Customer Reviews

Jackpot

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I went to this movie not knowing anything about it, but was blown away by this smart comic, tale about a Karaoke singer's journey through the belly of America. Living in LA I see a lot of movies, and most of them are awful. That's why this was such a nice surprise; I found myself laughing out loud at the dialogue between John Gries and Garett Morris . These two guys give great performances, as a most ridiculous but somehow plausible paring of Karaoke singer and manager.
But Jackpot isn't just a comedy. It's also a rather stark look at the quest for fame and love, or, perhaps more accurately, fame as love. Sunny Holiday (Jon Gries) has a wife, effectively portrayed by Daryle Hannah, and a new baby girl. But, like his father, he's a deadbeat dad, sending $1 lottery tickets instead of child support. As much as I found myself laughing at Sunny Holiday, I also resented his lack of conscience regarding his family. Jackpot, really is what Sunny's looking for: the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow- But like real life, the journey for gold is often the least glamorous trip imaginable. To subsidize their trip, Less and Sunny sell soap which will remove "any stain."
Jackpot is one of those rare films worth buying because you can see it many times and still catch subtle, new nuances. For instance, the first time I saw the movie I didn't realize the voice that narrates occasionally over the pink Cadillac's trajectory is in fact a self-help tape Sunny Holiday picks up at a gas station. Cool, little plot points like this make Jackpot a great movie that resonates on several different levels at once. I highly recommend it.

The actor singing Cameo's "Candy" is worth the price of admission. There are some hella funny scenes in this movie-- and Garrett Morris should have won an Academy Award for this character.

Jackpot was one of the coolest movies of the year (2001), but like a lot of independent films it didn't last long in the theaters. I know most of my friend missed it, but I hope they check it out now. I am so psyched to add it to my DVD collection. As much as I enjoyed Twin Falls Idaho, the Polish Brothers' debut effort, I actually liked Jackpot better. While TFI was certainly moving, Jackpot was as funny as it was touching.

The Route 66 lives depicted in Jackpot are right on the mark--we've all rolled through little honky tonks like the ones depicted in the film, but few of us stay. In Jackpot I got the chance to linger for awhile. And in Sunny and Les, I got a two-headed Odysseus searching for stardom instread of a home port. Jackpot is part Tender Mercies, part Midnight Cowboy, part comedy and all Polish Brothers.

This movie is the "Five Easy Pieces" of our time. Except that Jackpot was shot in 15 days and for 400k (budget from commentary track) which gives it a brilliant Cassevetes feel. What I love about this film is that it really depicts a regular guy trying to become a singer, this is so American Idol! Maybe the contestants on that show can watch "Jackpot" and see where they are all going to end up... selling soap door to door.

I saw this movie last Summer, I wanted to see it twice but it was gone. I hate these theaters that keep movies in for a week. If I wasn't working at the coffee shop next door I wouldn't have known that Jackpot ever existed. My point is, Jackpot is a true classic and it might be years before anyone really appreciates the American commentary. That is a shame, because filmmakers like the Polish Brothers won't last in an environment that thrives on fluff. Probably like most good artists, they will pass before they receive the recognition. This movie isn't perfect... what movie is? Jackpot is hilarious with originality to spare.

(...)A toilet somewhere in a backwater town in the midwest. The unsuccessful country-singer Sunny Holiday (John Gries) prepares for his five minutes of fame at the local karaoke contest. Separated from his wife, he travels the country with his seedy manager, always searching for the one big success which continues to elude him. Despite the humiliation, despite the hardship he clings to his dreams, even when the spoils of a whole week tend to come down to 20 bucks and a used kitchen mixer. Mark and Michael Polish follow their ravishing debut "Twin Falls Idaho" with this intense story from the American heartland, about the pursuit of happiness and the quest for one's place in live. This is the story of America's forgotten majority, a tale of the fly-over people, whose pastel-colored, cliché-laden culture is so omnipresent that the wonderful parables emerging from it are often overlooked. Not so in this gem of a movie.

JACKPOT is one of those films that come under the "unusual" category. Written and directed by the Polish brothers, Mark and Michael, we can certainly qualify their so-called "different" credentials. This is the eclectic story of two wayward loners acting out their adolescent pipedream of future stardom. Crisscrossing the western United States on the karaoke circuit, we come to understand and share this dream of Sonny (John Cries) and his manager Lester (wonderfully played by Garrett Morris). Juxtaposing scenes from the past, present, and future, it seems everyone wants to chew some verbal butt on Sonny's irrepressible lifestyle. Humor and blind luck turn into allies as we start to warm up to their numerous pratfalls. Dropping our idiosyncratic characters into one deadpan situation after another, we almost (and I use that sparingly) build some support and hopeful outcome for unsung heroes. IF becomes a mighty word as situations spin away on a thin dime (literally). Wonderful cameos by Daryl Hannah, Mac Davis, Peggy Lipton, Anthony Edwards, and Crystal Bernard help lend this film credence and amenity. Think left of center and you're right on target. Granting a wide berth, JACKPOT strikes quirky dead center. Like David Lynch, their predecessor and mentor, the Polish bothers have comes up with another true original. Fame and fortune has never been farther.

This funky little film is very likeable. I agree that there is too much cussing (for no apparent reason), but it's a pleasant trip with a couple of deluded dreamers. The tone isn't obviously any one thing - comedy? drama? - but that doesn't hurt it. Garrett Morris is really good, and Jon "Uncle Rico" Gries gets about his best part yet. Most of the singing competitions are amusing, but there are no giant laughs. The haters might be mad because there is no action, no explosions, no operatic high notes being struck (narratively). Well, too bad. It's the cinematic equivalent of a sad old country song - appropriately.

with some karoake thrown in.
I saw "Twin Falls Idaho", and The Polish brothers have certainly got their own brand of film. "Jackpot" is their sophmoric effort, and it is just visually stunning. Great cinematography!
Jon Gries plays "Sunny Holiday", a drifter type who wants to become a professional singer. He is married to the foul mouthed Daryl Hannah, and they have a little girl. He leaves them to embark on his journey to Karoake bars, but he is also on a journey of self discovery. He meets a lot of people along the way, and there is some fine supporting acting. This film is definitely in the "road movie" category. The movie itself is more of a character study than plot driven. The character isn't entirely sympathetic. At times, you almost want to hate him. I don't think we are supposed to like Sunny, but he gets under your skin.
He does the karoake thing to get the practice, and meets up with SNL original cast member, Garrett Morris. Morris becomes his manager, and they are very good team. They were both excellent in this little, unknown and somewhat likeable movie.
The Karoake scenes were all pretty entertaining. He did have a decent voice which sounded better when crooning country songs. This movie is very different from the other karoake movie, "Duets", although I did like that movie better than this one.
This movie was an original, but what it has in originality doesn't make up for the awful ending. It just really disappointed me and my husband, especially since we had really liked it up until that point. It is as if they just ran out of time or film.
"Duets" is much lighter than this, this is a bit more serious but much better acted..you decide. Better still, they are both decent movies, and I think it's fun to watch celebs do Karoake.

Eileen Famiglietti

I bought this disc because it was shot in Hi-Definition (HD) - not film, which makes it one of the first theatrical releases shot in HD...

The look is excellent and the camerawork is nice. The acting is pretty good too. But it plods fairly and there doesn't seem to be much of a story or an experience for the viewer to share.

Fairly laidback story. Not extremely gripping. That's about it...