His petty betrayals only make him a victim along with the rest of them, and without any adversity or true villain to the story it becomes one of survival. Harrelson is great in the role, but most of the time he comes off as jealous more than anything, and at his patient and intelligent wife at that, who has little control over her own life let alone her immense family. Yes, her husband is a blight to the family by drinking away his paycheck and leaving his wife to support them on pure luck, but that doesn't always pay off plot wise. The reason this doesn't evolve into an Oscar worthy film or even a memorable one, is simply because the film lacks any true drama. The film is intriguing not only for the character's quick mind at thinking up jingles, limericks, and general rhymes for contests, but also for educating the current generation about the ad campaigns of companies in the fifties and the role of the housewife at the time of baby boomers. The prize winner in the title is alluding to the fact that main character Evelyn Ryan (Moore) spent the bulk of her life winning contests put out by companies in the fifties in order to keep her family from collapsing into ruin thanks to her husband's alcoholic tendencies.
This film looks at a mother who had to help her home of ten children with her own brilliant mind. At the box office this film didn't make back all that much from its original budget and it's easy to figure out why when it comes to the story. A rather forgotten film at the box office, and in the annals of history, this adaptation from the book of the same name features some heart tugging moments but overall comes off as tripe.
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