’s world is turned upside down when his neighbors discover he has the winning ticket in his possession. Who can he trust? Now he must survive their greed and the deadly threats of Lorenzo (Gbenga Akinnagbe) before claiming his prize. With the help of his two closest friends, Benny (Jackson) and Stacie (Naughton), and his recent new acquaintance, Mr. Washington (Ice Cube), he somehow just might make it out alive. Might? You’ll just have to find out for yourself, won’t you?
Did I think it was a good flick? I thought the filmmakers did their jobs effectively as storytellers and kept me entertained throughout. Did I laugh really hard? I probably would have had I come into the screening feeling well rested. Sometimes the dialog was actually hard to hear over the audience’s laughter and the less than stellar audio system this particular theater deploys. I may have to give this one another viewing upon its eventual Blu-ray release. Would I recommend this as a must-see in the theater? Yes, but only for matinee prices. Save you hard earned cash for a Piranha 3D outing.
And you probably have heard all the commercials saying that Lottery Ticket is the next generation incarnation of the infamous Friday film. I have to be honest with myself, the more I think about the movie and the tagline employed in the trailer spots, the more I settle on the fact that they can’t be more right. Lottery Ticket does equal this year’s Friday with its eccentric cast, memorable characters and a few surprises here and there to keep things fresh. Have fun with this one! Enjoy!
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