The Luckiest Man in America is a biopic less about a man and more about a moment in time. It’s about when Michael Larson made game show history by winning over $110,000 on Press Your Luck. Paul Walter Hauser plays Michael and gives another standout performance. The Luckiest Man in America isn’t the first movie about a game show scandal, or even about someone winning a bunch of money, but its unique approach to this genre makes it worth a watch.
We normally see these inspirational movies about underdogs becoming the heroes, an, and we all clap and cheer, and believe that anything is possible. The Luckiest Man in America doesn’t encourage the same reaction, but I still see it as an inspirational movie, and I need to discuss why.
Warning The Luckiest Man in America spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
I Appreciate That The Main Character Is An Outcast In A Sad Way
Sometimes films introduce outcast characters who are shown as these cool individuals. Society may not understand them, but the viewers love them. Their outcast status makes them charm the viewers. We grow to love and root for them. Many aspirational or inspirational biographies feature characters on the fringe of society. These are people who didn’t play by the rules and are elevated to greatness.
Michael has that quality in The Luckiest Man in America, but you never quite see him as inspirational. He comes off socially awkward, hyper-focused, but not in a genius way, and then you find out that he's slightly being dishonest about his entire life. He’s not someone you want to look up to or embody.
Michael never becomes the hero in the traditional sense. He is the hero in The Luckiest Man in America, but only because this is his story. Michael being an outcast that doesn’t feel grand or larger than life makes him feel more unique.
Many might not see themselves in this character, but they may have been in a similar place as him at one point. Life wasn’t going their way, and they just needed something to make living seem magical again. Maybe they got that in a small way, like reading a good book, or a grand way, like breaking a TV game show record. Michael isn’t the typical outcast, but that's what makes his win so stunning. It shows anyone can have their moment of glory.
The Earnestness Of Michael Endeared Me To Him
I have seen enough great biographical films to know that these movies usually focus on people who seem ordinary but are extraordinary. Michael Larson is the opposite. You go into the movie expecting an extraordinary man who figures out a loophole in a system. Instead, you get just a dude.
He figures out a loophole, but it isn’t portrayed as something impressive. In actuality, Press Your Luck’s executive Bill Carruthers (David Strathairn) is kind of portrayed as an incompetent boss. It’s because he only made five patterns that Michael can study and memorize them so easily. Michael does something that many others could have done if they watched the show every day, noticed this flaw, and had the drive to figure it out and memorize it.
Because no bells and whistles are surrounding Michael, he feels like an organic character. He becomes a lovable loser that you can’t help root for in The Luckiest Man in America.
I Think The Luckiest Man In America Works So Well Because It’s A Movie About A Loser Winning
There are many great movies based on true stories that focus on wild events that happen, or people who change and disrupt a system. Michael’s story matters, and he is a very important figure in game show and television history. However, the movie doesn’t treat him as anything more than a man with a goal, and how that shines a spotlight on him.
As The Luckiest Man in America progresses, we learn more about his life. We learn the truth about his family and see more into his heart. Michael doesn’t seem like someone who will ride the high of the money and temporary fame. He might for a week, but at the end of the day, he’s just an ice cream man who won a lot of money once.
Movie makers tend to think they have to make larger-than-life characters so that the audience will love them. But Michael is so likable because he’s not someone you would normally see as a hero. Like the Press Your Luck audience in the movie, you may end up clapping for him.
The Heart Of The Movie, To Me, Is How One Man Takes Down A Big Corporation
Michael only wins over $110,000, so he’s not bankrupting CBS — though that’s a huge amount for the time. The film even shows the people in charge going from panic to understanding how to spin it in their favor. This will likely recuperate their financial losses. However, Michael temporarily throws this company off its game. They don't know what to do about him. They also go to great lengths to try to humiliate and stop his win.
The Press Your Luck team never completely gets the upper hand. Even when it looks like they find a solution and plan to make him the hero, he turns things around by passing his turn. It’s a move that puts a game show in the hall of fame. He keeps them on their feet the entire recording. The Luckiest Man in America isn’t exactly an anti-corporation film, but it shows that the people can alter or change the system, just by daring to challenge it in some way.
They may not bring it down, but they can ensure they have at least one really frustrating day.
The Luckiest Man In America Ends Somberly, And I Think That’s A Perfect Resolution
The Luckiest Man in America ends with Michael’s wife, Patricia (Haley Bennett,) watching him win Press Your Luck. She goes through many different emotions as she watches it happen. We witness Michael getting his dream of being able to have breakfast with his soon-to-be ex-wife because she gets to witness this moment. It’s a sad look at a dream coming true.
We hear her in a previous scene being angry about him going on the show. She just wants him to be a normal man. While watching him, Patricia becomes proud of him, but then also looks sad and angry. The ending never gives the impression that he won her back. However, it shows his dream becoming a reality, and even for a brief moment, she is proud and impressed.
It isn't the most exciting ending but feels realistic. He accomplished one dream but that doesn’t mean he now gets to have this great exciting life with the woman he loves. It’s a sobering reminder that one good thing doesn’t make life perfect. He became the hero that day but only briefly. However, for some, like Michael, that’s enough.
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