Something Fun to Do

 

Lotto winning ain't easy

“Something Fun to Do”

A Review of Jerry & Marge Go Large by Nick Olszyk

 

Distribution Service: Paramount+

MPAA Rating, PG-13

USCCB Rating, Not Rated at the Time of the Review

Reel Rating, Three Reels           

 

             When a boy turns six, the question everyone asks is “what do you want to be when you grow up?” When a man turns sixty, the question becomes “what do you want to do when you retire?” Often, the answer to both is “I don’t know.” That’s certainly the case with Jerry Selbee (Bryan Cranston).

Jerry was a studious line manager at Kellogg’s cereal for over forty years and now has nothing but time. His children, hearing he likes to fish, surprise him with an expensive boat at his retirement party. He is gracious but less than thrilled. They overcomplicate an activity whose enjoyment is from simplicity and silence. Both he and his wife Marge (Annette Benning) show signs of minor depression, a life without purpose or direction. Another of Jerry’s pastimes is puzzles, and one night he discovers a flaw in the Massachusetts lottery. The math is a little complicated but basically if a person bought tickets in large enough quantities and at a certain time early in the game, he was guaranteed to come out ahead. The larger the pool of tickets, the bigger the reward. Within a few months, the couple are not only buying thousands of tickets at time but forming a company and looking for investors from among their small-town friends. “What are you doing?” their account asks bewildered. “We’ve become professional lottery players,” they state matter of fact. “That’s not a thing,” he retorts. Yet it works.

The stakes in this beautiful little gem are not terribly high. Nothing Jerry does is illegal; he even keeps the receipts for every ticket in a large garage, just in case “the IRS audits us.” To create drama, the film introduces the fictious Tyler (Uly Schlesinger), a snotty Harvard Zuckerberg wannabe who also discovers the flaw and Jerry’s participation. When Jerry won’t let him buy out the company, Tyler threatens to ruin his life through cyber warfare. Jerry responds by simply revealing himself to the government, ending the scheme and any endangerment. He’s made enough money, and his family isn’t worth the trouble. The main reason he pursued the project was having fun with his wife. Mission accomplished.

Thematically, Jerry and Tyler are juxtaposed members of their generation. Jerry is a classic Boomer who married early, worked the same steady job for decades, and enjoys relative stability in all areas of life. Tyler is rash, tech savvy, and disillusioned with anything traditional. Jerry purses the lottery as a means of connecting with his wife and helping his friends. Tyler purses the lottery because it temporarily amuses him to take advantage of a situation for his benefit. Their relationship is reminiscent of my favorite film director Frank Capra, who frequently pitted humble, morally righteous underdogs against powerful and well-connected bullies. Just like It’s a Wonderful Life or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the hero wins through the help of his friends and the villain plans are undone by his own cruelty. Boomers might not but the Greatest Generation but have great wisdom to offer us.

At the beginning of the film, Jerry bemoans the cancelled of a beloved Jazz Festival due to lack of funds. By the end of the film, he can bring the festival back and celebrate in style. In this way, Jerry again mirrors George Bailey, his story ending in party attended by all the protagonist’s friends whom he helped along the way, especially his loving wife. I almost expected his granddaughter to say “every time a lottery ticket wins, an angel gets his wings.” It doesn’t roll off the tongue as nicely, but the idea is the same. When we use our talents to help others rather than ourselves, then we will find the happiness we seek.