Wheels of Fortune

If anything, Wheels of Fortune lands in the stupid funny category that also shelters Talladega Nights, Hot Rod, Jackass and Joe Dirt. By no means would it ever be a masterpiece but it's the kind of thing you put on when you're either stoned/hungover or really, really bored and don't want to focus on anything substantial. Personally, I had a different reason but still.

Bo Jackson is a Tennessee-born and bred loser. Ever since he gave up his chance at winning a race as a kid, everything for him is a loss. As an adult, Bo and his best friend, known only as Noodle, are mechanics for a jerkass racer. But, unbeknownst to the duo, the very wealthy Phineus Davis has died and his will reveals that he has an illegitimate son. You guessed it, it's Bo. And so his unbearably mean-spirited daughter Chrissy, clueless son Oswald and their lawyer Jason are off to find Bo, whose inheritance relies solely on winning a series of sporting events.

It hits every cliche note in the head but the chemistry between the protagonists, as well as some committed performances from its C-list cast. Matt Jones seems like he and Danny McBride should do a movie together. Jeff Fahey is one of the film's few saving graces. Of course, the female character with the most screentime, Bo's crush and Noodle's stepmother (it makes as little sense as the movie overall does) Mandy, is possibly the best of the leads. I watched it once to find myself among the extras. I did (look for the guy who reacts to Bo crashing a moped) and I don't need to watch it again.

This movie is bad, really bad. So bad it's good. Watch it with no expectations and you'll be fine. The plot is ridiculous, and calling the plot 'a plot' is a stretch. The acting is petty sad, the cinematography is pretty bad, the soundtrack doesn't work and the dialogue is juvenile. But there are some jokes that work. Yeah, it's stupid and cliche, but it beats the snot out of watching election coverage.

Not a serious movie. It's goofy, good enough for a watch. A movie tool to promote motorsports.

Decent watch at best, probably won't watch again, and can't recommend people that watch this unless they're just into racing and have run out of movies to watch involving racing.

I have such mixed feelings about this movie. I honestly want to like it, having a sweet bundle of reconnection stories at its core, just presented in such an awful manner. I'm not saying that the "southern, poor, redneck" angle was a bad choice, but it could have been done in a more positive light. Having it be an idiot-redneck comedy was more painful than funny when it came down to it.

The cast was actually pretty well selected, everyone hitting their marks, but I'm still not over Noureen DeWulf not being Jasmine, and to she her and the rest of the cast in such narrow roles, odd roles just felt very forced. Enough so that the movie brings it to your attention as part of the intended humor, but it is more distracting: making me think more about the movie when I was actually trying to turn my brain off and enough the movie.

The story, the cast, the production, the general comedy are all fine, but for whatever reason, most of it just doesn't land.

Wheels of Fortune is not a "good" movie. It's not a "good" story. It's 100% predictable, and the main character is an idiot and only moderately funny.

But it's not really that kind of movie. It's for watching when you are hungover and need something that a three year old could follow. You get exactly what you expect.