Ice Cube has come a long way from being a poster boy for gangster rap to being a purveyor of fluffy urban entertainment. Cube serves as executive producer and star of the ensemble comedy Lottery Ticket.
Kevin Carson (the no longer lil' Bow Wow) lives in the projects of Atlanta with his Grandma (Loretta Devine) and two best friends Benny (Brandon T. Jackson) and Stacie (Naturi Naughton). He picks up a couple lottery tickets for his Grandma and one of them yields a big jackpot of $370 million. Unfortunately, the lottery office is closed for the 4th of July weekend. Waiting it out becomes difficult when word gets out around the neighborhood. Kevin soon finds himself hit up by everyone who's looking to ride the money train. The worst though is ex-con Lorenzo (Gbenga Akinnagbe), just released from jail on shoplifting charges thanks to Kevin. Lorenzo not only wants revenge, but wants the winning ticket too.
Lottery Ticket is at its best in the first fifteen minutes as a slice-of-life examination of its colorful characters ala Cube's Barbershop. The opening finds Kevin just trying to get to work at Foot Locker. He's constantly interrupted by a colorful cadre of characters such as Charlie Murphy as the neighborhood gossip and Ice Cube as a former boxer who lurks in his basement and always asks for beef jerky and a Cherry Coke. Yes, all the most interesting stuff happens before the ticket is even introduced. Once it comes into play, the film drifts into a mawkish sentimentality.
Kevin lets riches go to his head as he begins preferring the company of fair-weather friends and gold digging hoochies to his tried and true pals. He inevitably learns the error of his ways and the value of giving to the community. The movie tries to enforce a positive message while simultaneously reinforcing stereotypes. Protagonists describe other characters as a "premature crack baby felon" or being covered in "slave dust."
Aside from the beginning, the rest of the movie only works in bits and pieces. The best scenes belong to the underutilized tandem of Keith David and Terry Crews as a local gangster and his enforcer and rapper T-Pain in a surprisingly funny role as a chatty convenience store clerk.
Rating: * ½
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