The remarkable true story of how retiree Jerry Selbee discovers a mathematical loophole in the Massachusetts lottery and, with the help of his wife, Marge, wins $27 million dollars and uses the money to revive their small Michigan town.
Jerry and Marge Go Large – Film Review
Published June 20, 2022
Movie Details
The first twenty minutes of David Frankel‘s Jerry & Marge Go Large are so investing to the point where you feel as though you’re watching what could end up being one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year. There is just something so fascinating about watching this older, retired gentleman discover a flaw in the lottery system, and use it to his advantage. Throughout his whole life, he has always believed that gambling is a terrible choice because, if you have money, why bet it all away on something you aren’t guaranteed?
But after discovering this massive flaw, he recognizes that if he exploits it, he will make a ton of money and will be able to live an extremely happy and fruitful life with his wife, Marge. Of course, since this is a comedy-drama, there are obviously some problems that arise along the way, but sadly, none of them are all that interesting. Jerry & Marge Go Large is outstandingly rich in its first act, but unfortunately stumbles in its second and third acts quite tremendously.
A lot of it is due to the fact that the script gets way too goofy for its own good. Yes, this is a comedy as well as a drama, but there is only so much that can be believable in comedy. A lot of the humor in this film felt sadly forced and shoved in the film to lighten the mood after a more dramatic scene. For example, the entirety of Rainn Wilson‘s character in the film is basically just for comedic relief. He’s a bumbling fool that doesn’t do a whole lot else, and basically just serves as a way for audiences to go “Hey, that’s Dwight from The Office!”.
The film is certainly quite packed full of A-listers and they’re mostly all great. Wilson, while a bad character in the film, delivers a committed performance. Bryan Cranston is wonderful here as he always is, as is Annette Bening, who is more charming and likable than ever. Larry Wilmore and Anna Camp have fantastic supporting roles in the film as well, but it’s really Cranston and Bening that are the heart and soul of the movie.
They are so unbelievably charismatic in their roles, but it’s just a huge shame that the film they’re in isn’t as wonderful as it could have been. The first act is an illusion that lures us all into what we think is going to be a riveting film but, as we slowly start to see, that’s not what the film ends up being.
Jerry & Marge Go Large starts off wonderfully strong, but eventually divulges into a middle-of-the-road story with no fuel, even if Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening are more charismatic than ever.