Review of Lottery Ticket (2010) by Monty B — 22 Nov 2010

Lottery Ticket struggles with identity issues as it too often converts from unfunny scenes to scenes dedicated to the overall message of it all. It was a decent shot at mixing all of their ingredients together, but in the end, this is a recipe for disaster. The plot was almost too interesting, as the writers couldn't resist in putting in all of these stale gags and obvious character development. What they should have done is played it more subtly and maybe they would have had a better picture.

In Lottery Ticket, Kevin (Bow Wow) is a young man living with his grandmother (Loretta Devine). One day his grandmother tells him to go and get her a lottery ticket with her numbers. While there, Kevin decides to buy another ticket with the numbers he found on the back of a fortune cookie. Kevin then discovers that his ticket was the winning ticket for $370 million. He decides to tell no one but his grandmother and his friend Benny (Brandon T. Jackson). Kevin and Benny soon discover that they can't turn in the ticket for three days as it is the 4th of July weekend. Unfortunately, word gets out, and everyone wants a piece, including recently released from prison Lorenzo (Gbenga Akinnagbe), who will do whatever it takes to get the ticket.

I think that the plot could have been great if they had better execution. One great thing that this plot features in its characters that some others don't is a lot of stakes and urgency, which is what drives any character. Having said that, the actors didn't adjust to the reality of the situation that the writers put them in. It could have been funnier and more meaningful if only they had some decent writers on hand.

The last film that I saw Bow Wow in was Like Mike in 2002. This movie reminded me why he might get casted in this film. He has some main character vibes going through him that makes an audience want to root for him. I think that he did as good as he could have. It is difficult to draw the audiences attention when all of the other cast members are doing some crazy things every scene. I think that's when Bow Wow needed to have some assertion in his acting.

I'm beginning to be worried for where Brandon T. Jackson's career is headed. He made a name for himself after appearing in Tropic Thunder- and I would want him in my movie after seeing that- but if he keeps appearing in films like these, no one is going to take him seriously. And that's a shame because he sure does have some chops. I think that he's a bit above this movie, but he definitely does benefit this movie.

Lottery Ticket feature a huge supporting cast, featuring many cameos from Ice Cube, Keith David, Terry Crews, Charlie Murphy, Mike Epps, and even T-Pain. Unfortunately, all of their characters are based on stereotypes and cliches. None of them seem like real people, least of all Ice Cube, who plays an old hermit. Not to bag on Ice Cube though. He did have one of the strongest character choices of the bunch, but his character is a bit unbelievable.

Lottery Ticket tries to mash up all of these different elements into one movie, but it can't handle all of its differences. As a result it's predictable, stale, and relatively unfunny. Lottery ticket is not worth your movie ticket.