think I would be saying a lot if I said the majority of Americans could generally benefit from winning the lottery. A movie back in the 90s came out called It Could Happen to You, starring Nicolas Cage and Rosie Perez. More often than not, you hear about people who won that are now broke from winning the lottery. In this film, Jerry & Marge Go Large, the people are pretty smart about winning the lottery.
Jerry and Marge Selby (Brian Cranston and Annette Benning) are your average couple. They have kids that are all grown up, and Jerry is about to retire from his job at Kelloggs in Michigan. Marge is a stay-at-home wife. After retiring, Jerry was bored one day and decided to play the Win Fall Lottery. He just happens to notice a mathematical loophole in the lottery system. So he enlists his wife to help him invest in this chance to win big and create a better life for himself and his wife.
These types of stories are pretty interesting because if you are not local to Michigan or Massachusetts, where this story takes place, you wouldn’t know anything about it unless you see the movie. This film reminds me of a film from last year called Dream Horse, about a group of people who invest in a racehorse, hoping it will win big. It’s a slice-of-life story. This particular story has some ups and downs that keep it interesting to the end.
The story in this film is fine, and I think audiences will enjoy it, but the real draw that this film has is the cast. The two main actors — Bryan Cranston and Annette Benning — are both seasoned professionals who have been nominated for Academy Awards and other accolades. At first glance, this could have been a throwaway role for both of them. They don’t let it be, though. They give it their all and totally invest in the film and the story it’s trying to tell.
The film has a nice story and a good cast of actors who’ve been around the bloke. As a film Paramount is putting on their streaming service, this is a fine addition to their original programming. These services like Paramount+ need good original material like the offer and this film to attract subscribers. Sure, all the Star Trek content and movies coming out of theatrical runs like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 also bring viewers to the service, but its original content with big-name stars that will have people coming back for more and more.
Jerry & Marge Go Large isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel or anything. It’s a nice slice of life true story. Its seasoned cast performs very well, especially Cranston and Benning. Paramount doesn’t have an Academy Award-worthy film on their hands, but they have a good little film they can throw on their streaming service and get some viewership that way. I enjoyed this film for what it is and for what it was trying to do and say.
3 stars
Dan Skip Allen
Sean Boelman Founder/EIC disappointment media
From the Fourth Row! 