Kevin wins the lottery worth three hundred and seventy million dollars... and loses it to the neighborhood bully. That's basically the way that this comedy goes, but it's the process that makes for a more meaningful ride. "Don't Call Me Lil" Bow Wow stars as Kevin, with a host of other actors filling in the parts of his family friends, the local gang, the women they are all pursuing, etc. in the stereotypical straight from the 'hood flick. But there's a noticeable cameo role from Ice Cube as a crusty old coot who spent the last few decades in his basement and is finally ready to emerge. Sounds tasty.

Kevin finds out a valuable lesson that athletes deal with all the time: when you suddenly have more money, you suddenly have more friends and acquaintances than you did before. Women are suddenly more interested, adults pay more attention, and the local gang thinks he's worth their attention suddenly, although his Foot Locker job's perks attracted them like maggots to mold. Kevin's values and relationships are all called into question, and it's a wonder that he can survive the holiday weekend.

Just about every proverb about money that you can think of comes to mind while watching the movie. Money is the root of all evil. Mo' money, mo' problems. A fool and his money are soon parted. All of those things are wildly true and obvious in light of the movie, and Kevin's integrity forces him to come back as the only thing that he can really hold on to. Sure, he's got a few friends who stick with him, but for the most part, his community can't get past their own mindset about money and status.

Somehow, the get-rich-quick schemes never seem to work out the way we want them to. Ironically, the last two times Hollywood took a swing at the lottery, it was Hugo's ill-fated winning and Kevin's ticket that he didn't really end up needing in the long run. Sure, this is a lot funnier, but the outcomes still look the same. We can't count on getting "lucky," and sometimes being lucky isn't better than being good. (Although, for the record, it's not about being "good," but accepting grace... but that would require a "spoiler alert.") Kevin gets what he needs... a life lesson in who he's supposed to be and what really matters.

You don't need the lottery to figure that one out.