When Steve Jackson (Sidney Portier) and Wardell Franklin (Bill Cosby) get robbed at a swanky underground night spot they take it in stride. That is until Steve realizes that he had a winning lottery ticket in his wallet which was stolen. From there the madness begins.
I'll be honest, I didn't like Sidney in this role. For a $50,000 lottery ticket he was willing to go to great lengths to retrieve it. Goofy, suicidal lengths. I could see a more traditional comedian in that role--like Bill Cosby for instance--but it didn't suit Portier.
If we were to generously compare $50,000 of 1974 to today (2018), then maybe it was worth $500,000 today. Still, is that worth sleuthing around the criminal world and risking your life? I get it was a comedy which lends to more fantastic events than maybe a drama with the same theme but Portier should've been more of a straight man in the duo. It was funny at times but often just plain silly. "Let's Do It Again" was tons better.
I'll be honest, I didn't like Sidney in this role. For a $50,000 lottery ticket he was willing to go to great lengths to retrieve it. Goofy, suicidal lengths. I could see a more traditional comedian in that role--like Bill Cosby for instance--but it didn't suit Portier.
If we were to generously compare $50,000 of 1974 to today (2018), then maybe it was worth $500,000 today. Still, is that worth sleuthing around the criminal world and risking your life? I get it was a comedy which lends to more fantastic events than maybe a drama with the same theme but Portier should've been more of a straight man in the duo. It was funny at times but often just plain silly. "Let's Do It Again" was tons better.