Jerry & Marge Go Large review by Bobby Blakey
Throughout the years there have been so many crazy stories involving the lottery with some being to insane to be true. Sadly most of them are criminal or involve some sad ending, but there are others that are something else. The latest is Jerry & Marge Go Large that is inspired by remarkable true story and features a great cast including Bryan Cranston, Annette Bening, Larry Wilmore and Rainn Wilson. Could this film be the winning number or will it not be worth the gamble?
Jerry & Marge Go Large follows retiree Jerry Selbee who discovers a mathematical loophole in the Massachusetts lottery. He and his wife Marge go on an exciting multi-million dollar winning spree with the goal to revive their small Michigan town. But when a selfish college student cheats the system, Jerry must find a way to make the game fair for all.
Going into a film like this I expected a pretty straight forward flick with the hopes of maybe some fun twists. These are all there and as much as I dug the film it is pretty by the numbers. The main reason this film stands up as something more interesting is the trio of Cranston, Bening and Wilson. While the show is firmly initially on Cranston’s shoulders it quickly allows for it to shift to get them all in on the fun.
The story is really simple and while there are some twists it isn’t anything overly surprising or something you probably won’t see coming. Despite that I still enjoyed this ride as it just felt like a fresh direction than the usual greed and betrayal stories typically associated with this sort of thing. Cranston and Bening are great together and have the chemistry of a couple that has been together forever. There are numerous simple heart felt
moments with their relationship that just makes it a joy to watch them together.
Wilson’s role is one of a more side player, but once entered into the mix brings his own unique spin to the story. He offers up more of the comedy, but still more than just comedy relief complete with his own arc. As expected there is of course a greed element via a new player to the game that they have to deal with. This was where I thought it might get more vicious, but instead it took the high ground and showcased some cerebral combat that was fun to watch despite not being overly eventful.
In the end this is one of those real life stories that is just too crazy to believe, but knowing it does helps to thrust a bit more hope in humanity. Decide for yourself and check out Jerry & Marge Go Large available now from Paramount.