Not a winning ticket.By John DeSando, "It's Movie Time," "Cinema Classics," and "On the Marquee"
Lottery Ticket is not much of a winner either as comedy or caper. It's predictable as Kevin Carson (Bow Wow) wins $370 million in the Lotto and for a three-day holiday weekend must escape trumped up traps from people who want the ticket, his sperm, or his generosity.
Bow Wow's is a passive, reactive role, where his exuberant, rapper persona seems on hold in favor of being just neutralized by the circumstances. He appears to be a nice kid from the projects caught in a wealth vortex with nothing going for him, not even strong convictions about what he'll do with the windfall.
As the film's hero, he doesn't have the depth to make us care. From what I've heard about his circus-like celebrity life, this film could serve as a metaphor but lack the manic madness of his reality.
Director Kevin White keeps the projects feel to the location, albeit at times romantic when people have joyful conversation, clothes and colors are clean and bright, and barely any garbage can be seen. The production looks more like the sanitized Tyler Perry films than Spike Lee's neo-realism.
Similarly, Lottery Ticket can't seem to make up its mind if it wants to be benign or brutal. The scenes with relatives and friends are full of good banter, but on the street with goons it can be bloody tough. The church service is an example of the bi-polar production: It opens with spot-on satire of a goofy, out-there pastor and ends with dark visitors upsetting the service.
I had hoped for a more imaginative script, something beyond the street vernacular, with a plot not so linear and clich?d. As for Bow Wow?Boo Hoo.
John DeSando co-hosts It's Movie Time, Cinema Classics, and On the Marquee for WCBE 90.5. The shows can be heard streaming at http://publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/ppr/index.shtml and on demand at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/arts.artsmain Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.RR.com