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Jerry and Marge Go Large
Movie

Jerry and Marge Go Large

2022 • Biography, Comedy, Drama

Woke Score
1.5
out of 10

Plot

Based on the true story about long-married couple Jerry and Marge Selbee, who win the lottery and use the money to revive their small town.

Overall Series Review

Jerry and Marge Go Large is a wholesome, feel-good story centered on traditional American values of community, marriage, and altruism. The film follows a long-married couple who discover a lottery loophole and use the winnings to revive their small Michigan town. The core conflict is not based on identity but on moral character, pitting the 'salt-of-the-earth' retirees against a group of arrogant, entitled college students who represent intellectual elitism and greed. The movie celebrates the institutions of family and local community, presenting a positive view of a decades-long marriage and small-town life. There is a refreshing lack of modern social or sexual political commentary, focusing instead on character, logic, and the enduring value of neighborly good deeds.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1.5/10

Characters are judged by their moral fiber and competence, specifically Jerry's mathematical genius and the Selbees' altruism versus the Harvard students' arrogance and greed. The primary conflict is a class/culture clash between small-town humility and urban/academic elitism. There is no vilification of 'whiteness' and the cast is naturally diverse without political lecturing.

Oikophobia1/10

The narrative fundamentally champions the small-town American community, portraying the protagonists' goal as the revitalization of their home and its local businesses. The film celebrates the spirit of the community and the enduring strength of local institutions, functioning as the opposite of civilizational self-hatred.

Feminism2/10

The core relationship is a portrait of a complementary and deeply respectful marriage that is 'reinvigorated' by their shared adventure. Marge is an active and enthusiastic partner in the scheme, not a passive wife, but her role does not devolve into a perfect 'Girl Boss' trope, nor is Jerry depicted as a bumbling idiot; he is a competent, albeit reserved, mathematician.

LGBTQ+1/10

The movie centers on a traditional, long-married heterosexual couple and the nuclear families of their children. Alternative sexualities or gender ideology are not present, nor is the nuclear family deconstructed or framed as an oppressive structure. Sexuality remains a private and normative element of the story.

Anti-Theism1/10

The film avoids hostility towards religion, instead centering a clear, transcendent morality where using wealth for community good is celebrated, and using it for selfish gain is portrayed as villainous. The story is wholesome and uplifting, sharing thematic similarities with 'faith-based' films in its focus on good people doing good things, acknowledging an objective moral truth in their actions.