Aahana Swrup
Paul Feig’s action-comedy film, ‘Jackpot‘ presents a wild ride through the year 2030, wherein much has changed —including the legality of murder, but only if committed in the name of the Californian Grand Lottery. Naturally, new-to-town, aspiring actress Katie (Awkwafina) is grossly underprepared to become the number one target in the city once she stumbles her way into winning the lottery. As a result, she has no choice but to accept the help of the kind-hearted rookie jackpot protector Noel (John Cena).
Katie realizes Noel is her only chance of making it to sundown alive and collecting her winnings. The film’s hilariously outlandish premise — paired with the performance of its charmingly compelling central duo — paves the way for effortless humor and an entertaining time. Thus, we’ve curated a list of movies similar to ‘Jackpot’ for those craving other chaotic, action-packed stories with eccentric plots.
10. Nice Guys (2016)
If Katie and Noel’s endearing and hilarious dynamic is your favorite part of ‘Jackpot,’ then ‘Nice Guys’ would be right in your ballpark. Directed by Shane Black, the film – set in LA in the 1970s — follows the story of an unlikely duo, private detectives Holland March and Jackson Healy. The pair’s paths cross when the former — a single father to a teenager named Holly — finds himself investigating the inexplicable suicide of Misty Mountains, an adult film actress.
The case brings Holland and Jackson to another young woman named Amelia — a crucial piece of the puzzle who vanishes right as the PIs learn of her existence. Thus begins the duo’s begrudging partnership, which puts them on the trail of dangerous criminals and an underlying conspiracy. Like ‘Jackpot,’ this film’s biggest strength comes from the relationship between its protagonists, whose lives remain perpetually in danger throughout the story.
9. Role Play (2024)
The Thomas Vincent directorial ‘Role Play‘ follows the story of a married couple whose lives get increasingly more dangerous as a complicated secret comes out into the open. Emma and Dave Brackett decide to shed their identities for a night to indulge in a role-play fantasy in a hotel one night. However, Emma — a secret agent whose profession is hidden even from her family — catches the attention of an adversary, leading her to commit an assassination.
The next day, the murder at the hotel leads to a criminal investigation, with Emma and Dave’s disguised identities as the obvious suspects. Consequently, Emma’s secret reveals itself in the most chaotic way possible, throwing the Brackett family’s lives off-kilter. The film follows the same concept of a monotonous idea paving the way for anarchic chaos that ‘Jackpot’ excels at. Thus, fans of the latter might enjoy ‘Role Play’ as their next watch.
8. Totally Killer (2023)
‘Totally Killer,’ directed by Nahnatchka Khan, mixes up the classic slasher horror genre by quite literally transporting the narrative to the fitting era of the 1980s. The story revolves around 17-year-old Jamie Hughes, whose mother has overprotective tendencies due to her past run-in with the Sweet Sixteen Killer in the summer of 1987. Therefore, the teenager is perpetually unable to take the entire thing seriously. However, she’s forced to face the reality of the situation when she somehow travels back in time to a few days before the infamous Killer’s killing spree. As a result, Jamie — stuck in the same high school as the teenage version of her mother, Pam, finds herself on a quest to stop the Killer before they can claim their first victim. Despite being a drastic departure from the lottery-induced purge of ‘Jackpot,’ this film has the same bloodthirsty mania — centered around a dynamic duo—that fans of the former film may enjoy.
7. Nerve (2016)
Based on an eponymous novel by Jeanne Ryan, ‘Nerve’ is a teen-centric thriller film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman that follows the story of a duo’s chase after fame in a deadly online game of dares. In her senior year, the otherwise mild-mannered Venus “Vee” Delmonico gives into her friends’ insistence and becomes a player in the popular online game Nerve, where players win money for completing dares.
As a result, her paths cross with Ian, another player, who teams up with her for a wild adventure with lucrative incentives. However, things quickly take a dark turn when the game’s finale nears, threatening to upend the players’ entire lives. Where ‘Jackpot’ puts a comedic twist on the idea of a game gone wrong, ‘Nerve’ uses the same concept in a more serious tone to shed light on the perils of internet fame and peer pressure.
6. Guns Akimbo (2019)
Jason Lei Howden’s dark comedy film pitches an off-beat premise to chart an atypically entertaining story. Miles Cassonva is an off-the-mill video game developer whose childhood dreams of heroism have been long abandoned. However, things change when Skizm, a gang running a popular game where players are enrolled in a brutal death match, enters the scene. Unwittingly, Miles finds himself becoming a player when an abduction leaves him with two guns bolted into his hands. As such, his life steadily goes downhill as he faces off against deadly killers, including Nix, an all-time Skizm champion and a deadly fighter. If you enjoy unpredictable narratives with absurd plots that seamlessly work in an outlandish way reminiscent of ‘Jackpot,’ then ‘Guns Akimbo’ is the film for you.
5. Stuber (2019)
‘Stuber,’ directed by Michael Dowse, is an action-comedy film that pitches the ultimate unlikely duo — a cop and an unfortunate Uber driver who gets roped into a dangerous investigation. An LA cop named Vic Manning is working on a case to catch Oka Tedjo, a deadly drug lord. On his day off, when he undergoes eye surgery, the cop receives a lead on the criminal. As a result, he calls for an Uber and unofficially recruits Stu Prasad, a regular Uber driver, to be involved in his investigation. Expectedly, the day proves to be a wild adventure for Stu, whose otherwise unassuming life becomes overwhelmingly chaotic. The film thrives on its buddy-cop formula — a trope that ‘Jackpot’ also effortlessly plays into. Therefore, fans of the latter will enjoy this film’s blend of the mundane with mayhem.
4. Bullet Train (2022)
The David Leitch directorial ‘Bullet Train’ revolves around the kind of action-filled cat-and-mouse chase that remains intrinsic to ‘Jackpot.’ Ladybug, an out-of-luck veteran assassin, has a tendency to leave unintentional dead bodies behind every time he takes on a mission. Therefore, he’s hoping for a break with his newest assignment — retrieving a case full of cash from a high-speed train in Tokyo.
Nonetheless, luck — which has never been on his side — runs out, as Ladybug finds himself aboard a train overflowing with different assassins, all with varying but conflicting vendettas. Based on Kōtarō Isaka’s eponymous 2010 novel titled ‘Maria Beetle,’ ‘Bullet Train’ charts the story of a single-minded survival mission with flimsy alliances and rivalry that will remind viewers of Katie’s haphazard adventures while presenting a brand-new narrative.
3. Ready or Not (2019)
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, ‘Ready or Not’ is a satirical comedy-horror film set in the hauntingly unhinged mansion of Le Domases, a family with absurd wealth thanks to their Family Games empire. After Grace marries Alex Le Domas at his opulent estate, she’s looking forward to becoming a part of his big family. However, her wedding night takes an unpredictable turn when she finds out that she’s expected to follow an age-old tradition and participate in a game of hide-and-seek.
Yet, there’s one catch—her in-laws will be hunting her down with the intention to kill until dawn breaks. Even though Grace and Jackie from ‘Jackpot’ are in entirely different situations, they share their unfortunate predicaments as prey in a deadly hunt for their lives. Therefore, if you enjoyed that aspect of the latter film, you should definitely watch ‘Ready or Not.’
2. Tag (2018)
‘Tag,’ directed by Jeff Tomsic and based on a true story, is a comedy film that revolves around a game of tag among a group of childhood friends. However, this particular friend group — Jerry, Callahan, Randy, Sable, and Hoagie — are all grown adult men who have been playing the same game once every year for 30 years. Still, through the decades, Jerry has never been “it.” Therefore, as his wedding comes around and the man attempts to retire from the game, his friends find themselves with one last chance to beat Jerry at the game — whatever it takes. ‘Tag’ has the same all-or-nothing approach to an otherwise regular activity that fans of ‘Jackpot’ will undoubtedly enjoy. Therefore, if you’re looking for another ludicrously high-stakes story with compelling inter-character dynamics, an eccentric premise, and action-heavy sequences, this film would make for the perfect next watch.
1. Self Reliance (2023)
Sporting a perfectly eccentric premise with quite high stakes, ‘Self Reliance‘ is a film that matches ‘Jackpot’ in comedy and action alike. Written and directed by Jake Johnson, who also appears as the protagonist, the film follows a particularly strange time in Tommy’s life when he’s presented with what seems like the easiest money-making opportunity of all time. Recruited into an underground game show, Tommy finds himself in the running to win 1 million dollars if he can outlast various hunters’ attempts at ending his life.
However, the catch remains that no one can make a play for his life while he’s in another person’s company. Nonetheless, once the game actually begins, Tommy realizes just how tricky it is to fill his lonely life with company when no one is willing to believe in the game. Tommy’s narrative mirrors Katie’s idiosyncratic situation, which is bound to appeal to ‘Jackpot’ fans.
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