The Luckiest Man In America's game show scandal biopic doesn't press its luck
Intriguing biographical elements are foregone in favor of generic story beats, which leave the film feeling over-fluffed and nonsubstantive.
Photo: IFC Films
Forty years ago, an unusual game show scandal had CBS writing a record-breaking check for $110,237. The story of Michael Larson and his winnings—which remained unmatched on an American game show until a 2006 The Price Is Right episode—has not received the biopic treatment until now (though Bill Murray was set to star in one such project in the early aughts). The Luckiest Man In America recounts the filming of this historic two-part episode, which has since receded into the somewhat distant annals of pop cultural memory.
Co-written by Colombian director Samir Oliveros and Maggie Briggs (who previously co-penned the queer Pakistani drama Joyland) and executive produced by Pablo Larraín, The Luckiest Man In America would have benefitted from incorporating the latter filmmakers’ penchant for constructing rich—if at times boldly inaccurate—interiorities for historical figures. Instead, Oliveros and Briggs’ screenplay relies on generic narrative beats as opposed to mining from, and perhaps even exaggerating, Larson’s fascinating life and legacy. To some, he’s a folk hero who represents the deep-seated American fantasy of striking gold; to others, he was a conniving con man who rightfully found himself in legal limbo. The Luckiest Man In America mostly opts for the former characterization, refusing to genuinely grapple with Larson’s imperfections in the process.
Arriving on the CBS lot in a rusty ice cream truck on a spring morning in 1984, Michael Larson (a serviceable Paul Walter Hauser) is almost immediately caught in a lie while auditioning for the game show Press Your Luck. After assuming a pseudonym for unknown reasons, Larson is quickly sniffed out and ejected by production. But executive Bill Carruthers (David Strathairn) can’t shake the hunch that the eccentric Larson would make a perfect contestant, and invites him back to tape an episode the next day. Chuck (Shamier Anderson), Bill’s underling, immediately casts a suspicious eye on Michael. PA Sylvia (Maisie Williams), on the other hand, has a fondness for the contestant that she keeps on the down-low.
As the taping begins, Michael locks in, hands interlaced and hovering a millimeter from the buzzer. Press Your Luck boasts a simple logic, which host Peter Tomarken (Walton Goggins, contrasting his current angsty role on The White Lotus) gladly elaborates for studio and theatrical audiences alike. Contestants are each asked generic trivia questions; if they guess correctly, they earn spins on a flashing board that features cash prizes, all-inclusive vacations, and extra spins. It also features Whammies, or little red cartoon characters that wipe out contestant’s total earnings if they’re unlucky enough to land on them. Though off to a rocky start, Michael manages to evade Whammies for over a dozen consecutive spins.
