‘The Luckiest Man in America’ Review: Paul Walter Hauser Rigs a Classic Game Show in a Sleazy Contained Thriller
At their best, game shows have always been defined by their juxtaposition of genuine stakes and utter ridiculousness. Audiences see flashing lights, gaudy neon color palettes, and spray-tanned hosts with unconvincingly dyed hair, but contestants see a battlefield where fortunes can be won and lost. Daytime shows revolve around games of chance deemed simple enough to provide the most mindless of background noise while people do chores around the house, but the money involved often has life-changing implications for those involved.
Samir Oliveros’ “The Luckiest Man in America” successfully exploits that tension in its semi-fictionalized telling of Michael Larson’s (Paul Walter Hauser) record shattering 1984 win on “Press Your Luck,” in which he took home over $110,000 by figuring out that the show’s seemingly randomized wheel spins were all based on the same five light patterns. Unfolding almost exclusively on the CBS lot where the game show was taped, the film treats the producers’ quest to figure out his impossible knack for the game with all the seriousness of a Secret Service counterfeiting operation. At the same time, its candy colored set and ’80s game show kitsch prevent audiences from ever forgetting about the asininity of the setting. It all combines to form a delightfully sleazy ensemble thriller that goes down easy in 90 minutes — and yet another reminder that Hauser is one of his generation’s most interesting movie stars.
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When Larson walks into the casting offices for “Press Your Luck” in 1984, some dueling incentives are immediately introduced. He’s an unemployed ice cream truck driver who dreams of making enough money to get his life back on track and reconnect with his estranged daughter. But the show’s producers, led by showrunner Bill Carruthers (David Strathairn), see the disheveled man with a visible passion for the show as a lovable loser who will delight their TV audiences. Against the advice of his aides, Carruthers opts to fast-track Larson through the already-brief ’80s background check process and put him on the show the next day.
The premise of “Press Your Luck” is iconically simple: contestants answer straightforward trivia questions, and correct answers earn them spins on a wheel that contains various prizes and a handful of “Whammies,” which cause them to forfeit all of the money they’ve accumulated. After a successful spin, a contestant can either choose to keep pressing their luck or pass the spin to another contestant to avoid risking a Whammy. And when Michael starts playing, he appears to be no different from any other contestant. His obsession with the show and lack of social skills leads to some awkward banter with host Peter Tomarken (Walton Goggins, offering the ideal dose of smarmy charm), but that delights Caruthers and his army of producers in the control room, who see him as an everyman hero. His first turn at the wheel quickly results in a Whammy, and the show proceeds as planned.
But when the second round of spinning rolls around, Michael just keeps winning. And winning. And winning. Even as he breaks the show’s prize money record with a winning streak that’s almost statistically impossible, he refuses to pass a spin. With the show bleeding unprecedented amounts of cash, Carruthers is forced to coordinate with livid network executives while simultaneously launching an investigation into Larson’s past. His eventual findings paint a portrait of a man whose obsession with this game show could be a bandage for a very deep wound.
“The Luckiest Man in America” is at its best when it narrows its focus on game show drama. The stealthy behind-the-scenes investigation into Larson’s conduct from the producers and crew unfolds like an intricate ballet number during commercial breaks, and Hauser’s subtle facial expressions and mannerisms illustrate how cleverly this mouse skirts the multitude of cats that are chasing him. While Larson is a fascinating character within the confines of the contained thriller, the few moments when the film loses steam come when it tries to explore his demons too overtly. One particularly ambitious sequence sees him wandering off the soundstage and right onto the stage of another talk show, where he proceeds to give an interview about his need to get closer to a family that no longer wants anything to do with him. Both the writing and Hauser’s acting are more than satisfactory, but the moment feels like a misplaced arthouse tangent in a film that otherwise clings to the realism of its plot.
Still, Hauser’s performance as a man whose determination to use his unique talents to forge the emotional connections that otherwise evade him holds the entire film together. Game shows might not have quite the cultural cache that they did in 1984, but “The Luckiest Man in America” still feels brutally relevant in 2024 for illustrating the ways that humans try to use parasocial relationships with entertainment to address voids in their lives that aren’t easily filled.
Grade: B+
“The Luckiest Man in America” will have its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.
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