Jackpot (2001)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Michael Polish

Writers (WGA):

Mark Polish (written by) &
Michael Polish (written by)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

Sunny Holiday, an aspiring singing star, abandons his wife and young baby to set off on a nine-month tour of bleak western towns...

Plot Keywords:

Manager | Deadbeat Dad | Music Tour | Country Music | Traveling Salesman

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jon Gries	...	Sunny Holiday / Glen Allen Johnson
Daryl Hannah	...	Bobbi
Garrett Morris	...	Lester Irving
Patrick Bauchau	...	Santa Claus / Voice of Sevon
Adam Baldwin	...	Mel James
Rosie O'Grady	...	Sweet Dreams
Larry W. Hunter	...	Mini Mart Clerk
Peggy Lipton	...	Janice
Suzanne Krull	...	Sneezy Waitress
Dig Wayne	...	Never My Love
Mac Davis	...	Sammy Bones
Larry Pennell	...	Truck Driver
Toni Oswald	...	Truck Stop Waitress
Crystal Bernard	...	Cheryl
Tia Matza	...	Vicky

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexuality.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County, California, USA

Company:

Polish Brothers Construction

Trivia:

In one of the karaoke bar scenes, when Garrett Morris' character is bargaining with the guy to trade songs, he suggests that the guy sing "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" by Mac Davis. The man he is speaking to is, you guessed it, Mac Davis.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 2002 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Naked If I Want to Be

Jackpot lies ahead, just a little further down the road.

Attached to every dream there is a ticking clock, an acceptable window of opportunity. When that window closes it's time for the dreamer to "Give it up", and "Get a life", or run the risk of society labeling them a pathetic loser. An unfair stigma if you ask me. Jackpot's Sunny Holiday (Jon Gries) is one such dreamer, whose dream it is to make it big as a singer. His unorthodox means to that end is to hit the road and compete in a string of Karaoke contests, which he and his manager Les (Garrett Morris) hope will bring him exposure and much needed prize money to keep the show on the road and the dream alive.

It's a seemingly harmless pursuit, but society has another label for Sunny - "deadbeat", as in "deadbeat dad". Unless slipping the odd lottery ticket into the mail from time to time is considered acceptable fulfillment of child support obligations, Sunny falls a little short in the parenting department. But he means well, dammit, and if, as they say, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", then that must be the road that Sunny and Les travel down in their pink 80's model New Yorker, en route to Jackpot, Nevada. It's a road littered with broken dreams and broken dreamers, and paved with the cruelty of hope. The hope that lies in every new town, where there always awaits a new contest, a new chance to win and a new chance to forget the past and make everything all right.

Jackpot, the second offering from Mark and Michael Polish (Twin Falls Idaho), is a wonderful, often hilarious and oddly touching film. Driven by the inspired lead performances of Jon Gries and Garrett Morris, and deliciously peppered by a never-ending string of cameos and supporting turns by an eclectic ensemble cast that includes Daryl Hannah, Patrick Bauchau, Peggy Lipton, Crystal Bernard, Mac Davis, and Anthony Edwards, Jackpot is a refreshingly original tale full of heart and humor and told with a stunning visual style and a dreamy vibe that has the Polish Brothers' thumb prints all over it. A rare film, this is the type of movie that reminds me why movies are made. I thoroughly enjoyed Jackpot and recommend it very highly to movie audiences this summer...and beyond.