Based on the true and seemingly inconsequential story of Michael Larson (played by Paul Walter Hauser), an unemployed ice cream truck driver who made a bit of a splash on the game show Press Your Luck in 1984, The Luckiest Man in America is meant to be an ironic title, since Larson had very little luck in his life before driving from his home in Ohio to Los Angeles for his fateful TV appearance.
The brand of “Luckiest Man in America” was one given to him by CBS to make it appear they were on Larson’s side as he took the network for more money than had ever been won on a TV game show in history to that point. Behind the scenes, jobs were on the line, executives were bewildered by Larson’s game strategy and ability to avoid “Whammies,” which instantly bankrupt players attempting to win on a board filled with cash, prizes, and perils.
The film isn’t exactly a character study of Larson, although Hauser’s performance is so good you could make the case that he thinks it is. Larson was socially awkward before stepping before the cameras, so putting him in front of an audience and bright lights only makes his quirky behavior all the more so. But something about his journey from Ohio charmed showrunner Bill Carruthers (David Strathairn) during the audition process, even when floor manager Chuck (a beautifully complex performance by Shamier Anderson) senses that something isn’t right about the guy.
The film balances the slow reveal about Larson’s true situation back home (he’s constantly referencing his wife and daughter) and the backstage chaos that ensued as he kept winning, eventually getting his pot up to more than $110,000. But it’s Chuck that figures out that Larson has memorized the board’s five patterns, knowing exactly when to slam down his button and stop the lights from moving around the board, always landing on a winning spot.
Directed by Colombian-born, U.S.-based director Samir Oliveros (Bad Lucky Goat) and co-written by Oliveros and Maggie Briggs, the film also introduces us to an array of characters whose interactions with Larson reveal more about him than them, but that’s really what the film is attempting to do. Brian Geraghty and Patti Harrison play the other two contestants on the show with Larson, both of whom have very different reactions to knowing him. Maisie Williams plays the production assistant whose job it is to make sure Larson is where he’s supposed to be on set, when he’s supposed to be there—a much tougher task than one assumes. Johnny Knoxville even shows up late in the film as a talk show host, whose set Larson stumbles into at one point when he’s attempting to hide and ends up getting interviewed on the show (I’m not sure this actually happened, but it’s a nice moment that puts us in Larson’s head more than maybe we want to be).
Still, it’s the moment when the CBS executives decide to spin their financial loss into a gain by pushing the image of this everyman achieving the American dream in front of their cameras that the film takes a celebratory tone, even as the executives want Larson to do their bidding to boost ratings. Strathairn has made a career of playing shifty men in power positions, more interested in saving their hide than doing the right thing, and his portrayal of Carruthers is masterful—playing every angle, all in the name of self-preservation.
Naturally, we get a glimpse of the real Larson in footage shown just before the end credits roll, and it’s clear that Hauser has absolutely nailed it. His skill and range as an actor are continuously revealed with each new role, and this is one of his best performances. The film attempts to embody the best and worst of America’s image and American desires, with mixed results, but the real appeal of The Luckiest Man in America is the performances.
The film is now playing in theaters.
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