Winning the lottery might seem to be about as far-fetched as starring in a film, but it makes for a fascinating movie plot. Filmmakers often explore questions such as would happen if someone suddenly won the lottery, or how would winning the lottery change a person, or how can scoring big in the lottery bring a whole community together? These questions all provide a plethora of material to explore, but did you know that while there are many movies about winning the lottery, without the help of charity games, some well-known movies may have never even been made?
Exploring the What If…
One of the first movies that comes to mind when thinking about the lottery is Waking Ned Devine. It is a story about a small Irish village that comes together to claim the recently deceased Ned Devine’s charity game lottery winnings. In order to claim the jackpot, the towns folk have to convince the inspector that one of the other townsfolk is in fact Mr. Devine. It is a fun story of a small town bonding together for the greater good of their village. Another beloved film, It Could Happen to You, follows a young New York City cop who, after realizing he does not have money to tip his friendly waitress, offers to split the potential winnings of his lottery ticket with her. When he finds out that he has won the jackpot, he stays true to his word. This movie is actually based on a true story as well.
Welcome to Me is a darkly funny movie about a young woman with Borderline Personality Disorder who realizes that she has suddenly won the lottery. It follows her quest to become a TV personality, with less than stellar results initially. Another dark comedy, Lucky, explores the idea of a serial killer winning the lottery and what others are willing to overlook because of it.
Early Films and the Lottery
Directors have been fascinated by the temptation and effects of scoring big in the lottery or a charity game on the human psyche for over 90 years. One of the earliest movies that centers on the lottery is Greed, by Erich von Stroheim. This movie was produced in 1924, though much of the original film has since been lost. Le Million is a fun French musical film produced in 1931 by René Clair. It follows a young Dutch couple on a mission to find a missing jacket that has a winning lottery ticket in the pocket. Then there is the 1932 film, If I Had a Million. In this film, rather than leave his fortune to his family, a steel tycoon decides to give eight randomly selected strangers each a million dollars. While this movie isn’t exactly about winning the lottery, it does explore the theme of how the lucky recipients each decide how to spend their recent windfall.
Of course, no list about gambling, large sums of money, and movies is quite complete without mentioning Mr. 007 himself, James Bond, while he may not play a charity game or the lottery, it does make one wonder just what he would do if he did happen to win the lottery.