Is it real? The acting is, from Shaunette Renée Wilson and Damian Young as vaguely defined CBS functionaries to Messrs. Strathairn, Anderson and Hauser, whose Michael Larson is the stuff a particular American dream is made of.

So much more than just an exploration of this anomalous oddball story and character who managed to outsmart the media. The focus on the control-room panic illustrates how these corporate narratives shape the myth of the American Dream.

It's difficult getting to know Larson or his drive, and he's portrayed as bashful and shrinking by Hauser.

Luckiest Man In America presses its luck with one too many spins, becoming the kind of film that gets in its own way and unable to settle into an identity. It leaves you with an appreciation for some of its pieces but rather forgetful of the whole picture