Jackpot (2001)

Jon Gries (Men in Black) and Saturday Night Live's Garrett Morris star in this bizarre yet compelling little road movie. Sunny Holiday (Gries) dreams of being a singer. Rather than taking a more direct route, he works on "building his audience" by hitting tiny karaoke contests across the country. Gries underplays Sunny well, making him neither too good nor too bad a singer; his dreams seem reasonable and ludicrous at the same time. Morris makes Les a beautiful counterpoint--someone who's either a shrewd genius or completely nuts. The story line is an odd one that falls apart a bit at the end, but is nonetheless worth watching. Much like Sunny and Les, Jackpot is weird but surprisingly likable. --Ali Davis Amazon.com

Hated It

Too many cuss words, and an improbable plot made this movie a complete waste of time. Don't torture yourself. Watch Scotland, Pa instead, if you want to see a smart little off-the-beat movie. February 4, 2004

It's like Candy

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. March 17, 2003

American Idol

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. March 16, 2003

Immature work

The only reason why I watched this movie was because I was so impressed with the Polish brothers' "Twin Falls Idaho," but this movie really disappointed me.
The first hour started out so so but had some tiny potential for getting better. It had an interesting premise, a karoake want to be singer traveling on the road with his sidekick. But then something happened completely frivolous to the plot. He meets a teenage Lolita type character for a few painful minutes. The Polish brothers just had to let this into have their fun. This isn't a serious Nabokov study and doesn't help the movie at all, easily could have been written out. October 4, 2002

the Wichita linemen call home

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. September 23, 2002

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