Awkwafina and John Cena unite in a high-concept action comedy set in a near-future Los Angeles. And not since the demented Jason Statham vehicle Crank has a movie maintained such a relentlessly frenetic pace and commitment to mayhem. Awkwafina, wisecracking to within an inch of her life, plays Katie Kim, a former actor recently returned to the city. But LA has changed – a new grand lottery offers untold riches to its winner, unless someone kills them before sundown, in which case the murderer legally claims the money instead. Cena plays the muscle-bound nice guy who offers to protect Katie when, thanks to a quirk of fate and a borrowed shellsuit, she wins the biggest ever jackpot.
With Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat) directing, this should be a brash, exuberantly violent blast of chaotic hilarity. But enthusiastic mugging and gurning from the cast can’t hide a feeble, flailing screenplay that clings to its single idea like a lifebelt.
