Rating: 
Summary: Nice Cinematography...Underwhelming Experience
Review: I bought this disc because it was shot in Hi-Definition (HD) - not film, which makes it one of the first theatrical releases shot in HD...The look is excellent and the camerawork is nice. The acting is pretty good too. But it plods fairly and there doesn't seem to be much of a story or an experience for the viewer to share. Fairly laidback story. Not extremely gripping. That's about it...
Rating: 
Summary: Wish You Were Here
Review: I saw this movie last Summer, I wanted to see it twice but it was gone. I hate these theaters that keep movies in for a week. If I wasn't working at the coffee shop next door I wouldn't have known that Jackpot ever existed. My point is, Jackpot is a true classic and it might be years before anyone really appreciates the American commentary. That is a shame, because filmmakers like the Polish Brothers won't last in an environment that thrives on fluff. Probably like most good artists, they will pass before they receive the recognition. This movie isn't perfect... what movie is? Jackpot is hilarious with originality to spare.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Cinematography...Underwhelming Experience
Review: I went to this movie not knowing anything about it, but was blown away by this smart comic, tale about a Karaoke singer's journey through the belly of America. Living in LA I see a lot of movies, and most of them are awful. That's why this was such a nice surprise; I found myself laughing out loud at the dialogue between John Gries and Garett Morris . These two guys give great performances, as a most ridiculous but somehow plausible paring of Karaoke singer and manager.
But Jackpot isn't just a comedy. It's also a rather stark look at the quest for fame and love, or, perhaps more accurately, fame as love. Sunny Holiday (Jon Gries) has a wife, effectively portrayed by Daryle Hannah, and a new baby girl. But, like his father, he's a deadbeat dad, sending $1 lottery tickets instead of child support. As much as I found myself laughing at Sunny Holiday, I also resented his lack of conscience regarding his family. Jackpot, really is what Sunny's looking for: the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow- But like real life, the journey for gold is often the least glamorous trip imaginable. To subsidize their trip, Less and Sunny sell soap which will remove "any stain."
Jackpot is one of those rare films worth buying because you can see it many times and still catch subtle, new nuances. For instance, the first time I saw the movie I didn't realize the voice that narrates occasionally over the pink Cadillac's trajectory is in fact a self-help tape Sunny Holiday picks up at a gas station. Cool, little plot points like this make Jackpot a great movie that resonates on several different levels at once. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Jackpot: This loser's a winner!
Review: I went to this movie not knowing anything about it, but was blown away by this smart comic, tale about a Karaoke singer's journey through the belly of America. Living in LA I see a lot of movies, and most of them are awful. That's why this was such a nice surprise; I found myself laughing out loud at the dialogue between John Gries and Garett Morris . These two guys give great performances, as a most ridiculous but somehow plausible paring of Karaoke singer and manager.
But Jackpot isn't just a comedy. It's also a rather stark look at the quest for fame and love, or, perhaps more accurately, fame as love. Sunny Holiday (Jon Gries) has a wife, effectively portrayed by Daryle Hannah, and a new baby girl. But, like his father, he's a deadbeat dad, sending $1 lottery tickets instead of child support. As much as I found myself laughing at Sunny Holiday, I also resented his lack of conscience regarding his family. Jackpot, really is what Sunny's looking for: the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow- But like real life, the journey for gold is often the least glamorous trip imaginable. To subsidize their trip, Less and Sunny sell soap which will remove "any stain."
Jackpot is one of those rare films worth buying because you can see it many times and still catch subtle, new nuances. For instance, the first time I saw the movie I didn't realize the voice that narrates occasionally over the pink Cadillac's trajectory is in fact a self-help tape Sunny Holiday picks up at a gas station. Cool, little plot points like this make Jackpot a great movie that resonates on several different levels at once. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: the Wichita linemen call home
Review: JACKPOT is one of those films that come under the "unusual" category. Written and directed by the Polish brothers, Mark and Michael, we can certainly qualify their so-called "different" credentials. This is the eclectic story of two wayward loners acting out their adolescent pipedream of future stardom. Crisscrossing the western United States on the karaoke circuit, we come to understand and share this dream of Sonny (John Cries) and his manager Lester (wonderfully played by Garrett Morris). Juxtaposing scenes from the past, present, and future, it seems everyone wants to chew some verbal butt on Sonny's irrepressible lifestyle. Humor and blind luck turn into allies as we start to warm up to their numerous pratfalls. Dropping our idiosyncratic characters into one deadpan situation after another, we almost (and I use that sparingly) build some support and hopeful outcome for unsung heroes. IF becomes a mighty word as situations spin away on a thin dime (literally). Wonderful cameos by Daryl Hannah, Mac Davis, Peggy Lipton, Anthony Edwards, and Crystal Bernard help lend this film credence and amenity. Think left of center and you're right on target. Granting a wide berth, JACKPOT strikes quirky dead center. Like David Lynch, their predecessor and mentor, the Polish bothers have comes up with another true original. Fame and fortune has never been farther.
Rating:
Summary: If you missed Jackpot at the theaters, check it out now
Review: Jackpot was one of the coolest movies of the year (2001), but like a lot of independent films it didn't last long in the theaters. I know most of my friend missed it, but I hope they check it out now. I am so psyched to add it to my DVD collection. As much as I enjoyed Twin Falls Idaho, the Polish Brothers' debut effort, I actually liked Jackpot better. While TFI was certainly moving, Jackpot was as funny as it was touching. The Route 66 lives depicted in Jackpot are right on the mark--we've all rolled through little honky tonks like the ones depicted in the film, but few of us stay. In Jackpot I got the chance to linger for awhile. And in Sunny and Les, I got a two-headed Odysseus searching for stardom instread of a home port. Jackpot is part Tender Mercies, part Midnight Cowboy, part comedy and all Polish Brothers.
Rating:
Summary: If you missed Jackpot at the theaters, check it out now
Review: Jackpot was one of the coolest movies of the year (2001), but like a lot of independent films it didn't last long in the theaters. I know most of my friend missed it, but I hope they check it out now. I am so psyched to add it to my DVD collection. As much as I enjoyed Twin Falls Idaho, the Polish Brothers' debut effort, I actually liked Jackpot better. While TFI was certainly moving, Jackpot was as funny as it was touching. The Route 66 lives depicted in Jackpot are right on the mark--we've all rolled through little honky tonks like the ones depicted in the film, but few of us stay. In Jackpot I got the chance to linger for awhile. And in Sunny and Les, I got a two-headed Odysseus searching for stardom instread of a home port. Jackpot is part Tender Mercies, part Midnight Cowboy, part comedy and all Polish Brothers.
Rating:
Summary: It's like Candy
Review: The actor singing Cameo's "Candy" is worth the price of admission. There are some hella funny scenes in this movie-- and Garrett Morris should have won an Academy Award for this character.
Rating:
Summary: It's like Candy
Review: The actor singing Cameo's "Candy" is worth the price of admission. There are some hella funny scenes in this movie-- and Garrett Morris should have won an Academy Award for this character.
Rating: 
Summary: Immature work
Review: The only reason why I watched this movie was because I was so impressed with the Polish brothers' "Twin Falls Idaho," but this movie really disappointed me.
The first hour started out so so but had some tiny potential for getting better. It had an interesting premise, a karoake want to be singer traveling on the road with his sidekick. But then something happened completely frivolous to the plot. He meets a teenage Lolita type character for a few painful minutes. The Polish brothers just had to let this into have their fun. This isn't a serious Nabokov study and doesn't help the movie at all, easily could have been written out. See Rip Torn's Payday instead. It's a better movie with similar kind of plot.
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