By Robert Scucci
| Published
If I ever won a $156 million lottery jackpot, I wouldn’t tell anyone, but there would be signs. First, I’d fake my own death, only to resurface a couple weeks later wearing a fake mustache and going about my business as usual.
When approached by people who say, “Hey, didn’t you just die?” my answer would be simple: “That wasn’t me, that was the impostor.” When they inevitably respond with “What?”, I’d say “Huh?” throw a smoke bomb on the ground, and run away because I’d have enough disposable income for a limitless supply of smoke bombs. Then I’d fake my death again, this time resurfacing a couple weeks later with a goatee.
I’d repeat this process a dozen or so times until the novelty wears off. Then I’d fake my death for real and retire to my underground bunker. My intended elusive methods may seem insane, but this rock solid plan is nothing compared to what happens in 2023’s Your Lucky Day. Here, a guy wins the jackpot at a convenience store, brags about it loudly, and immediately gets compromised by another patron who just so happens to be hard up for cash and willing to do whatever it takes to claim the ticket.
A Terrible Plan, And Its Many Escalations
In Your Lucky Daywe’re first introduced to a low-level drug dealer named Sterling (Angus Cloud), who gets robbed during a deal gone wrong. Not knowing how to recoup his losses, Sterling pops into a convenience store to take a quick breather. Inside, the store’s owner, Amir (Mousa Hussein Kraish), and a regular customer, Mr. Laird (Spencer Garrett), are making small talk while Mr. Laird scans his Mega Ball tickets at the lottery kiosk to see if he won anything. Also in the store are Abraham (Elliot Knight), his pregnant girlfriend Ana (Jessica Garza), and a cop named Cody (Sterling Beaumon).
Here’s how it all goes down. Ana and Abraham are grabbing ice cream, Cody is in the bathroom, and Mr. Laird discovers he just won the $156 million jackpot. Sterling tapes a makeshift mask made from a Mega Ball flyer to his face and decides to rob the store to take the ticket. The scuffle that follows brings Cody out of the bathroom with his weapon drawn. In the ensuing chaos, Cody accidentally kills Mr. Laird. Sterling, who now has nothing to lose and everything to gain, shoots Cody, presumably killing him as well.
Sterling locks down the store and demands that Ana, Abraham, and Amir help him dispose of the bodies, but not before discussing how they’ll split the winnings. Everybody is understandably apprehensive, especially since the winning ticket is now tied to a fatal robbery, potentially rendering it useless. Still, they come up with a plan that, on paper, allows them to get rid of the bodies without drawing suspicion, cash in the jackpot, and go their separate ways. Or so they think. The plan sounds airtight until unexpected complications start piling up.
Unexpected, But Welcome Lead Role Switcheroo
Kicking off from Sterling’s perspective, Your Lucky Day pivots quickly once the robbery spirals out of control. Sterling may have secured the Mega Ball ticket, but he’s still a low-level criminal thinking one step ahead at best. Ana, one of his hostages, gradually takes control of the situation, and it’s the best part of the movie.
Ana is nine months pregnant and rightfully terrified by everything that’s happened, but that doesn’t stop her from stepping up. She’s calculating, sharp, and quick to map out a contingency plan that makes you wonder what kind of crime lord she was in a past life. What she doesn’t anticipate is that Cody’s corrupt cop family is looking for him, and they’re closing in fast.
Your Lucky Day is a tight, low-budget thriller with more charm than its back-pocket production values would suggest. It tells a simple story, and that simplicity works because of how fast it escalates and how confidently it throws curveballs at the audience.
Watching how quickly everybody adjusts to the situation once they realize they could walk away from this never worrying about money again is half the fun. Loyalties shift, nerves fray, and the stakes keep climbing as the walls close in, but you’ll want to stick around to see how it all plays out.
As of this writing, Your Lucky Day is streaming on Netflix.