TIFF24: Samir Oliveros Talks "Luckiest Man in America" 

In 1984, Press Your Luck was fresh on the game show scene. The set-up is simple: contestants answer trivia questions to earn spins on the massive, light-up game board. Along with a wide variety of cash and prizes, there are also squares that feature the Whammy character. If a contestant lands on a Whammy square, they will lose all of their earnings and prizes. As the show's title implies, the game is built on luck. Or is it? In 1984, a contestant, Michael Larson (Richard Jewell), would rack up over $100,000 over the course of two episodes without once landing on a Whammy. How did he do it? Is he simply the luckiest man in America?
Ahead of its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, director and co-writer, Samir Oliveros, sat down with Film Obsessive's Tina Kakadelis to discuss Luckiest Man in America, how game shows are a modern snake oil, and what reality show Oliveros would win. The transcript has been edited for clarity and space.